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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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BRD4 Inhibition Eliminates Malignant Peripheral Nerve S...
February 1, 2014 - Clinical , Featured By: Richard Chung, PharmD Candidate c/o 2017 – Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor, otherwise known commonly as MPNST, is an aggressive sarcoma that can randomly form around peripheral nerves. Approximately 1 in 100,000 of the population is diagnosed with MPNST, with only 20-50% surviving five years after initial diagnosis.1 In addition, approximately half of the… |
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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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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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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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Ponatinib Taken Off the Market...
December 1, 2013 - In the News / Politics By: Sherine Jaison, PharmD Candidate c/o 2015 – The leukemia chemotherapy drug ponatinib (Iclusig) has just been taken off the market. The drug was under investigation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) following several reports of serious and life threatening blood clots and narrowing of the blood vessels.1 Ponatinib is a BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase… |
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Still a Long Road Ahead for New Hepatitis C Treatment...
December 1, 2013 - In the News / Politics By: Ramya Mathew, PharmD Candidate c/o 2015 – Vertex Pharmaceuticals, an American biotechnology company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has been researching a new “nuke” for the treatment of Hepatitis C called VX-135. This nucleotide polymerase inhibitor is currently undergoing clinical trials, but the FDA has put the research on a partial hold due to findings… |
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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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Ceftriaxone Induced Hemolytic Anemia...
November 1, 2013 - Clinical , Featured By: Samad Tirmizi, PharmD Candidate c/o 2014 – Hemolytic anemia (HA) is a type of anemia that occurs due to the breakdown of red blood cells. It is classified as intrinsic and extrinsic according to causative factors. Medication induced hemolytic anemia is an example of extrinsic, while genetic predisposition is an intrinsic factor. Drug induced… |
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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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New Treatment for a Deficiency in Iron-Supplement Thera...
October 1, 2013 - Clinical By: Davidta Brown, Staff Editor – For the estimated 7.5 million individuals in the United States living with iron deficiency anemia (IDA), there is now a new alternative to iron supplements or time-consuming, repetitive infusions. On July 25, 2013, the FDA approved ferric carboxymaltose injection (Injectafer®) for the treatment of IDA, especially in patients who… |
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New Drug to Treat HIV-1 Hits the Market...
October 1, 2013 - Clinical , Featured By: Ada Seldin, Staff Editor – On August 12,2013, a new weapon against HIV-1 infection was added to the existing armada. Dolutegravir, the third integrase strand transfer inhibitor to attain FDA approval, targets a protein essential to HIV replication. HIV-1 is the predominant type of HIV virus, the other being HIV-2, which is endogenous to… |
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Canagliflozin (Invokana®): New Type 2 Diabetes Drug...
October 1, 2013 - Clinical By: Sang Hyo Kim, Staff Editor – On March 29th 2013, the U.S Food and Drug Administration approved canagliflozin (Invokana®), a new form of a diabetic drug for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.1 Canagliflozin is in a new class of medications called sodium glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors and is the only oral, once-daily… |
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Meet the Dean: Interview with Dean DiGate...
October 1, 2013 - Featured , Professional Advice / Opinions By: Katharine Cimmino, Editor-in-Chief and Erica Dimitropoulos, Senior Staff Editor – Just last month, St. John’s University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences kindly welcomed a new Dean into our family, Dean Russell J. DiGate. Dean DiGate is a highly experienced educator and academic leader. He attended the University of Rochester, where… |
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Novel Virus, Standard Vigilance...
September 1, 2013 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Davidta Brown, Staff Editor – When the seasons transition from winter into spring every year, healthcare providers brace for a shift into a time of increased sneezes, requests for cough medication, and vaccinations, otherwise known as flu season. The rounds of illness that pass each year are usually more of an annoyance than a… |
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Children, Codeine, and Cytochrome P-450...
September 1, 2013 - Clinical , Featured By Davidta Brown, Staff Editor – For post-operative pain treatment, few drugs are as trustworthy, as tried-and-true, as codeine. Prescriptive confidence in the analgesic has promoted its use in children recovering from uncomplicated surgeries, but the spate of injuries and deaths of young children who had been given codeine after undergoing adenotonsillectomies has provoked a… |
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Drugs and Diseases: The Survival Manual...
August 1, 2013 - Professional Advice / Opinions By: Beatrisa Popovitz, Staff Editor – You may have heard the countless horror stories passed on by upperclassman of how D&Ds seep into the crevices of our brains and take over our psyches to inevitably make us breathe, sleep, and speak pharmacy. Stressing out over exams and investing what may seem like all of your… |
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Lower Vaccine Costs for Developing Nations...
