New FDA Approved Treatment in Patients With Hypoparathy...
June 1, 2015 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Dimitrios Savva, PharmD Candidate c/o 2016 – Hypoparathyroidism is a rare disease that affects approximately 60,000 people in the United States.1 People diagnosed with hypoparathyroidism are characterized as having insufficient levels of parathyroid hormone (PTH).2 A person with this disease does not produce or secrete enough of PTH, leading to a decreased level of… |
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Seeing is Believing: A Look at VEGF Inhibitors for Diab...
June 1, 2015 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Svetlana Akbasheva, Staff Editor, PharmD Candidate c/o 2016 – Diabetes is one of the biggest health problems in the United States, with the 2014 National Diabetes Statistics Report stating that 9.3% of the population, or over 29 million people, has the disease.1 One of the major complications of uncontrolled diabetes mellitus is diabetic retinopathy,… |
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Magic Mushrooms: The Future of Smoking Cessation?...
May 1, 2015 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Maximilian Magun, PharmD Candidate c/o 2016 – While the harm in smoking is well known, quitting is easier said than done. Prescription and over-the counter nicotine replacement therapies (e.g. nicotine patch, gum, inhaler, nasal spray, lozenge), as well as oral tablets (e.g. Zyban™, Chantix®) have mediated success for some. In fact, when used correctly,… |
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An Aspirin a Day? New Study Assesses Rate of Inappropri...
May 1, 2015 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Svetlana Akbasheva, Staff Writer – Aspirin 81 mg, or “baby” aspirin, has become almost ubiquitously known as being “heart-healthy” and for playing a role in preventing heart attacks and strokes. With cardiovascular disease reigning as the number one cause of death worldwide, more than 50 million adults in the United States currently take daily… |
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Great Promise for Factor Xa Inhibitor Antidote: Andexan...
May 1, 2015 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Galina Perel, PharmD Candidate c/o 2016 – Andexanet alfa’s has achieved great advancement in part one of the Phase 3 ANNEXA-A study conducted by Portola Pharmaceuticals. The study demonstrated the effects of andexanet alfa being the proposed antidote to the oral anticoagulant Factor Xa inhibitor: apixaban (Eliquis©).1 Apixaban received FDA approval in late 2012… |
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Working Towards an Artificial Pancreas...
April 1, 2015 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Maryam Ahmed and Tyler Valente, PharmD Candidates c/o 2016 – Diabetes Mellitus is a condition in which the body cannot properly maintain its blood glucose. There are two types of Diabetes Mellitus (DM), Type 1 and Type 2, which vary greatly but each have at the crux an inability to transport glucose into the… |
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The Role of Pharmacists in the EVD Outbreak...
April 1, 2015 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Azia Tariq, Section Editor – Reported in March 2014, the current Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak has become the deadliest outbreak of its kind since the disease’s initial discovery in 1976. As of April 24, 2015, the epidemic has spread to numerous countries across West Africa including Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone resulting in… |
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Injectable Naltrexone for Smoking Cessation...
April 1, 2015 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Jacqueline Meaney, PharmD Candidate c/o 2015, University at Buffalo: School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences – Extended release naltrexone (XR-NTX), marketed as once-monthly IM Vivitrol®, is currently FDA approved for use in treating both alcohol and opiate dependence. Naltrexone is a mu-opioid receptor antagonist that blocks the euphoric effect of heroin and prescription opioids. Naltrexone… |
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Fifth Time’s a Charm?...
March 1, 2015 - Featured , In the News / Politics Fifth Time’s a Charm? By: Sylva Ohanian, Staff Writer – Liraglutide (Saxenda®) has recently been approved by the FDA for the treatment of chronic weight management in adult patients.1 The indication is specified for those with an initial body mass index (BMI) of 30 kg/m2 or greater (obese) or 27 kg/m2 or greater (overweight) in… |
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Early Use of Antibiotics Tied to an Increased Risk of P...
