The Difference in Guanfacine Formulations for ADHD...
December 1, 2014 - Clinical , Featured By: Katharine Cimmino, Editor-in-Chief – Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common pediatric psychiatric disorder, and it affects the education, social interactions, and over-all wellbeing of both children and adolescents.1 Symptoms of ADHD can persist into adulthood, and those with this disorder are more likely to suffer from other mental health co-morbidities.2 According to guidelines… |
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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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Interview: Med Ed 101: Dr. Eric Christianson...
December 1, 2014 - Featured , Professional Advice / Opinions By: Tasnima Nabi, Copy Editor [Content-Focused] – Social media is a powerful platform, allowing for the quick and easy exchange of ideas. Although the Internet has facilitated universal access, for many, it can be difficult to find reliable information. By combining the power of the Internet with his dedication to the pharmacy profession, Eric Christianson,… |
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Interested in joining the Rho Chi Post?...
November 1, 2014 - Events Submit an article and letter of intent To [email protected] View the application: http://rhochistj.org/RhoChiPost/application/ Below are some FAQ; please email us for any other concerns! Who can join the Rho Chi post? Do I have to be a member of Rho Chi? You do not have to be a member of the Rho Chi Honor Society… |
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Meet the Air Force: Dr. Joanne Bollhofer-White...
November 1, 2014 - Featured , Professional Advice / Opinions By: Melissa Roy Co-Copy Editor [Graphics focused] — Many people do not realize the opportunities that are available to pharmacists. Joanne Bollhofer-White has taken the path less traveled by entering into the Air Force. Her position in the military has allowed her to travel all over the country while serving her country. The Air Force… |
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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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An Interview with an FDA Preceptor: Pharmacist’s Role...
October 1, 2014 - Featured , Professional Advice / Opinions By: Melissa Roy Co-Copy Editor [Graphics focused] – Our dedicated preceptor Kimberly Defronzo, RPh, MS, MBA is currently a Consumer Safety Officer at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). She attended the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy for her Bachelors of Pharmacy. She then went to St. John’s University College of Pharmacy and Health… |
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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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St. John’s Pharmacy Students Get Involved for NYC Wor...
September 1, 2014 - Events , Featured By: Kenny Ng, STJ AMCP Chapter President, PharmD c/o 2017, Kenny Chan, STJ AMCP Chapter President-Elect, PharmD c/o 2017, Davidta Brown, Senior Staff Editor – While those who work tirelessly to combat the spread of Hepatitis B and C never have a day off, there is one day in the year during which special attention… |
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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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Reservoir of Migraine Therapies Includes Analgesics, AE...
September 1, 2014 - Clinical , Featured By Davidta Brown, Senior Staff Editor – The pain, nausea, and light or sound sensitivity that comprise a migraine attack afflict more than 10% of individuals around the world, easily making migraines one of the most globally debilitating diseases of the present day.1 According to the International Headache Society (IHS), migraines are defined by both… |
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Drug Shortages: Effects & Costs in the United Stat...
August 1, 2014 - Featured , Professional Advice / Opinions By: Valentina DiGangi,PharmD Candidate c/o 2017, Brandon Hu, PharmD Candidate c/o 2018, Sang Hyo Kim, Staff Editor, Samantha Lau, PharmD Candidate c/o 2018, and Seowoo Yoon, PharmD Candidate c/o 2018 – What does a clinician do when there is limited access to a particular drug, such as morphine? Should they treat a patient who is… |
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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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DIA: 50th Annual Meeting 2014...
August 1, 2014 - Events By: Melissa Roy, Co-Copy Editor [Graphics Focused] – DIA stands for Drug Information Association. It is an organization that strives to provide both educational and professional development opportunities for individuals working in pharmaceutical and medical product development-related fields, as well as a global, unbiased forum for the exchange of information across multiple disciplines of programming… |
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Quantifying the Benefits of Pharmacist Prescribing Powe...
July 1, 2014 - Featured , Professional Advice / Opinions 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… |
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Antipsychotic Use in the Elderly with Dementia...
July 1, 2014 - Clinical , Featured 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… |
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The Dangers of Intrathecal Baclofen...
June 1, 2014 - Clinical , Featured By: Ada Seldin, Staff Editor – Intrathecal baclofen (ITB) is indicated for the treatment of intractable spasticity caused by spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, spinal ischemia or tumor, transverse myelitis, cervical spondylosis, cerebral palsy, and degenerative myelopathy.1 Baclofen inhibits both monosynaptic and polysynaptic reflexes at the spinal cord level by decreasing excitatory neurotransmitter release from… |
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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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Asking Questions...
May 1, 2014 - Professional Advice / Opinions By: Bharat Kirthivasan, Co-Copy Editor (Content-focused) – It’s graduation season and some students are moving from academics to professional life. Others are taking a step in that direction. I myself am wrapping up my Ph.D. and working full time in the pharmaceutical industry as a formulation scientist. During my Ph.D., I’ve served as a Teaching… |
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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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The Use of Topical Opioid Treatment for Pressure Ulcer ...
