The idea for a blog post with a compilation of (fairly) recent, consumer interest, pharmacy-related topics struck after listening to a local radio personality and remembering the regular newsletters Val wrote while Executive Director of the Colorado Pharmacists Society. So in case you’ve missed some of what your patients are reading online:
In Aspirin Use to Prevent Cardiovascular Disease (expired link) “The current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of initiating aspirin use for the primary prevention of CVD and CRC in adults younger than 50 years.”
- Study: A Daily Baby Aspirin Has No Benefit For Healthy Older People (NPR)
- With daily low-dose aspirin use, risks may outweigh benefits for older adults (CNN)
- Daily low-dose aspirin found to have no effect on healthy life span in older people (NIH)
BMJ published Retrospective Study on Statin Efficacy “In participants older than 74 years without type 2 diabetes, statin treatment was not associated with a reduction in atherosclerotic CVD or in all cause mortality, even when the incidence of atherosclerotic CVD was statistically significantly higher than the risk thresholds proposed for statin use.” This follows the 2016 USPSTF recommendation to initiate low- to moderate-dose statins in adults aged 40 to 75 years without a history of CVD who have 1 or more CVD risk factors (dyslipidemia, diabetes, hypertension, or smoking) and a calculated 10-year CVD event risk of 10% or greater.
- Statins: Are these cholesterol-lowering drugs right for you? (Mayo Clinic, June 2018)
- Should you take statins? Guidelines offer different answers (CNN)
- Know the Facts: Why Some People Think Statins Are Bad for You (Healthline)
In Evidence on Melatonin for Insomnia (expired link) “Because melatonin is sold as a dietary supplement, its manufacture is not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.” Sleep Medicine Reviews found that melatonin is most effective at a dose of 0.3 milligrams.
Remove the “GAG” – CMS and Drug Price Transparency “Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) sent a firm reminder to Medicare Prescription Drug Plan (Part D) sponsors that “gag clauses” are unacceptable and including such a clause would subject providers to CMS compliance actions.” In addition, the Patient RIght to Know Drug Prices Act has advanced to the President. Read more on the Nationwide Push on to Remove Gag from Pharmacists.
News on California’s Drug Pricing Transparency bill, PHRMA’s September 2018 amended complaint against the law and October 2017 anticipated consequences from Drug Channels.
Consumer Reports’ advice on How to Pay Less for Your Meds Community pharmacists need to know.
Colorado Guidelines for the Safe Prescribing and Dispensing of Opioids Revised in March 2018, 21 page policy document issued by the Department of Regulatory Agencies.
Colorado Opioid Prescriptions Reduced “A trial launched by the Colorado Hospital Association, or CHA, had the goal of reducing opioid prescriptions in emergency rooms by 15 percent. Instead, opioid prescriptions were cut by 36 percent.”
What is going on with the CVS – Aetna merger? Some think it’s dangerous.
and finally…………………..
An insightly view on How Pharmacists Lost Control of Their Profession and Why You Should Care and why being the “most accessible health care professionals” is a two-edged sword.