March 1, 2015 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Fatima Elzin, PharmD Candidate c/o 2015 – According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the prevalence of asthma has risen dramatically in the past two to three decades.1 In the United States, 6.8 million children were diagnosed with asthma in 2012.1 Recent data suggests that this increase in children with asthma may… |
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How Many Drugs is Too Many?...
March 1, 2015 - Featured , In the News / Politics How Many Drugs is Too Many? By: Caitlyn Cummings, PharmD Candidate c/o 2016 and Ruby Lee, PharmD Candidate c/o 2017 – In Dina Spector’s Business Insider article, “The World’s 2nd-Smartest Man Reveals The ‘Brain Drugs’ That He Thinks Make Him Smarter,” the daily medications taken by Rick Rosner, said genius, are revealed.1 There are unsubstantial… |
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Harvoni™ – First Combination Pill to Treat Hepa...
February 1, 2015 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Sebanti Bhowmik and Elissa Tam, PharmD Candidates c/o 2015 – On October 10, 2014, the Food and Drug Administration approved ledipasvir-sofosbuvir (Harvoni™) to treat chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 infection in adults. Harvoni™, marketed by Gilead Sciences, consists of Gilead’s sofosbuvir (Sovaldi™) and a new drug, ledipasvir.1 Harvoni™ is the first combination… |
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Prevalence of Psychiatric Disorders in the United State...
February 1, 2015 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Jacqueline Meaney, PharmD Candidate c/o 2015, University at Buffalo: School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences – Psychiatric disorders are common in the United States, as nearly half of all Americans will meet the criteria for an anxiety disorder, mood disorder, impulse-control disorder or substance abuse disorder at some point in their lifetime. It is estimated… |
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Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Oncolo...
February 1, 2015 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Nicollette Pacheco, Staff Editor [Graphics-focused] – With an increase in the use of alternative medicine in the United States, the field of oncology is seeing a rise in the use of unconventional methods to treat symptoms in a wide range of cancers. Since 1990, it has been found that an increasing number of patients… |
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Usage of Codeine in Pediatric Patients...
January 1, 2015 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Azia Tariq, Section Editor – With the deaths of thirteen pediatric patients undergoing tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy occurring post operation between 1969 to 2012, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reviewed the safety of codeine in children in its August 2012 Drug Safety Communication. The FDA subsequently issued a black box warning and a contraindication… |
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No More ABCs: FDA Issues Final Rule on Pregnancy and La...
January 1, 2015 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Svetlana Akbasheva, Staff Writer – Pregnancy categories in drug labeling were created in order to facilitate decisions on a medication’s use during pregnancy. With only five possibilities – A, B, C, D, or X – they provided a quick and simple reference regarding a medication’s teratogenic potential. However, in practice this grading system has… |
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Using Bacteriophage Enzymes to Stay One Step Ahead of M...
December 1, 2014 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Davidta Brown, Copy Editor [Content-Focused] – It’s difficult to have a discussion about antibiotics without mentioning the developing crisis of antibiotic-resistance. Pathogens like MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) have become a part of the general public’s consciousness – a household name and a community-acquired “superbug.” With the last new class of antibiotics developed in the… |
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Recombinant Factor IX (Alprolix) Brings Hope for Hemoph...
December 1, 2014 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Benedette Cuffari, BS Toxicology Candidate c/o 2015 – Hemophilia B is an inherited bleeding disorder that is caused by a substantially reduced or complete lack of blood clotting factor IX. Therefore, people suffering from hemophilia B experience bleeding episodes that cause pain, irreversible joint damage, and life threatening hemorrhages. Approximately 28,000 people are currently… |
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FDA Defends Generic Drug Labeling Plan...
December 1, 2014 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Nancy Simon, PharmD c/o 2016 – Last November, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) submitted a proposal for a Generic Drug Labeling Plan. This new plan will allow generic drug companies to use the same process as the one used by brand drug companies to update their medication labels to reflect new safety information.1… |
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The Silver Age of Antibiotics...
