By: Ada Seldin, Staff Editor – The overuse of antipsychotics in the nursing home population for off-label indications continues to impact patient safety. In 2005, the FDA issued a black box warning that stated, “The treatment of behavioral disorders in elderly patients with dementia with atypical antipsychotic medications is associated with increased mortality.” The evidence…

By: Kevin Lin, PharmD Candidate c/o 2015 – This April, the FDA approved three sublingual immunotherapies for pollen induced allergic rhinitis: Grastek® (Timothy Grass Pollen Allergen Extract), Oralair® (Grass Pollen Allergen Extract), and Ragwitek® (Short Ragweed Pollen Allergen Extract). Formulated by Merck, Grastek® is Timothy grass pollen allergen extract. It is approved for patients ages…

By: Sean Caltabiano PharmD Candidate c/o 2015, Minjoo Park PharmD Candidate c/o 2015, & Elissa Tam PharmD Candidate c/o 2015 With special thanks to Dr. Vibhuti Arya, PharmD, Assistant Clinical Professor, St. John’s University, the Primary Care Information Project, and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Queens, NY. – As part…

By Davidta Brown, Senior Staff Editor – The idea of granting pharmacists the right to prescribe, as well as to counsel and dispense, has long been a source of controversy among healthcare professionals. A study out of the University of Alberta in Canada, published online in mid-April, provided some much needed concrete data for an…

By: Jenny Park PharmD Candidate c/o 2015 – A series of broad HIV specific monoclonal antibodies (mAb) have been isolated and been shown to bind to CD4 binding sites, V1/V2 loops, V3/V4 loops, glycans, and proximal external regions. It has been shown that administration of a “cocktail” of HIV-1 specific monoclonal antibodies along with single…

By: Sherin Pathickal, PharmD Candidate c/o 2016 – The mandatory receipt of vaccinations as a preventive public health measure has long been a controversial issue in our society.1 Despite the popular use of immunizations, many reservations about vaccine constituents and their safety have prevailed, leading to increasing numbers of unvaccinated people.1 Opponents of vaccinations have…