July 1, 2013 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Steve Soman, PharmD – India has become a powerhouse in pharmaceutical manufacturing, often supplying generic alternatives at a fraction of the brand name cost to the developing world. Cheaper alternatives make costly drugs more affordable for poorer nations and NGOs.1 Indian manufacturer Biological E. Limited, a biotech firm based in Hyderabad India, signed a… |
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FDA Approves Dimethyl Fumarate for Treatment of Relapsi...
June 1, 2013 - Clinical , Featured By: Andy Zhang, PharmD Candidate c/o 2015 – On March 28, 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced the approval of Tecfidera™ (dimethyl fumarate) for the treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) in adults.1 Tecfidera™ (dimethyl fumarate) will be the third oral drug used for the treatment of MS. The manufacturer Biogen… |
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Breaking the Mold...
April 1, 2013 - Professional Advice / Opinions By Beatrisa Popovitz, Staff Editor, Why does that pharmacist have to be two and a half feet higher than everybody else? Who the hell is this guy? “Clear out everybody I’m workin’ with pills up here. I’m taking pills from this big bottle and then I’m gonna put them in a little bottle! That’s my… |
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Three-Person In Vitro Fertilization: Combating Mitochon...
April 1, 2013 - Featured , In the News / Politics By: Bharat Kirthivasan – The UK government might soon become the platform for an explosive debate on the utility and ethics of three-person in vitro fertilization (three-person IVF). According to the Human Fertilization & Embryology Authority, there is no evidence to suggest that any form of IVF is unsafe for the mother or the fetus.… |
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New P2Y12 Antagonist on the Rise...
April 1, 2013 - Clinical By Nancy Rizkalla, PharmD candidate c/o 2015 – Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with subsequent stent implantation is a highly effective approach in reducing the risk of death or ischemic complications following a myocardial infarction as well as improving the quality of life in patients with stable angina. PCI is ultimately performed in 60 –… |
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New FDA Approval: Fycompa® to Treat Seizures...
March 1, 2013 - Clinical , Featured By: Bhavini Shah, PharmD Candidate c/o 2013 – Fycompa® (perampanel) has received the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for the adjunctive treatment of partial-onset seizures with or without secondarily generalized seizures in patients with epilepsy aged 12 years and older.1 The drug, manufactured by Eisai Inc., is already approved for use in Iceland,… |
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Liraglutide (Victoza®) for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus...
February 1, 2013 - Clinical , Featured By: Miriam Maltz, PharmD Candidate c/o 2013, AMSCOP, Long Island University – Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia that is pursuant to insulin resistance, defects in insulin secretion, or both1. Chronic hyperglycemia is associated with detrimental effects on various organ systems that can increase mortality and impact the patient’s… |
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Tackling America’s Drug Shortage Crisis...
December 1, 2012 - Featured , In the News / Politics , Professional Advice / Opinions By: John S Lim, PharmD Candidate c/o 2013 – America’s focus on healthcare, as well as its position as one of the wealthiest nations of the industrialized world, is incongruous with the consequences of drug shortages suffered by its population. Shortages in pharmaceutical supply compromise quality of life while increasing health care costs. The pharmaceutical… |
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Breakthroughs in Gene Therapy: Pharmacogenetics and Vec...
December 1, 2012 - Clinical , Featured By: Tamara Yunusova, PharmD Candidate c/o 2017 – Gene therapy? You scoff in disbelief as thoughts of designer babies, liberal eugenics, clones, and ruthless dystopian societies begin to reel in the back of your mind. Perhaps you may even stop to recall a scene or two from Jurassic Park or Star Trek. Undoubtedly, gene therapy… |
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Giving a Second Chance: The Prescription Drug Abuse Epi...
December 1, 2012 - Featured , In the News / Politics , Professional Advice / Opinions By: Maria Sorbera, PharmD Candidate c/o 2013 at AMSCOP (LIU) – Author William S. Burroughs states in his novel, “The question is frequently asked: Why does a man become a drug addict? The answer is that he usually does not intend to become an addict. You don’t wake up one morning and decide to be… |
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Medications Causing Body Temperature Fluctuations...
October 1, 2012 - Clinical , Featured By: Elsa Thomas, Pharm.D. c/o 2013 – Human body uses various complex mechanisms to maintain its body temperature within a narrow range despite extreme environmental temperature changes as well as physiological changes. Several factors can affect body temperature such as disease states, growth, exercise, hormonal changes, and medications. Hypothermia can occurs as a result of… |
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Antiplatelet Use Following Acute Coronary Syndromes...
September 1, 2012 - Clinical , Featured By: Addolorata Ciccone, Co-Copy Editor – Acute Coronary Syndromes Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is a myocardial ischemia caused by obstruction of coronary arteries. ACS is stratified into three types, based on electrocardiogram (EKG) changes and the presence of cardiac biomarkers (e.g. troponin, creatinine phosphokinase, and myoglobin). To guide treatment plans, it is important to identify… |
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Brand Vs. Generic: What Every Prescriber Should Know...