November 1, 2014 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Andrew Leong, Staff Writer — This year, the FDA approved three new antibiotics to treat acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSI) caused by Staphylococcus aureus, including MRSA. They are dalbavancin (DalvanceTM), tedizolid phosphate (SivextroTM), and oritavancin (OrbactivTM). Dalbavancin was approved on May 23, 2014 and is administered intravenously in two doses (1000… |
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Pradaxa® vs Warfarin...
November 1, 2014 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Kevin Lin, PharmD Candidate c/o 2015 — The FDA recently completed an observational cohort study that compared Pradaxa® (dabigatran) to warfarin for rates of ischemic stroke, intracranial hemorrhage, major gastrointestinal bleed, myocardial infarction, and death. The study enrolled more than 134,000 patients, with 64% over the age of 65 and found a lower risk… |
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Accountable Care Organizations...
November 1, 2014 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Stephanie Chiu and Elissa Tam, PharmD Candidates c/o 2015 — According to the Dartmouth Atlas project, health care spending in the United States has risen dramatically and yet health outcomes are not improving; meanwhile, many other countries that spend far less per person than the United States have better health outcomes.1 Studies have since… |
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FDA-Approved Afrezza: An Inhaled Alternative to Injecta...
October 1, 2014 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Elissa Tam, PharmD Candidate c/o 2015 – Patients with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes who cannot control their glucose levels simply by taking oral medications have to inject insulin daily. They also have to measure their glucose levels by using strips and lancets on a regular basis. For patients, especially elderly ones, the… |
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Combating Counterfeit Drugs...
October 1, 2014 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Azia Tariq, Staff Editor – With the sale of counterfeit drugs reaching an alarmingly higher rate than ever, The U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in collaboration with the Skoll Global Threats Fund, the U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the multi-agency… |
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In Wine There Is Truth...
October 1, 2014 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Katharine Cimmino, Editor-in-Chief – Many articles and quick one-line stories have been cropping up on the internet boasting the benefits of drinking wine regularly. While headlines such as, “Drinking a Glass of Red Wine is the same as Getting an Hour of Exercise, Says New Study,” may make readers ecstatic that their drinking habits… |
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Ebola Outbreak in West Africa...
September 1, 2014 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Azia Tariq, Staff Editor – The first recorded outbreak of the Ebola Zaire (ZEBOV), a strain of the ebola virus, occurred in 1976. Since then, three additional types of the deadly virus have been discovered: Sudan Ebola virus (SEBOV), Reston Ebola virus (REBOV), and Côte d’Ivoire Ebola virus (CIEBOV).1 The initial outbreak had, until… |
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Celiac Disease: Seeking Proper Treatment...
September 1, 2014 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Sang Hyo Kim, Staff Editor – The Mayo Clinic reported in the American Journal of Gastroenterology that 1.8 million people in the United States suffer from celiac disease.1 More notably, of this population, over 75% of people are unaware that they even have this condition. While other studies have been conducted to determine the… |
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The Role of Pharmacists Expanding into the Emergency Ro...
August 1, 2014 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Sherin Pathickal, PharmD Candidate c/o 2016 – In 2006, the Institute of Medicine reported that over 1.5 million people in the US suffered from a medication error, errors that not only cost the economy billions of dollars, but endangered countless lives.1 Each year, approximately 7,000 deaths occur to due to preventable medication related errors.2… |
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Migraine Relief at the Push of a Button...
August 1, 2014 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Davidta Brown, Senior Staff Editor – A new therapeutic device has seemingly leapt from the pages of a science fiction novel and into the hands of migraine sufferers around the world. Worn over the forehead and sending electromagnetic stimulation directly into the supraorbital trigeminal nerves, the cranial nerve stimulator offered by Belgian biotechnology company… |
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Tailored Tablets...