May 1, 2014 - Clinical , Featured By: Katharine Cimmino, Editor-in-Chief – Pressure ulcers can be a painful condition decreasing the quality of life of patients and prolonging hospital stays.1 About 10% of hospital inpatients and 26% of hospice admissions have pressure sores.2 Pressure ulcers are injuries that occur when pressure is applied for prolonged periods of time over bony prominences.1 There… |
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Brown-Bag Event...
May 1, 2014 - Events , Featured By: Hayeon Na, Co-Copy Editor (Content Focused) – On February 26th, 2014, pharmacists, clinical faculty, and pharmacy students from St. John’s University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences gathered at the Freeport Memorial Library for a “Brown Bag,” one of the yearly calendar events at the public library. This event was conducted through the joint… |
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Riociguat (Adempas®) New Drug for Pulmonary Hypertens...
April 1, 2014 - Clinical , Featured By: Hayeon Na, Co-Copy Editor [Content-Focused] – On October 8th of 2013, Bayer’s new drug riociguat (Adempas®) was approved for the treatment of patients whose pulmonary hypertension (PH) belongs in WHO groups 1 and 4.1 Riociguat (Adempas®) is a soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) stimulator, and currently the only one of its kind on the market.… |
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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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CVS Pharmacy Takes Tobacco Off the Shelves...
April 1, 2014 - Professional Advice / Opinions By: Ada Seldin, Staff Editor – CVS, the largest chain pharmacy in the United States, has announced that it will stop selling cigarettes and other tobacco products in its 7,600 retail stores on October 1, 2014. As such, CVS will be the first chain pharmacy in the U.S to remove tobacco products from its shelves.In… |
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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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The 2014 Rho Chi Society Beta Delta Chapter Induction C...
April 1, 2014 - Events By: Tasnima Nabi, Co-Copy Editor [Content-focused] – On January 23rd, St. John’s University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences inducted the 2014 Beta Delta Chapter members of Rho Chi Society. The annual induction ceremony took place at the Hillcrest Jewish Center. The inductees include 4th year Pharm.D. students in the top 20% of their class… |
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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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ASHP 48th Midyear Clinical Meeting...
March 1, 2014 - Events By: Aleena Cherian, Co-Copy Editor [Graphics-focused] – From December 8th to 12th 2013, over 20,000 student pharmacists, residents, fellows, pharmacy technicians, new practitioners, and seasoned professionals all gathered in Orlando, Florida for the 48th Midyear Clinical Meeting and Exhibition, hosted by the American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists (ASHP). The schedules were packed with a number… |
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Going International...
March 1, 2014 - Events By: Hayeon Na, Co-Copy Editor (Content-focused) – On Tuesday, February 4th, the New Jersey Pharmacist Association (NJPhA) and Dr. Maria Leibfried hosted a seminar for international pharmacy students at St. John’s University. The seminar was held to provide information to international students, especially for those who are here as F-1 students, about their options when… |
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Psychiatric Prescriptions in the Fight Against Juvenile...
March 1, 2014 - Clinical , Featured By: Davidta Brown, Senior Staff Editor – In August 2013, the results of a yearlong safety study were published in the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) Psychiatry.1 The study, which followed the health status of about 43,000 youths aged 6 to 24, confirmed and built upon a previously noted trend in adults: that the… |
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To Defend the People...
February 1, 2014 - Featured , Professional Advice / Opinions By: Davidta Brown, Senior Staff Editor – As the world’s largest market for pharmaceuticals, the United States receives many medications manufactured abroad.1 Patients, physicians, and pharmacists defer the responsibility of ensuring the quality of these imported drugs to the FDA, but it only takes one report of deceit in the pharmaceutical industry for this trust… |
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Long Term PPI Use Heightens Concern of Associated Healt...
February 1, 2014 - Clinical , Featured By: Tamara Yunusova, Senior Staff Editor – Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs) are acid-reducing agents that have multiple uses in the treatment and prophylaxis of conditions such as peptic ulcer diseases, H. Pylori infection, Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, GERD, and NSAID gastroduodenal ulcers. Their versatility in treating a wide range of conditions, unparalleled efficacy over their Histamine-2-receptor antagonist… |
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Pharmacy Across the Border: An Interview with Sherif Gu...
February 1, 2014 - Featured , Professional Advice / Opinions By: Sang Hyo Kim, Staff Editor – For the brand new year, we present an interview with Sherif Guorgui, the current Vice-President of Pharmacy at the Ontario Pharmacists Association and the former 2011-2012 President of the Ontario College of Pharmacists in Canada. Mr. Guorgui graduated in 1998 from the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University… |
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Dr. Robert Mangione – From Student to Provost of ...
