Bamlanivimab for the treatment of COVID-19...
April 1, 2021 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Daniela Farzadfar, PharmD,PGY-1 Resident at Long Island Jewish Medical Center In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared coronavirus disease- 2019 (COVID-19) a global pandemic. 1 To date, over 30 million cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the United States and drug companies have been scrambling to develop therapies for the… |
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New Drug Update: Lemborexant (Dayvigo ®)...
April 1, 2021 - Clinical , Featured By: Cindy Van, PharmD Candidate c/o 2022, Shireen Farzadeh, PharmD, BCPS Insomnia is a condition characterized by difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or both, despite an adequate opportunity to sleep. Consequently, insomnia can lead to daytime fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and irritability. This condition can be categorized into short-term and chronic insomnia. While short-term insomnia… |
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Rybelsus: Novel Oral GLP-1 Agonist and the Future of Or...
April 1, 2021 - Clinical , Featured By: Tanay Maddula PharmD Candidate c/o 2022 Rybelsus (oral semaglutide) was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in September 2019 to help control blood sugar in adult patients with Type 2 Diabetes alongside diet and exercise. It is the first oral GLP-1 (glucagon like peptide-1) agonist as typical drugs of this… |
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Fostemsavir: New drug for the treatment of HIV-1 resist...
April 1, 2021 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Bisma Sekhery, PharmD Candidate c/o 2021 Fostemsavir (Rukobia) is a new Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved antiretroviral agent for the treatment of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). It was approved in July 2020 for multidrug-resistant HIV-1. It is a pro-drug, metabolized to its active moiety, temsavir, which binds to the gp120 subunit within… |
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Increasing Evidence of the Benefits of Statins...
April 1, 2021 - Clinical , Featured By: Pallak Sharma, PharmD Candidate c/o 2022 and Rebecca Samuel, PharmD Candidate c/o 2022 Statins, some of the most well-known cholesterol lowering medications, have been demonstrating increasing evidence of safety and benefits to the elderly patient population. 5 Statins are a class of medication that can help lower the level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL)… |
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Daniel Schneider RPh.’s crusade against OxyContin...
February 1, 2021 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Alisha Kuriakose, PharmD Candidate c/o 2022 “The Pharmacist” is a Netflix documentary that showcases pharmacist Dr. Daniel Schneider’s crusade against OxyContin® abuse. It highlights his discovery of a corrupt doctor who exploited her medical license and destroyed communities in Louisiana. It also illustrates his fight to expose Purdue Pharma of falsely reporting the addictive… |
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NMOSD Treatment...
February 1, 2021 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Lyana Sayilar PharmD. Candidate c/o 2022 Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is a rare disorder affecting 4,000 to 8,000 Americans. Adults with this disorder are often found to have anti-aquaporin-4 (AQP4)antibodies that primarily attack healthy cells and proteins in the optic nerves and spinal cord. The majority of patients have relapses within three… |
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Use of dexamethasone for the treatment of COVID-19: an ...
February 1, 2021 - Clinical , Featured By: Bisma T. Sekhery PharmD. Candidate c/o 2025 COVID-19 has had a significant impact on the health, economic, and social aspects of life for every person. Currently, there is only one Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved treatment for COVID-19–remdesivir (Veklury®). The lack of approved therapies makes COVID-19 difficult to treat and increases overall mortality… |
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MIS-C: The Impact of COVID-19 on the Pediatric Populati...
December 1, 2020 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Erica Tonti, PharmD Candidate c/o 2022 Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children, or MIS-C, is a recent syndrome recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The emergent outbreak of COVID-19 brought concern as to who would be affected by MIS-C and how severe the impact of the syndrome would be. Children, thought to… |
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Vancomycin Monitoring for Serious MRSA Infections in Ad...
December 1, 2020 - Clinical , Featured By: Darien Lee, Pharm D Candidate c/o 2021 Vancomycin, a glycopeptide antibiotic, is one of the most commonly used medications in hospitals. Its widespread use is attributed to its efficacy for the treatment and prevention of bacterial infections caused by gram-positive bacteria. One of its most notable features is its coverage of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus… |
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A New Drug Class for Heart Failure—Dapagliflozin’s ...
