By: Amanda Kastel, PharmD Candidate c/o 2027 In February 2026, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary stated in a press conference that: “Everything should be over the counter, unless a drug is unsafe, addictive, or requires monitoring.”1 He argued that this approach could reduce medication costs for consumers by bypassing pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). Additionally, he stated…

By: Sariah Grant, PharmD Candidate c/o 2027             The rise of glucagon-like peptide -1 receptor agonist medications have transformed the course of type 2 diabetes and weight loss therapy. Subcutaneous injectable medications such as  Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound have become the new standard due to demonstrated efficacy. United States obesity rates have declined from…

By: Amanda Kastel, PharmD Candidate c/o 2027 On December 22, 2025, the FDA approved the once-daily oral Wegovy® (semaglutide) tablet, making it the first oral GLP-1 receptor agonist approved for weight management. Although Rybelsus® (semaglutide) has been available as an oral GLP-1 tablet since 2019, its FDA-approved indication is limited to the treatment of type…

By: Michelle Flores, Pharm D Candidate 2027 A large comparative effectiveness study from Denmark has found that sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT-2is) may offer stronger kidney protection than glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1s) in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Researchers evaluated adults with metformin-treated T2D who began therapy with either an SGLT-2 inhibitor or a…

By: Armanda Dervishi, PharmD Candidate ‘27 Introduction Dementia is a progressive syndrome characterized by a decline in memory, reasoning, and daily functioning. Symptoms often include changes in personality, mood, and behavior, alongside cognitive decline. The most common form is Alzheimer’s disease, which accounts for approximately 60-80% of all dementia cases.1 Other subtypes include vascular dementia,…

By: Archana Murugan, PharmD Candidate c/o 2029 Introduction Alzheimer’s disease (AD) refers to a progressive neurodegenerative form of dementia, affecting a person’s memory, cognitive function, and ability to perform daily activities worldwide. Presently, more than 6 million Americans aged 65 years and older are living with Alzheimer’s disease, indicating that as the population continues to…

By: Amanda Kastel, PharmD Candidate c/o 2027 On September 22, 2025, President Donald Trump and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. held a press conference that sparked widespread confusion among medical professionals and the public. Roughly three minutes into the briefing, President Trump announced that the FDA would notify physicians about a “very increased risk”…

By: Armanda Dervishi, PharmD Candidate c/o 2027 Introduction Compounding has always been an important part of pharmacy practice. Patients often need medications that aren’t available commercially – whether it’s a dye-free suspension for a child, a topical cream, or hormone replacement therapy. However, in recent years, compounding has received more attention than ever before. In…

By: Amanda Nakhul, Biomedical Sciences c/o 2027 Pharmacies such as CVS, Walgreens, and Rite Aid are known for being convenient, affordable, and accessible to most communities. Unfortunately, on May 5th, 2025, Rite Aid officially filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the second time in less than two years. As stated by the United States…

By Ansha Hamid PharmD Candidate c/o 2027 The pharmaceutical industry has been shaken to its core and now faces significant changes with the rise of Amazon Pharmacy and Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drug Company (CPDC). Both entities have entered the market with a mission to provide more affordable prescription medications to consumers by increasing price…

By: Rebecca Sabzanov, PharmD Candidate c/o 2026 On July 15th, 2025, the FDA approved Kirsty, or insulin aspart-xjhz, as the first interchangeable biosimilar to insulin aspart. 1, 2 A biosimilar is a biologic that is very similar to the approved reference product and has no meaningful differences in safety, purity and potency. All insulin products…

By Maimuna Maula, PharmD Candidate c/o 2026 On July 23rd, 2025, the FDA approved VOSTALLY (ramipril) Oral Solution by Rosemont Pharmaceuticals Inc. This is an angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor that offers patients a once-daily dosing in an oral liquid form – a viable alternative for individuals who have difficulty swallowing pill formulations.1 Hypertension is…

By: Alba Dona, PharmD Candidate c/o 2027 Over the past few years, technology has transformed almost every aspect of medicine. Tools such as electronic health records, artificial intelligence, e-prescribing, and telehealth platforms have changed the way patients interact with providers and access treatment. Patients can communicate with providers over the phone or by video call,…