August 1, 2014 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Azia Tariq, Staff Editor – Truly personalized medication is the goal of researchers in the pharmaceutical and biotechnological industries. For example, when a patient requires a precise dose that is not manufactured as a tablet, the tablet will be broken up in order to deliver the dose as close as possible. Not only is… |
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Grastek®: FDA Approves New Sublingual Immunotherapy fo...
July 1, 2014 - Featured , In the News / Politics 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… |
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The Importance of the Measles Vaccine: Should We Be Vac...
July 1, 2014 - Featured , In the News / Politics 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… |
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New Considerations for Testosterone Therapy...
June 1, 2014 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Jenny Park PharmD Candidate c/o 2015 – Testosterone is a hormone essential to male development. However, treatment of testosterone deficiency is FDA approved only when accompanied with another medical condition such as failure of testicles to produce testosterone due to chemotherapy or even genetic conditions.1 In 2011, 5.3 million prescriptions for testosterone were written… |
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Pharmacy Lobby Day...
June 1, 2014 - In the News / Politics By: Melissa Roy, Co-Copy Editor [Graphics Focused] – During Pharmacy Lobby Day, pharmacists and students from all over New York gather at the capitol in Albany to meet with various members of Congress to discuss the state of pharmacy. This year, similar to previous years, a group of students and faculty from St. John’s University… |
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Scientists Finally Discover How HIV Progresses to AIDS...
June 1, 2014 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Sabrina Ahmed, PharmD Candidate c/o 2017 – Over the decades, one of the biggest mysteries encountered by researchers has been why so many CD4 T-cells die when one is infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).1 CD4 T-cells are an integral part of the immune system as they locate pathogens and signal other immune cells… |
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Evzio™ – New Naloxone Auto-Injector For Opioid Over...
June 1, 2014 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Diana Gritsenko, PharmD Candidate c/o 2015 – Drug overdose is a serious problem in the United States. In 2010, drug overdose caused more deaths among adults within the ages of 25 and 64 years than motor vehicle accidents. The Center for Disease Control (CDC), ran an analysis that showed drug overdose death rates have… |
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FDA Approves Drug Elosulfase Alfa (Vimizim™) for Muco...
May 1, 2014 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Erica Dimitropoulos Co-Copy Editor [Content- Focused] – On February 14, 2014, elosulfase alfa (Vimizim™) became an FDA-approved enzyme replacement therapy for Morquio A Syndrome, a type of mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS IVA).1 Elosulfase alfa was granted priority review and was also the first drug to receive the Rare Pediatric Disease Priority Review Voucher that motivates the development… |
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Possible New Prostate Cancer Screening...
May 1, 2014 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Fatema Elias, Senior Staff Editor – Prostate cancer occurs when abnormal cells form in the tissues of the prostate gland. It often develops in men over the age of 50, and the numbers of estimated new cases and of deaths from prostate cancer in the United States in 2013 are 238,590 and 29,720, respectively.1… |
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New Strides in Lupus Treatment...
April 1, 2014 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Daniel Mathan, PharmD Candidate c/o 2016, Anita Kachappilly, PharmD Candidate c/o 2016, & Amrita Singh, PharmD Candidate c/o 2015 – Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a debilitating autoimmune disease that affects multiple organs in the body and can potentially become life threatening.1 The incidence of SLE is about 50 cases for every 100,000 people; it… |
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The Surgeon General’s 2014 Report on Smoking...
April 1, 2014 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Ada Seldin, Staff Editor – Since the first release of the Surgeon General’s Report on smoking 50 years ago, it has become clear that smoking results in premature death and a myriad of diseases, affecting almost every organ system. Public health initiatives to increase awareness, prevent initiation, and promote smoking cessation have been marginally… |
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Tasimelteon (Hetlioz®): First FDA Approved Pharmacolo...
