Dosing errors all along

After all the fuss it kicked up about compounded versions of GLP-1 drugs, you could say the FDA is changing its tune a bit. It seems that the adverse effects of the drugs aren’t about the quality of the compounded versions, but about dosing errors.

Inspired by social media, patients are requesting — and some prescribers are prescribing — higher doses of the drugs than are recommended. In other cases, patients are simply misusing injectors. It’s bad enough that the agency had to make a public announcement.

Mercer: A fond farewell and an enthusiastic welcome

Our best wishes for an amazing retirement to Mercer College of Pharmacy’s Dean Brian Crabtree — after seven years in the position, he’s retiring as of … well, yesterday.

And then welcome to Interim Dean Pamela Moye, a longtime member of the CoP’s faculty and the chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice. (Notice the “interim”? The college is conducting a nationwide search for a permanent replacement for Dr. Crabtree.)

Sanitizer out, mask on hand

Georgia, like much of the country, is dealing with a summer surge in Covid-19, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Back in April, the Northeast Georgia Health System was seeing a 2% positivity rate for Covid tests, but now it’s up to 22% positive … and rising.

According to the CDC, in the week that ended July 13, Georgia reported 1.1% of emergency room visits were diagnosed as Covid-19, a 40% increase from the previous week

The good news: It’s still a small number, even with the percentage jumping. The FLiRT variants causing the surge seem to be milder than previous variants — even an 81-year-old can be infected and be back in action after a few days — but it’s also more transmissible.

Happy Valentine’s Day 2027

Indy pharmacies: Are you ready for “Summerween”? After years of the Christmas season starting in September, Halloween wants its due — so “retailers are promoting the spooky holiday earlier than ever.”

ICYMI: Colorectal blood test

The FDA has approved a blood test for colorectal cancer — the first one that can be used as a primary screening option, and the first one that can be covered by Medicare.

It’s not as good as the gold standard colonoscopy, but it’s about on par with pooping in a jar at-home stool tests like ColoGuard. It’s expected to be available within a week or so.

“A simple blood test may be more convenient for some patients while^* colonoscopies can feel invasive, or at-home stool tests can feel awkward.”

^* Implying that at some point colonoscopies might not feel invasive and at-home stool tests might not be awkward.

Lettuce treat that

When your patients are suffering from nettle stings, you probably told them to rub a dock leaf on the skin for relief. But there may be a simpler solution: lettuce.

A “randomised, double blind, active placebo-controlled trial” in Britain found that it’s likely any crushed leaf would work:

The observed discomfort of nettle stings eased rapidly over 15–20 minutes with both dock and lettuce leaf applications, say the researchers. But “the effect was not significantly different between the two interventions.”

[…]

“We conclude that dock leaf may work for nettle stings, [but] lettuce may be just as good, [and] relief comes quickly either way.”

Elsewhere: Danger Shrooms edition

Warm, wet weather in the Midwest has meant a lot of mushrooms sprouting — and a lot of calls to poison control centers. People, it seems, are foraging for mushrooms without knowing the difference between poisonous and safe.

Common ones that typically cause milder symptoms include the little brown mushrooms that grow in yards and the small white mushrooms that can form “fairy rings,” Brown said. But some deadly species also grow in the area, including one popularly known as the “death angel” or “destroying angel.”