By: Michelle Flores, PharmD Candidate c/o 2027             Schizophrenia impacts an estimated 24 million individuals globally, with roughly 60% of those affected experiencing negative symptoms. These symptoms, which are a cornerstone of the condition alongside positive symptoms and cognitive impairment, are divided into two categories: experiential and expressive. Experiential symptoms manifest as a lack of…

By: Sumaiya Chowdhury, PharmD Candidate c/o 2026, Daniyal Khan, PharmD Candidate c/o 2027, Wajiha Uddin, PharmD Candidate c/o 2027 & Riha Chowdhury, PharmD Candidate c/o 2027 Abstract Adderall is a prescription drug used to treat individuals diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy². However, the illegal use of Adderall has been observed among…

By: Mazal Borukhova, PharmD Candidate c/o 2026, Jacqueline Demirjian, PharmD Candidate c/o 2029, Alicia Lumia, PharmD Candidate c/o 2029, Hailey Sandoval, PharmD Candidate c/o 2029 Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic disease that occurs when the body is unable to regulate blood glucose levels. There are many risk factors that can contribute to…

By: Nower Chowdhury, PharmD Candidate c/o 2026, Anastasia Jairam, PharmD Candidate 2029, John Niewinski, PharmD Candidate 2028 INTRODUCTION Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic autoimmune condition that significantly impairs the quality of life for many individuals in the United States. In 2023, UC affected approximately 414 per 100,000 individuals nationwide. UC is a type of…

By: Zainab Masood, PharmD Candidate c/o 2026, Ansha Hamid, PharmD Candidate c/o 2027, Gabriella Lamantea, PharmD Candidate c/o 2027 & Ishrat Iqbal, PharmD Candidate c/o 2027 Cystic fibrosis is a chronic genetic disorder that follows an autosomal recessive inheritance pattern which affects children and adults.1 There is a genetic mutation on chromosome 7 that codes…

By: Sariah Grant PharmD Candidate c/o 2027 Color additives have long played a crucial role in the appearance and appeal of many foods and pharmaceutical products.1 From vibrant candies to easily identifiable medications, synthetic dyes such as Food, Drug and Cosmetics (FD&C) Red Dye No.3, have been used for decades. However, growing concerns over its safety…

By Ansha Hamid PharmD Candidate c/o 2027 Schizophrenia is a severe mental illness that is described by a list of debilitating symptoms, including disorganized thoughts and behaviors, out-of-touch experiences, hallucinations, and significant social and occupational dysfunction. Existing therapies predominantly rely on antipsychotic medications targeting dopamine receptors and offer only some relief. However, they often have…

By Amanda Nakhul, Biomedical Sciences c/o 2027 Precision is key in multiple aspects of our lives, including medicine. Diseases such as cancer, a disease in which abnormal cells divide uncontrollably and destroy body tissue, can be treated with imatinib. The FDA recently approved the first oral liquid formulation of imatinib: a revolutionary drug redefining cancer…

By: Nivaj Haque PharmD Candidate c/o 2027 The pharmaceutical industry is undergoing significant changes in the background as new government policies are affecting the development, approval, and sale of drugs. These changes are affecting the staffing at the regulatory agencies, drug pricing, and international trade. They are also affecting pharmaceutical companies, healthcare providers and patients…

By: Amita Singh, Pharm D Candidate c/o 2025 Voxelotor, marketed under the brand name Oxbryta, was approved by the US. Food and Drug administration (FDA) under the accelerated approval pathway in 2019 for the treatment of sickle cell anemia in adults and pediatric patients 12 years of age or older. In 2021, FDA granted accelerated…

By: Christine Mauceri, PharmD Candidate c/o 2025 On November 7th, 2024, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced its proposal to remove oral phenylephrine from over-the-counter (OTC) drug products. Phenylephrine has been widely used, both orally and intranasally, for the temporary relief of nasal decongestion due to the common cold or allergies. It is marketed…