December 1, 2020 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Adrian Wong, PharmD Candidate c/o 2021 On May 5, 2020, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced its approval for Farxiga® (dapagliflozin) oral tablets to have a new indication: to lower the risk of cardiovascular death and hospitalization for adults with New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class II-IV heart failure (HF) with reduced… |
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Provider Status: What is it?...
October 1, 2020 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Katharine Russo, PharmD Candidate c/o 2021 As of July 1, 2000, the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) mandated for the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree to be the sole degree required to enter pharmacy practice in the United States. ¹ With this advanced degree came the complex education, training, and clinical practice… |
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When Epidemic Meets Pandemic: Treatment of Opioid Use D...
June 1, 2020 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Preethi Samuel, PharmD Candidate c/o 2021, Aisa Mrkulic, PharmD. Candidate c/o 2022 Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a chronic illness involving misuse of opioids, both prescribed and non-prescribed, as well as the use of illicitly obtained heroin. OUD carries a risk of fatal overdose, preceded by the following triad: pinpoint pupils, respiratory depression,… |
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Usage of Ibuprofen and Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme In...
June 1, 2020 - Featured , Professional Advice / Opinions By: Evan Cheung, PharmD (c/o 2020) On March 11th, 2020, a research article was published in the Lancet journal that informed the public about a hypothesized issue regarding the use of ibuprofen in COVID-19 patients.1 Because of the information found in this article, patients and medical professions are wary of utilizing nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs… |
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Dexamethasone and COVID-19...
June 1, 2020 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Natalia Loomis, PharmD Candidate c/o 2022 The World Health Organization announced the official name “COVID-19” on February 11, 2020 when the outbreak was first identified in Wuhan, China. ‘CO’ stands for ‘corona,’ ‘VI’ for ‘virus,’ and ‘D’ for disease and 19 for the year the first case occurred.2 The Center for Disease Control and… |
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NIH COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines Update: remdesivir, c...
June 1, 2020 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Jason Ifeanyi, PharmD Candidate c/o 2022 Severe acute respiratory syndrome 2 (Sars-Cov-2), the viral strain responsible for causing COVID-19, continues to have an undeniable impact both on a national level and a global level. As of June 20th, 2020, there have been nearly 2.4 million reported cases in the United States, with nearly 122,000… |
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Suffering from migraines? Eptinezumab-jjmr (Vyepti™) ...
April 1, 2020 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Alisha Kuriakose, PharmD Candidate c/o 2022 Every ten seconds, someone in the United States (U.S.) goes to the emergency room with complaints of head pain, many of which can be attributed to migraines. A migraine is a neurological condition characterized by intense and debilitating headaches. Those suffering from migraines may have experiences including nausea,… |
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Combating the neglected consequences of the opioid cris...
February 1, 2020 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Mah Noor, PharmD Candidate c/o 2021 Although the opioid crisis began in the late 1990s, there has been a recent increase in prescription and illicit opioid drug use which has led to an increased prevalence of opioid overdoses due to misuse and dependency. In 2017, the number of overdose related deaths involving opioids, including… |
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Overview of the use of neuromuscular blocking agents in...
February 1, 2020 - Clinical , Featured By: Joseph DiPaola (PharmD Candidate c/o 2022), Nishanth Viswanath (PharmD Candidate c/o 2022) Neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBAs) are drugs that induce a physiological state of paralysis, and are used in a variety of surgical procedures, disease states, and situations in clinical pharmacy and anesthesiology. Practitioners have been successfully using NMBAs since 1995 after the… |
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COVID-19: The 2019 novel coronavirus...
February 1, 2020 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Darien Lee, PharmD Candidate c/o 2021 Wuhan, the most populous city in Central China, has a population of over 11 million people. The city is one of China’s largest transportation and manufacturing centers with dozens of railways and roads as well as thousands of technological enterprises and institutions, respectively. In late December 2019,… |
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Basal-bolus vs. sliding-scale insulin in hospitalized p...
