Pharmacists could save us big

Shocking news: Pharmacists could save the healthcare system (i.e., insurers, patients, taxpayers) millions if they were allowed to treat more medical issues.

A study out of Washington State University found that if minor illnesses were handled in pharmacies “it would have saved an estimated $23 million in health care expenses” over three years.

The study found that care for a range of minor health issues — including urinary tract infections, shingles, animal bites and headaches — costs an average of about $278 less when treated in pharmacies compared to patients with similar conditions treated at “traditional sites” of primary care, urgent care, or emergency room settings.

That’s based on data from 500 patients, 175 pharmacists, and 46 pharmacies, from 2016 to 2019.

In the interest of fairness, we do have to include this caveat: The study was supported by a grant from the National Association of Chain Drug Stores Foundation.

Older folks should use statins too

Statins are safe and effective for older people, according to a multi-year study out of Hong Kong that followed more than 120,000 people aged 60 and over who had never had heart disease. They found that …

Reduction for [cardio-vascular disease] after statin therapy were seen in patients aged 75 years or older without increasing risks for severe adverse effects. Of note, the benefits and safety of statin therapy were consistently found in adults aged 85 years or older.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has been iffy about the value of statins for people 75 and older, and physicians are often reluctant to prescribe them. This new, big study might change that.

Weekly insulin nixed

The other day we told you that Novo Nordisk’s once-a-week insulin, Awiqli, came with a notable risk of of hypoglycemia. An FDA advisory committee was going to decide whether to recommend that the agency approve it.

Well, that committee gave Awiqli a thumbs-down, voting 7-to-4 that “the weekly insulin icodec’s benefits do not outweigh the risks.”

Novo thought it could get around the issue simply by having a warning label, but the committee didn’t agree. The company will now “work closely with the FDA to identify the next steps needed to bring the treatment to market.”

Any day now

The latest “promising approach to develop a birth control pill for men” comes from the Baylor College of Medicine. It works by inhibiting a protein (STK33) that’s required for fertility in both mice and men, and the effect fades away once the gentleman in question stops taking it.

Heart-helping drugs don’t work the way we thought

Old idea: SGLT2 inhibitors — developed for diabetes but used to treat heart failure — act as diuretics.

New data: “Contrary to common assumptions, these drugs may improve cardiac outcomes and heart health without acting as diuretics.” That’s from a joint US-Singaporean-German study that found that …

[T]he body responded [to the drug] by releasing more vasopressin, a brain hormone that instructs the kidneys to conserve water. This minimised any rise in urine volume and even after 24 hours, patients’ urine volume remained stable despite persistent glucose excretion from dapagliflozin.

The brain won’t let hydration levels get that low, which means SGLT2 inhibitors help the heart by some other mechanism. As usual, more research is needed.

Feeding infants peanuts protects them from allergies

It makes sense, but now there’s science to prove it: Giving kids peanut products early can reduce their risk of peanut allergies at least into adolescence, according to a multi-year study by researchers at King’s College London. At age 6–12…

• 4.4% of kids who ate peanuts from infancy had a peanut allergy.
• 15.4% of kids who avoided peanuts for their first five years had a peanut allergy.

“These results show that regular, early peanut consumption reduce the risk of peanut allergy in adolescence by 71% compared to early peanut avoidance.”

Sugar doesn’t make kids hyperactive

An Australian neuroscientist explains how every parent is wrong — “[T]oday’s scientific evidence does not support the claim sugar makes kids hyperactive.”

Rigorous research conducted by experts has consistently failed to find a connection between sugar and hyperactivity. Numerous placebo-controlled studies have demonstrated sugar does not significantly impact children’s behaviour or attention span.

She does admit that a dopamine rush from unexpected candy can lead to “increased activity,” thus “the excited behaviour of children towards sugary foods may be attributed to a burst of dopamine.” Potato, po-tah-to.