January 1, 2014 - Featured , Professional Advice / Opinions By: Katharine Cimmino, Editor-in-Chief and Melissa Roy, Co-Copy Editor [Graphics-Focused] – Dr. Mangione has been a prominent member here at St. John’s University both as a student and as a leader. Before becoming our dedicated Provost, Dr. Mangione was the Dean of the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences since 1999. He joined the St.… |
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Surviving APPE Rotations...
January 1, 2014 - Professional Advice / Opinions By: Aleena Cherian, Co-Copy Editor [Graphics-Focused] and Jenny Prakash, PharmD Candidate c/o 2014 – Starting your rotations in 5th year usually brings mixed emotions. On one hand, it’s a relief to finally be finished with labs and D&Ds…imagine, a whole year without any exams! But on the other hand, now you have to test how… |
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New Hepatitis C Drug Receives FDA Approval...
January 1, 2014 - Clinical , Featured By: Ada Seldin, Staff Editor – On November 22, 2013, simeprevir (Olysio®), a new agent to treat chronic hepatitis C, received approval under the FDA’s priority review program. Simeprevir is an NS3/4A protease inhibitor that blocks the replication of the hepatitis C virus. Two other drugs from the same class, boceprevir and telaprevir, which were… |
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Asperger Syndrome: Temple Grandin’s Insight and Contr...
January 1, 2014 - Events By: Sang Hyo Kim, Staff Editor – During the Fall 2013 semester, activist and bestselling author Temple Grandin, Ph.D, came to St. John’s University to talk to students, faculty, and administrators about the need to embrace children and young adults who have autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). While many people may think of autism as a… |
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The Blunt Truth...
January 1, 2014 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Katharine Cimmino, Editor-in-Chief – Marijuana, also known as “grass,” “pot,” “joint,” “weed,” “reefer,” “hashish,” and “Mary Jane,” is a very popular illicit drug.1 According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, “In 2012, 5.4 million persons aged 12 or older used marijuana on a daily or almost daily basis in the past 12… |
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Possible Inhaled Option for Diabetics...
December 1, 2013 - In the News / Politics By: Sang Hyo Kim, Staff Editor – Near the end of December, the pharmaceutical company, MannKind Corp, will submit their clinical data to the U.S Food and Drug Administration for the approval of an inhaled dosage form of insulin, Afrezza®.1 Administered with the Dreamboat inhaler, this inhaled dosage form delivers insulin packaged into single dose… |
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Expanding a Technician’s Role...
December 1, 2013 - Professional Advice / Opinions By: Sang Hyo Kim, Staff Editor – Pharmacy, like much of medicine, is constantly changing, and the new changes in pharmacy practice are even happening to technicians. While there were originally no national standards for pharmacy-technician education and training, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) and the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) have… |
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Meet the President: An Interview with Father Levesque...
December 1, 2013 - Featured , Professional Advice / Opinions By: Beatrice Popovitz, Staff Editor and Ada Seldin, Staff Editor – In August 2013, St. John’s University welcomed Rev. Joseph L. Levesque, C.M., former president of Niagara University, into the community as interim president. Fr. Levesque has an elaborate background in Vincentian leadership and higher education, having taught in various religious institutions such… |
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Advancements Towards a Malaria Vaccine...
November 1, 2013 - In the News / Politics By: Sang Hyo Kim, Staff Editor – A new experimental vaccine, PfsPZ, offers great promise as a cure for malaria. PfsPZ demonstrated 100% success in protecting subjects from this mosquito-borne tropical disease, which affects about 200 million people and causes 660,000 death annually.1,2 Historically, it has been known that sustained immunity for malaria could be… |
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Moving Towards Provider Status: An Interview with Sandr...
November 1, 2013 - Professional Advice / Opinions By: Hayeon Na, Co-Copy Editor and Sang Hyo Kim, Staff Editor – In Volume 1 Issue1 of the Rho Chi Post, we were honored to have an interview with Sandra Leal, PharmD, MPH, FAPhA, CDE, and Director of Clinical Pharmacy at El Rio Health Center in Tucson, Arizona. She had started a petition to support… |
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Nature’s Remedy… in a More Palatable Dosage Form...
November 1, 2013 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Davidta Brown, Staff Editor – Pathogenic bacteria have been enemies to human health for centuries. As recently as last month, the Centers for Disease Control published an 80-page document informing the public about America’s biggest microbial threats. Most of the pathogens on the list exhibit antibacterial resistance. One particular bacterial species, ranked at threat… |
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What You Should Know About Selecting APPE Rotations...
October 1, 2013 - Professional Advice / Opinions By: Aleena Cherian, Co-Copy Editor, Graphics Focused – Selecting APPE Rotations You’ve made it past the progression interviews at the end of 2nd year, the White Coat Ceremony, and the mind-boggling compounding and kinetics equations. You’re almost done with those labs and late night D&D study sessions. Now, halfway through the first semester of your… |