When it comes to vaccines, side matters

If you’re getting a vaccine and a booster, does it matter which arm gets which shot? It seems no one bothered to ask that until a German doctoral student came along. And what she found was surprising.

Yes, it does make a difference, and getting the vaccine and booster in the same arm is noticeably better. Or if you want to sound more like a medical professional, there were “indications that ipsilateral vaccination can definitely generate better protection than contralateral vaccination.”

Most striking was the observation that two weeks after vaccination, the number of CD8 T cells, colloquially called “T killer cells”, was significantly higher in those who were “unilaterally” vaccinated in those who received their vaccination in both arms.

But it gets a little weirder. While there were the same number of antibodies generated no matter which arm got what, once again using the same arm was better because “the antibodies in the ipsilaterally vaccinated people caught the spike protein of the virus more strongly.”

Bill is all set.

Why yes, there are still tickets for GPhA’s Day at the Braves!

Don’t be left out! There are still some tickets available for GPhA’s 2023 Day at the Braves on Sunday, September 10! Come see Atlanta take on the Pittsburgh Pirates and cheer them on with other Georgia pharmacy folks.

More than 50 people have already signed up, so don’t wait to order yours!

Our seat block is in the Terrace Reserved Section 240 and tickets are just $50 each. The game starts at 1:35 pm — a perfect way to end the summer!

We wouldn’t use so many exclamation marks if we didn’t think it was great!

GPhA’s seating has sold out fast these last two years, so don’t wait — order your tickets today!

Pregnancy tests that may not work

The FDA is telling, well, everyone not to use a bunch of pregnancy and ovulation tests made by Universal Meditech because they may not work and may not even be safe. The FDA doesn’t know.

To complicate the whole thing, the tests are branded by a whole bunch of other companies, e.g., “HealthyWiser” and “PrestiBio.” So you want to check the full list.

Not complicated enough for ya? How about this: The company is out of business “and is no longer providing support for its tests.”

This image could apply to either recall story.

While we’re on the subject of recalls….

“Nestlé Recalls Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough After Wood Chips Found”

New prostate cancer drug approved

The FDA has approved Akeega, the Janssen Pharmaceuticals combo of niraparib and abiraterone acetate, for treating BRCA-positive, metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer in adult patients.

If you want the details of the study, which includes bits like “(HR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.55 – 1.12)”, click here. Otherwise you’ve got the gist.

HHS fires back against drug makers

Drug makers have challenged the part of the Inflation Reduction Act that allows Medicare to negotiate a fair price on the most expensive drugs it pays for. They want taxpayers to pay whatever they (the pharma companies) feel like charging, and they’ve claimed it’s unconstitutional for the government to dare negotiate like some kind of … of capitalists.

But after listening to the industry’s threats and doom-saying, HHS has had enough. It’s filed its response to the US Chamber of Commerce’s claims, pointing out that it hasn’t even selected the drugs it will negotiate over — “the Ne­go­ti­a­tion Pro­gram cur­rent­ly im­pos­es no le­gal oblig­a­tions on any drug man­u­fac­tur­er what­so­ev­er.” And besides, the US Chamber of Commerce doesn’t even have standing to speak for the entire pharmaceutical industry.

Unexpected side effects

… of weight loss drugs

Here’s a side effect of the new weight loss drugs you might not have considered. Because they slow the digestive system to a crawl, GLP-1 inhibitors can screw with the timing when someone has to fast before, say, going under anesthesia.

Some anesthesiologists […] say they’ve seen growing numbers of patients on the weight-loss drugs who inhaled food and liquid into their lungs while sedated because their stomachs were still full — even after following standard instructions to stop eating for six to eight hours in advance.

… of long Covid

There are plenty of stories of how long Covid is affecting people, from brain fog and muscle aches to being turned into a newt or smelling like elderberries.

The latest gets into Smurf territory: A 33-year-old British man found that after experiencing Covid-19, his legs would start turning blue^*.

[T]he patient’s legs would turn bright red upon standing, but became more blue as time went on. After 10 minutes, the patient experienced itching sensations in his legs as well.

Money quote: “Patients experiencing this […] may feel concerned about what they are seeing.”

^* Yes, technically it’s acrocyanosis, smarty pants. But that doesn’t make nearly as good a headline.

Non-pharma science headline that raises an eyebrow

“Testing of Vlad the Impaler’s letters show he may have had condition causing his tears to be mixed with blood.”

Money quote regarding Vlad: “He was known to be a fierce defender of his land.”