By: Nivaj Haque; PharmD Candidate c/o 2027 Recent advancements in cardiology have revolutionized the management of arrhythmias, offering new hope for patients with conditions like supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) significantly affects patients’ lives, leading to approximately 50,000 emergency department visits annually in the United States.1 This statistic underscores the urgency of developing effective…

By: Katelyn Hoosein, PharmD Candidate c/o 2025             Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder with symptoms that progressively worsen over time, including memory loss, impairment in judgment and problem solving, language deficit, social disengagement, irritability, agitation, aggression, and psychosis. AD typically occurs in patients 60 years of age and older, but, rarely, patients younger…

Amanda Nakhul, Biomedical Sciences c/o 2027 Reproductive rights, specifically abortion, has been a topic of contention for decades. From being pro-choice or pro-life, to debating the circumstances that permit abortion, various opinions have surfaced. Amid these opinions is one of the most critical issues: access. Contraceptive access can make or break a woman’s choice to…

By: Ameena Qadri PharmD Candidate c/o 2027 Advancements in reproductive technology have considerably enhanced fertility treatments, with in-vitro fertilization (IVF) serving as the primary method for many years. IVF facilitates external fertilization of oocytes, offering a solution to infertility. However, this method has presented limitations due to its inability to produce viable gametes and its…

By: Rebecca Sabzanov, PharmD Candidate c/o 2026 On August 9th, 2024, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Neffy, the first epinephrine intranasal spray, manufactured by ARS pharmaceuticals, for the treatment of anaphylaxis in adults and pediatric patients who weigh at least 30 kilograms.1 Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction which causes a multitude of…

Michelle Flores, Pharm D Candidate c/o 2027 According to clinical trial results from researchers at UCL, UCLH, and the Francis Crick Institute in the UK, dornase alfa, a drug commonly used to treat cystic fibrosis, improved outcomes for patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia and may be used to treat other respiratory infections. A randomized unblinded…

By: Nivaj Haque; PharmD Candidate c/o 2027 In recent years, advancements in oncology have transformed the treatment landscape for various cancers, including those overexpressing human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). Approximately 15-20% of breast cancers and a significant proportion of gastric and lung cancers are HER2-positive, making this a critical target for innovative therapies.1…

By: Reyaz Mussaleen PharmD Candidate c/o 2027 IntroductionThe Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the United States published a draft guidance in April 2024 titled “Safety Testing of Human Allogeneic Cells Expanded for Use in Cell-Based Medical Products.”1 This document, which aims to improve the regulatory framework for cell-based therapies, demonstrates the FDA’s determination to…

By: Sariah Grant, PharmD Candidate c/o 2027            In June 2021, the Food and Drug Administration approved Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide, marketed under the brand name Wegovy. It was approved for adults facing obesity and other weight-related conditions.1 Initially developed for the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D), semaglutide’s use has expanded significantly due to…

By: Bhojranie Brahmanand, PharmD Candidate c/o 2025 The most prevalent manifestation within the spectrum of polycystic kidney diseases is recognized as autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). It is a genetic condition marked by the formation of fluid-filled cysts within the kidneys due to mutations in the PKD1 gene (located on chromosome 16) or the…

By: Giavanna Carr, PharmD Candidate c/o 2025 Acinetobacter is a gram-negative organism typically found in soil and water, but it has been found to colonize intravenous fluids and irrigation solutions.1 Of the species of acinetobacter, A. baumannii is the most clinically significant.1 Acinetobacter is a slow growing organism with the potential to cause infections in…

By Ashley Dao, PharmD Candidate c/o 2024 Extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) is the most common gram-negative bacilli and is a leading bacterial cause of urinary tract infections (UTI), bacteremia and meningitis. E coli is the leading cause of deaths associated with antibiotic resistant bacterial pathogens and a common cause of resistant hospital-acquired infections.1 Older…

By Holly Nguyen, PharmD Candidate c/o 2024 The White House Medical Unit employs a small confidential team of healthcare professionals, led by the Physician to the President, to be responsible for the health of the President, the Vice President, their families, the White House staff, and visitors such as national and international diplomats.1,2 Doctors, nurses,…

