Hospital

Directions in Oncology Pharmacy® is getting to know oncology pharmacy professionals through a series of interviews. In this issue, we talk to David DeRemer, PharmD, BCOP, FCCP, FHOPA, president of the Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association (HOPA) Board of Directors, whose term ends this month.

A high dose of vitamin D administered at the time of admission to the hospital cannot improve the condition of patients with moderate to severe COVID-19, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The Star Rating for Biosimilars Act, HR 2855, aims to create a biosimilars access measure in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Star Ratings Program.

Researchers found that the amount of time between the onset of heart attack symptoms and an artery-clearing percutaneous coronary intervention was an important target for public education efforts.

Pharmacy Times® interviewed Scott J. Knoer, MS, PharmD, FASHP, the EVP and CEO of APhA, on how the recently introduced Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Area Enhancement Act may impact pharmacy and health care outlooks.

Americans who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 no longer need to wear masks when outside alone, with members of their household, or when attending small outdoor gatherings.

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have identified additional genetic mutations that strongly predispose otherwise healthy women to peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM), a rare condition characterized by weakness of the heart muscle that begins sometime during the final month of pregnancy through 5 months after delivery.

The report further showed that drug expenditure in nonfederal hospitals declined 4.6%, while drug spending in home care settings increased 13%, and drug expenditures in nonfederal hospitals spiked in the 3 weeks immediately following the March 8, 2020 lockdown.

The antibiotic fights both resistant enterococcus, streptococcus, and staphylococcus bacteria via a unique mechanism of action, which causes resistance to develop at a very slow pace.

Pharmacies cannot prevent shortages, particularly with the complexities of treating COVID-19; however, they can strengthen their ability to prepare their organization to respond to those complexities.

A new service connects community pharmacies with health care systems to support the delivery of health care products and services through crowdsourcing.

Individuals who had COVID-19 and recovered had a robust antibody response after the first mRNA vaccine dose, but little immune benefit after the second dose.

New research findings published in Cell Reports identified a type of immune cells that acts as a major driver of breast cancer growth by preventing the accumulation of a specific protein that induces anti-tumor responses.

The legislation does not expand scope of practice, but instead brings Medicare rules in alignment with existing responsibilities already granted to pharmacists through various credentialing and privileging programs.

The study further explored the various aspects of financial hardships, including material, psychological, and behavioral measures.

Community pharmacists should consider leaning on their specialty pharmacist peers, where available, as we continue to navigate the new, more virtual normal and attempt to expand these types of services in the future.

Health systems individually have struggled to demonstrate improvements to total cost of care because, without data about patients they do not serve, they cannot define a comparison group.

Pharmacy Times® interviewed Dennis O’Neill, president and board member of Biomedican, to discuss how providers are looking to psychedelic medicine to treat certain mental health disorders.

One mutated version of KRAS that commonly arises in cancer cells is called KRAS(G12C) and it produces a mutated KRAS protein that allows the cells to grow and spread in the body.

The study shows that brentuximab vedotin allowed for reduced radiation exposures and resulted in fewer adverse effects for patients, according to its authors.

Fecal microbiota transplants are effective in at least 80% of C. diff cases, although until now, researchers did not know why.

A new study led by researchers at NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing found that breast cancer survivors with a higher risk of cancer recurrence based on genomic testing may experience greater fear of their cancer returning.

Nivolumab is the first and only immunotherapy in combination with chemotherapy to deliver superior overall survival compared to chemotherapy alone in this patient population.

Among somatic mutations, approximately 89% of patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer have a potentially actionable mutation.

Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association plans to develop tools and resources to support those conducting research in the oncology pharmacy field, with the goal of promoting pharmacist-led research and improving the ability to analyze difficult scientific questions.

The duration for body temperature normalization, oxygen saturation, and mechanical ventilation were significantly shorter for patients who received IVIG in addition to standard of care (SOC) when compared to those only receiving SOC.

Before the advent of modern anesthesia, humans tried multiple avenues for rendering people unconscious before surgeries, with varying results.

Patient interactions became vastly different during the pandemic, with questions surrounding how to coordinate contact and how to best provide pharmacy services virtually, including counseling, fielding drug information questions, medication reconciliation, and providing home medication sheets to families

Olaparib and niraparib both show promise in the maintenance treatment of ovarian cancer, though they may each be appropriate for different patient populations.

Technology is key in supporting and freeing up time for pharmacists to meet vaccination efforts and increased demands in providing community care.