December 1, 2019 - Clinical , Featured By: Maria Sedky Saad (PharmD Candidate c/o 2021), Shivani Shah (PharmD Candidate c/o 2021) Hyperglycemia is a common condition in hospitalized patients whose glucose levels are normally controlled with oral antidiabetic medications, which are often discontinued upon admission. To circumvent hyperglycemic complications in hospitalized patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, glucose levels… |
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FDA approves romosozumab (Evenity®) for the treatment ...
December 1, 2019 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Michael Lim, PharmD Candidate c/o 2020 Osteoporosis is a bone disease affecting nearly ten million people in the United States.1 It can be caused by excess bone loss, insufficient bone production, or a combination of both factors. The disease is responsible for two million broken bones and 19 billion dollars in related healthcare… |
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The rising cost of insulin...
October 1, 2019 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Daniela Farzadfar, PharmD Candidate c/o 2020 Over 30 million Americans are currently living with diabetes. According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), in 2017, the total cost of diagnosed diabetes in the United States was 327 billion dollars with 237 billion dollars alone attributed to direct medical costs.1 Among these direct medical costs… |
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Epilepsy, children, and how the pharmacist can play a v...
August 1, 2019 - Featured , Professional Advice / Opinions By: Evanthia Siozios, PharmD Candidate c/o 2020 A diagnosis of epilepsy requires either two unprovoked seizures or one unprovoked seizure with the possibility of having more.1 These seizures are not usually caused by factors such as alcohol withdrawal or hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). Missing doses of seizure medication is the most common cause of… |
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Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves patisiran (...
April 1, 2019 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Michael Lim, PharmD Candidate c/o 2020 In the investigation of gene function and its role in health care and disease management, RNA interference is an important scientific tool. Possessing the ability to individually turn off nearly 22,000 genes upon introduction into human cells, small interfering ribonucleic acids (siRNAs), while useful in research settings,… |
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The expanding role of the specialty pharmacy team in ca...
April 1, 2019 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Vasantha Kolluri, PharmD Candidate c/o 2019 With the recent advancement of oral oncology drugs, there has been an ever-growing need for specialty pharmacy services. Although these oral agents allow for patients to receive therapy at home, clinical outcomes heavily depend upon patient adherence and management. Specialty pharmacy is a niche area of pharmacy practice… |
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United States maternal mortality crisis: A new approach...
February 1, 2019 - Featured , Professional Advice / Opinions By: Yeonah Suk, PharmD Candidate c/o 2020 Of all the industrialized countries in the world, the United States (US) still ranks number one in having the highest rate of maternal mortality. Data from the World Health Organization demonstrates that overused procedures including early labor induction, restricting food and drink, as well as mandating bed rest… |
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Challenging the stigma of mental health...
February 1, 2019 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Mah Noor, PharmD Candidate c/o 2021 As society flourishes, life seems to grow more complex. Among the barrage of images, voices and social media campaigns, a domestic issue which often seems to be neglected in the United States is the overall deficit in addressing various aspects of mental health. On May 30, 2018 The… |
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Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves baloxavir m...
December 1, 2018 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Ruchira Kasbekar, PharmD Candidate c/o 2020 It is estimated that approximately 80,000 Americans died from the flu during the 2017-2018 flu season which is the highest death toll from influenza in the last four decades.1 As the 2017-2018 flu season progressed, there was a shortage of oseltamivir (Tamiflu®) availability. To prevent shortages during the… |
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Targeting biomarkers in immuno-oncology: current agents...
December 1, 2018 - Clinical , Featured By: Jonathan Mercado (PharmD Candidate c/o 2019), Rebecca Sin (PharmD Candidate c/o 2019) Immuno-oncology is an advanced and rapidly growing area of research focused on utilizing the body’s immune system to help fight cancer. Immunotherapy has demonstrated clinical efficacy and unprecedented rates of response in treating specific cancers, usurping the classical approach to chemotherapy and… |
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Innovation and internet outreach: ...