By: Anjali Thykattil, PharmD Candidate c/o 2025 and Isabelle Lim, PharmD Candidate c/o 2024 Effective June 23rd, 2023, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Pfizer’s LITFULO™ (ritlecitinib) for the treatment of severe alopecia areata in adults and adolescents above the age of 12 years. While ritlecitinib is the second FDA approved treatment…

By: Paulina Maczko, PharmD Candidate 2027, Sarah El-Rowmeim, PharmD Candidate 2027, and Laura Pham, PharmD Candidate 2025 Valoctocogene roxaparvovec-rvox, sold under the brand name “Roctavian” by BioMarin Pharmaceuticals, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on June 29, 2023. It is a single-dose adeno-associated virus vector-based gene therapy infusion indicated for the treatment…

By: Katelyn Hoosein, PharmD Candidate c/o 2025 and My Tram (Sophie) Le, PharmD Candidate c/o 2028 In recent years, there has been an increase in the prevalence of obesity in the United States. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), nearly 3 in 4 adults aged 20 years or older in the United…

By: John Ortiz, PharmD Candidate c/o 2025 What is a Blood Transfusion? A blood transfusion is a procedure where donated blood is intravenously administered to a patient. Generally, it is used to treat patients who are experiencing blood loss or a deficiency of integral blood components. In the United States, there are 21 million blood transfusions…

By: Urooj K. Malik, PharmD Candidate c/o 2024 Effective September 22, 2023, the United States (U.S.) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted approval for empagliflozin (Jardiance®) 10 mg tablets for the treatment of adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD) at risk of progression. This decision was based on the results of the EMPA-KIDNEY phase III…

By: Samia Rahman Adity, PharmD Candidate c/o 2025 Diabetes Facts and Statistics Type II diabetes (T2D) has been a consequential public health concern in the United States (US). It is a condition where patients have elevated blood glucose levels. Escalation in plasma glucose can lead to detrimental health effects, which include cardiovascular complications like coronary…

By: Anureet Kaur, PharmD Candidate c/o 2024  According to surveillance data from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the sexually transmitted infection (STI) epidemic is escalating at an alarming rate. The health agency reports that in 2019, there were 1.8 million cases of chlamydia, more than 600,000 cases of gonorrhea, and…

By: Bhojranie Brahmanand, PharmD Candidate c/o 2025 On October 18, 2023, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Bimzelx (bimekizumab) for the treatment of adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis.1 Psoriasis is an immune-mediated inflammatory disease that is associated with cutaneous and systemic manifestations. The pathophysiology can be characterized by abnormal keratinocyte…

By: Giavanna Carr, PharmD Candidate c/o 2025 In March of 2023, Senators Maria Cantwell and Charles E. Grassley successfully passed the Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBM) Transparency Act through the Senate Commerce Committee.1 The PBM Transparency Act is projected to save taxpayers a total of $740 million dollars over a 10-year period, making this act a…

By: Jennalynn Fung, PharmD Candidate c/o 2025 Drug shortages are not new; however, their frequency has significantly increased over the years. Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease doctor and professor at the University of California, San Francisco, stated, “[i]t’s something that I’ve seen from time to time since I started practice about 20 years ago,…

By: Bhojranie Brahmanand, PharmD Candidate c/o 2025 Traditionally, a prescription has always been required for contraceptives such as birth control. However, on July 13, 2023, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Perrigo’s Opill®, a daily progestin-only oral contraceptive (POC) as the first over-the-counter (OTC) birth control pill.1 This drug was originally approved for prescription…

By: Ashley Medina, PharmD Candidate c/o 2025 After decades of trial and error, science is ready to offer preventative measures against the respiratory syncytial virus, better known as RSV. Utilizing RSV vaccination tools that have become available will allow for a healthy, fun, and safe transition from winter to spring, often when RSV cases rise.…

By: Sandra Jojo, PharmD Canddiate c/o 2024 The United States (US) is in the midst of an opioid overdose epidemic. All across the US, opioids continue to be abused regardless of strict laws. Communities suffer the consequences as more and more individuals become addicted to illicit drugs. The Philadelphia Department of Public Health reported that…