Alana Hippensteele, Editor

Although bloodletting had been praised by medical professionals for more than 2 millennia, not all patients were as enthused at being purged of their blood as their physicians were, regardless of the claims of its efficacy.

Individualized recommendations for the best exercise to lower blood pressure were recently published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.

March 31 is International Transgender Day of Visibility, and the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation and the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) partnered to release a new guide for pharmacies on transgender and gender-diverse inclusion.

The results from a phase 3 trial in a population of American adolescents aged 12 to 15 years found that the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine BNT162b2 showed 100% efficacy and robust antibody responses.

The Biden administration has moved to activate 40,000 local pharmacies within the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program, which is a part of the administration’s national COVID-19 vaccination strategy.

In England, incidence rates of the skin cancer cutaneous malignant melanoma were found to have increased by more than 550% among males and 250% among females since the early 1980s.

The APhA and the CDC announced that they have entered into a collaborative agreement focused on supporting the role of pharmacists in building the public’s confidence in COVID-19 vaccines.

Investigators may have found a way to locate chemicals capable of suppressing HIV into its dormant state.

A prognostic COVID-19 Severity Test has been launched for the identification of high-risk individuals who are likely to experience the most severe COVID-19 complications upon exposure to the virus.

Although childbirth remains a difficult, often stressful experience for mothers, the advent of opioid medications for labor pain relief and the use of appropriate sanitation methods has made childbirth far safer for mothers than was possible during previous periods in history.

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted pharmacy practice due to its role in supporting overwhelmed physicians, nurses, and other health care professionals who faced some of the immediate challenges of the crisis.

Results from the phase 3 KEYNOTE-775/study 309 trial found that Keytruda plus Lenvima reduced risk of death by 38%, with a median overall survival of 18.3 months

The FDA has approved the submission of a supplemental new drug application (sNDA) that expands the use of bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension to include patients aged 6 years and older for single-dose infiltration as a postsurgical local analgesia.

Results from a phase 3 trial investigating the programmed cell death protein 1 inhibitor cemiplimab monotherapy compared to chemotherapy showed an overall survival benefit among patients previously treated with chemotherapy whose cervical cancer is recurrent or metastatic.

Following a review of the latest interim data released by AstraZeneca on its US phase 3 clinical trial assessing the 2-dose AZD1222 COVID-19 vaccine, the Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) expressed concern at the inclusion of what may have been outdated data.

Phase 3 clinical testing of a plant-derived COVID-19 vaccine candidate in combination with a pandemic adjuvant commenced following approval to proceed with participant enrollment from regulatory authorities in both Canada and the United States.

The first participants were dosed in the phase 2/3 KidCOVE study investigating vaccine candidate mRNA-1273 against COVID-19 in children aged 6 months to less than 12 years of age.

In the 4th century BCE, Hippocrates, the founding father of medicine, established that the best cure for hemorrhoids was through the application of the curative properties of fire.

Results of clinical trials have shown that a nitric oxide nasal spray is both a safe and effective antiviral treatment to prevent COVID-19 transmission and symptom duration, as well as reduce symptom severity and damage in those already infected.

The FDA has granted priority review for an NDA for the hypoxia-inducible factor-2 alpha inhibitor MK-6482 for the potential treatment of patients with von Hippel-Lindau disease-associated renal cell carcinoma that does not require immediate surgery.

Although clostridioides difficile is the leading cause of health care-associated infection in the United States, there are currently only 2 antibiotics available for its treatment: vancomycin and fidaxomicin.

The Medicare payment amount for administering the COVID-19 vaccine is increasing, according to a statement from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

The FDA announced that it will hold a public meeting of the Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee from April 27 to 29 to address the indications granted accelerated approval for 6 therapies.

For millennia, humans have linked feces and disease, making the connection that since it’s gross, it’s probably also harmful.

An ongoing phase 2 clinical study has begun to vaccinate patients with a modified version of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine.

A recent survey showed that there is a significant preference among Americans to receive COVID-19 vaccines from a trusted health care provider, such as a pharmacist or physician.

New, long-term data from open-label extensions of a pair of phase 3 studies of bictegravir 50 mg/emtricitabine 200 mg/tenofovir alafenamide 25 mg tablets showed the sustained efficacy and safety profile of the treatment.

Research on a novel, investigational combined oral contraceptive containing drospirenone and estetrol showed that the treatment resulted in limited changes in endocrine markers.

In a recent statement, Walgreens announced that it has administered approximately 5 million COVID-19 vaccinations at long-term care facilities, in its stores, and through its vaccination clinics.

The HIV epidemic continues while populations are less likely to reach out for testing, prevention, and treatment during the pandemic due to a variety of challenges.