October 1, 2018 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Michael Lim, PharmD Candidate c/o 2020 As the nation continues to struggle with the growing opioid epidemic, numerous organizations, researchers, and even the president are taking initiative in resolving the crisis. Of these groups, perhaps one of the most proactive in its efforts is the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). With its promotion of… |
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The importance of medication therapy management (MTM) i...
October 1, 2018 - Featured , Professional Advice / Opinions By: Shivani Shah, PharmD Candidate c/o 2021 Medication therapy management (MTM) is a service provided by pharmacists to eligible patients who participate in a Medicare drug plan, namely part D. The geriatric population, which is included among the aforementioned eligible patients, is prone to taking numerous medications as they tend to have multiple disease states… |
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Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves Cassipa®: ...
August 1, 2018 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Maria Spilios, PharmD Candidate c/o 2019 – Opioid dependence is a major public health concern. Misuse of prescription opioids and heroin affects more than two million Americans and an estimated fifteen million people worldwide per year; the prevalence of misuse and addiction is rapidly increasing with each passing year. More than 20,000 deaths in… |
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Pushing competition and affordability with biosimilars...
June 1, 2018 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Michael Lim, PharmD Candidate c/o 2020 – In an era of widespread pharmaceutical innovation, the rise of biological products is no surprise. Biosimilars – biological products that are highly similar to and have no clinically meaningful differences compared to reference products that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) – have taken… |
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Ibalizumab-uiyk (Trogarzo®): a newly FDA approved medi...
June 1, 2018 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Karen Chen, PharmD Candidate c/o 2019 – Ibalizumab-uiyk (Trogarzo®) is specifically indicated for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus type- 1 (HIV-1) infection in combination with other antiretroviral medications in heavily-treatment experienced adults with multidrug resistant HIV-1 infections who are failing their current antiretroviral regimen. Ibalizumab-uiyk is a CD4- directed post-attachment HIV-1 inhibitor that… |
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Understanding treatment options for chronic pain manage...
April 1, 2018 - Clinical , Featured By: Alex Chu & Joseph Eskandrous (PharmD Candidates c/o 2019) – The geriatric population grows older with each passing day and is more likely to experience chronic pain due to shifts in body composition and pathological diseases.1 Chronic geriatric pain may be defined as an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential… |
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Assessing the current treatment recommendations for Gra...
February 1, 2018 - Clinical , Featured By: Natalie Rodriguez, PharmD Candidate 2019 Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, University of the Sciences and Stacey Gorski, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences – PRESS SUMMARY The most common cause of hyperthyroidism, or an over-active thyroid, is an autoimmune disease known as Graves’ disease. In patients with Graves’ disease, the immune system attacks the thyroid gland… |
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Summer of adherence...
February 1, 2018 - Featured , Professional Advice / Opinions By: Katharine Russo, PharmD Candidate c/o 2021 – Flight tickets, check. Passports, check. Luggage, check. Month supply of Metformin, uh oh. Two months separate many from the beginning of summer and the slew of travel plans already being made. Pharmacists are often your overlooked travel specialists during the summer months. Stop by your local pharmacy… |
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Pharmacotherapy in posttraumatic stress disorder and th...
December 1, 2017 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Michelle Huang, PharmD Candidate c/o 2021 – In the midst of countless chronic diseases that we face today, one that is usually overlooked is posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). On average it affects 5.2 million individuals per year and women are twice as likely to develop PTSD.1 This overwhelming incidence is greatly attributed to the… |
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Review on the use of hydroxyurea – 50 years of FD...
December 1, 2017 - Clinical , Featured By: Jonathan Mercado, PharmD Candidate c/o 2019 – Hydroxyurea is a versatile, multi-functional drug that has been used for decades in the United States. It was originally approved in 1967 as an antineoplastic drug for use in multiple cancers including melanoma, ovarian cancer, and most prominently chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).1 Although approved as a chemotherapeutic… |
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Safety and efficacy of a new drug: sofosbuvir/velpatasv...