September 1, 2012 - Clinical , Featured , Professional Advice / Opinions By: Marina Yermolayeva, PharmD Candidate c/o 2013 – “I’m allergic to the generic; I need the brand name medication,” is a common claim heard by many health care providers. Managed care organizations get numerous calls from doctors and patients requesting prior authorizations to approve brand name medications whilst there are generic alternatives available on formulary.… |
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Matching Challenge: Over-the-Counter Products...
July 1, 2012 - Puzzles By Mohamed Dungersi, Associate Student Editor – Match the following herbal products with their natural source and reason for use: A. This product is a source of omega-3 fatty acids, primarily docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). It is used to lower triglyceride levels, to lower high blood pressure, and for a variety of… |
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Use of Donepezil in Patients with Delirium (but without...
July 1, 2012 - Clinical , Featured By: Lunbao (Jerry) Huang, Pharm.D. Candidate c/o 2013 – Donepezil, brand name Aricept®, is an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor indicated as monotherapy for Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia. Cholinergic deficiency in the cortex and basal forebrain contributes to cognitive deficits in these patients. Donepezil reversibly, noncompetitively inhibits centrally active acetylcholinesterase, the enzyme responsible for… |
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Effect of Intravenous Ondansetron on QT Interval Prolon...
June 1, 2012 - Clinical By: Raymond Wu, Pharm.D. Candidate c/o 2013 The 5-hydroxytryptamine type 3 (5HT3) antagonists (e.g. ondansetron [Zofran®]) are commonly used in the prevention and treatment of nausea and vomiting in the inpatient setting.1 Overall, ondansetron is a well-tolerated medication with few side effects.1 Constipation, dizziness, and headache are the most commonly reported side effects associated… |
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Student Pharmacist Star of the Month: Albana Alili...
June 1, 2012 - Professional Advice / Opinions By: Marie Huang – Each month, the Rho Chi Post has the wonderful opportunity to sit down with an inspiring leader among the student pharmacists here at St. John’s University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences – someone who is not afraid to stand apart from the crowd and can be the change he… |
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Korlym® For Endogenous Cushing’s Syndrome...
April 1, 2012 - Clinical , In the News / Politics By: Alexandra Alleva, Pharm.D. Candidate c/o 2013 – On February 17, 2012, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first medication indicated specifically for patients with endogenous Cushing’s syndrome, a hormone disorder characterized by elevated blood levels of cortisol. Mifepristone (Korlym®) is for the treatment of glucose intolerance and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus… |
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Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Hira Shafeeq...
April 1, 2012 - Featured , Professional Advice / Opinions By: Jessica Lee, Pharm.D. Candidate c/o 2013 – Dr. Hira Shafeeq received her PharmD in 2009 from St. John’s University. After graduating, she went on to do her PGY-1 at the Brooklyn Hospital Center. Upon finishing her first year of residency, she decided to complete her specialty residency in critical care at University of Chicago… |
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The Diagnosis and Management of Bipolar Disorder in Chi...
March 1, 2012 - Clinical By: Marie Huang – The amphitheater at Nassau University Medical Center fills up slowly as Dr. Alan Jay Cohen, a psychiatrist from Oakland, California, makes his way up to the podium to lead a talk about bipolar disorder, specifically differentiating between its presentations in adults versus in developing children. Among nonprofessionals, bipolar disorder is simply… |
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Jentadueto Approved by FDA for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus...
March 1, 2012 - Clinical , In the News / Politics By: Ebey P. Soman – The FDA recently approved a combination tablet of linagliptin with metformin hydrochloride (Jentadueto®) for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Developed by Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly, the new combination tablet provides a twice-daily treatment option for healthcare providers looking for greater flexibility in treating diabetes. Prescribers may add a… |
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Proton Pump Inhibitors and the Treatment of Osteoporosi...
February 1, 2012 - Clinical , Featured By: Neal Shah – Osteoporosis is a disease of the bone characterized by decreased bone mineral density (BMD), which reduces the ability of bone to provide adequate structural support. The main cause of this decreased BMD is inadequate calcium intake or absorption. The decreased BMD can cause diffuse lesions throughout the skeletal system and can… |
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Pharmacy Practice Residency Training Programs...
February 1, 2012 - Professional Advice / Opinions By Dr. Tina Kanmaz – Dr. Kanmaz is the Assistant Dean for Experiential Pharmacy Education and Associate Clinical Professor at St. John’s University College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions. Pharmacy practice residency training is a one-year program that serves as a bridge for the recent Doctor of Pharmacy graduate (with little to no independent… |