April 1, 2014 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Beatrisa Popovitz, Senior Staff Editor – On January 31st 2014, the FDA announced the release of a revolutionary new drug, tasimelteon (Hetlioz®). Tasimeleton is the first developed treatment of non-24-hour sleep-wake cycle syndrome in blind individuals.1 Formulated by Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc., this melatonin receptor agonist works by binding to and activating the MT1 and… |
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New Legislation Redefines Oversight for Compounding Pha...
April 1, 2014 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Davidta Brown, Senior Staff Editor – As the world of healthcare and its provision evolves, laws which organize and oversee the ways that patients receive health services must develop at the same pace. Last November, a new bill establishing clearer protocol for the compounding and tracking of medications became national law. The Drug Quality… |
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Prior Experience and the Growth of the Biosimilars Mark...
March 1, 2014 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Davidta Brown, Senior Staff Editor – In 21st century medicine, pharmaceuticals have come to include compounds derived through novel and complex methods. Some of the most recent innovations have been in the form of biologics, therapeutic compounds produced through biological processes.1 Biologics are derived from living cell lines which may be bacterial, yeast, animal,… |
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The Status of Surveillance of Japanese Encephalitis in ...
March 1, 2014 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Sabrina Ahmed, PharmD Candidate c/o 2017 – One recent stride towards combating worldwide infectious disease has been in the improved surveillance of Japanese encephalitis in Asia, predominantly in South and South-East Asia. This potentially deadly virus is transmitted to humans via mosquito bites. The Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus is the leading cause of encephalitis… |
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Methadone Associated Arrhythmias on the Rise...
March 1, 2014 - In the News / Politics By: Jenny Park, PharmD Candidate c/o 2015 – Methadone maintenance therapy is prescribed for opioid dependency. Many HIV patients who were former injection drug abusers rely on methadone maintenance. Although there is limited data, research suggests lamivudine, ritonavir, and zidovudine to be the most common concomitant drugs in methadone associated torsades and prolonged QT interval.1… |
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A Brave New World for Lipid Management...
March 1, 2014 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Amrita Singh, PharmD Candidate c/o 2015 – Last November, the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association released new lipid guidelines, which will transform the way we manage our patients with hyperlipidemia. Earlier, lipid management was based on the ATP-III guidelines, which emphasized the use of several lipid-lowering medications to reach target… |
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The Increasing Roles of Pharmacists in Transplant Outco...
February 1, 2014 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Jenny Park, PharmD Candidate c/o 2015 – Medication adherence is a big part of a patient’s success in managing their health conditions. The Annals of Internal Medicine estimated that the cost of medication non-adherence may reach up to $289 billion each year.1 It is crucial for organ transplant patients to take powerful immunosuppressants to… |
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Dengue Fever: Where Do We Go From Here?...
February 1, 2014 - In the News / Politics By: Sherin Pathickal, PharmD Candidate c/o 2016 – Dengue Fever, widely known as “break-bone fever,” is an illness that causes pain in the joints and muscles, and is often described by those infected as comparable to the feeling of breaking a bone.1 It is spread by mosquitoes and has a painful array of symptomology such… |
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New Alternative First Line Therapy for EGFR NSCLC...
January 1, 2014 - In the News / Politics By: Jenny Park, PharmD Candidate c/o 2015 – On July 12, 2013, the FDA approved afatinib (GilotrifTM) as a new first-line treatment for patients with late-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), a type of carcinoma where specific types of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene mutations are expressed.1 The drug afatinib irreversibly blocks EGFR, also… |
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Say Hello to JNC8: New Hypertension Guidelines...
January 1, 2014 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Frances Trosa PharmD Candidate c/o 2015 – After much anticipation, the report from the Eighth Joint National Committee (JNC 8) has arrived! Panel members appointed to the committee have created evidence – based recommendations to assist physicians in managing hypertensive patients. A major difference between the JNC 7 report and the JNC 8 report… |