October 1, 2017 - Clinical , Featured By: Shireen Farzadeh, PharmD Candidate c/o 2019 – Sofosbuvir/velpatasvir/voxilaprevir (Vosevi®) is the first pangenotypic fixed-dose combination tablet that includes 400 mg of sofosbuvir, a Hepatitis C virus (HCV) nucleotide analog, 100 mg of velpatasvir, an HCV NS5A inhibitor, and 100 mg of voxilaprevir, an HCV NS3/4A protease inhibitors.1,2 In the interest of brevity, sofosbuvir/velpatasvir/voxilaprevir will… |
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The opioid epidemic: a national crisis...
October 1, 2017 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Katharine Russo, PharmD Candidate c/o 2021 – The DEA announced in August 2017 that 2018 would bring strict manufacturing reductions to commonly prescribed schedule II opioid painkillers. As the opioid epidemic continues to take countless lives, the government, including President Donald Trump are cracking down on regulations. Under this directive, there will be a… |
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Author Guidelines...
June 24, 2017 - [Updated 6-24-2017] Sections that require content: News/Politics: Review articles about new drugs (with minimal or no clinical trial information), non-biased legislative summaries, etc. Primary purpose is to briefly provide current information to readers. Sources may include FDA press releases, newspaper articles, etc. Events: Summaries and reports of pharmacy-related events and activities. May include guest speaker… |
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Pharmacy Pearls: Current Treatment for Hepatitis C...
June 1, 2017 - Clinical , Featured By: Vicky Liu, PharmD Candidate c/o 2018 – Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver commonly caused by viruses which can lead to self-limitation, fibrosis, cirrhosis, or liver cancer. Viral hepatitis is categorized into five types: A, B, C, D, and E. Of the five types, A, B, and C are the most prevalent in… |
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FDA Approves edaravone (Radicava™) to Treat ALS...
June 1, 2017 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Thanesha Graham, PharmD Candidate c/o 2019 – Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Gehrig was an American first baseman who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees and passed away from ALS at the age of 37. According to the Centers for Disease… |
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The function and efficacy of pimavanserin (Nuplazid®) ...
April 1, 2017 - Clinical , Featured By: Jonathan Mercado, PharmD Candidate c/o 2019 – In April 2016, the FDA approved the first drug specifically indicated for the symptoms of psychosis associated with Parkinson’s disease (PDP).1 Currently, clozapine and quetiapine are used off label to treat symptoms associated with Parkinson disease such as voices in patients’ heads, various hallucinations and delusions. In… |
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Biosimiliars: how will they affect the pharmacoeconomic...
April 1, 2017 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Kenny Chan, PharmD – Competition is the greatest driver of innovation and cost savings. The U.S. health care system relies heavily on generic medications to reduce the cost of drug spending. Since the Hatch-Waxman Act of 1984, generic versions of chemically synthesized, “small molecule” drugs have dominated the market and contributed to over 80%… |
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Rocket (Health) Science: Pharmaceutical Challenges at...
February 1, 2017 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Kimberly Lapierre, PharmD Candidate c/o 2017 – Since its inception in 2003, the Johnson Space Center Pharmacy has taken giant leaps to advance the field of pharmacy on Earth and in space. Under the direction of pharmacist Tina Bayuse, the pharmacy is responsible for preparing medication kits for astronauts at the International Space Station, creatively approaching medication challenges that come… |
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Stevens-Johnson Syndrome: Physiological Progression and...
February 1, 2017 - Clinical , Featured By: Omar Rahman, PharmD Candidate c/o 2017 – Stevens-Johnson Syndrome is a unique skin disease that may be due to an infection, a response to medication, or other idiopathic causes. It is uncommon, as there are approximately only 20,000 cases worldwide annually. The etiology confirms that about half of the cases are in reaction to… |
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FDA Approves Obiltoxaximab (Anthim®) Injection for Inh...
December 1, 2016 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Alex Chu, Staff Writer – On March 21 2016, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved obiltoxaximab (Anthim®), an intravenous injection, for the treatment and prevention of inhalational anthrax toxicity for adult and pediatric patients. Developed by Elusys Therapeutics, obiltoxaximab is a monoclonal antibody that binds to the protective antigen of anthrax, which is… |