April 5 Pharmacy Week in Review: Guidance on Topical Corticosteroids Varies, PrEP Persistence Lower in Woman and Young Adults

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Nicole Grassano, Host: Hello, and welcome to the Pharmacy Times News Network. I’m Nicole Grassano your host for our Pharmacy Week in Review.

The American Pharmacists Association has awarded the 2019 Remington Honor Medal to Lucinda L. Maine, CEO and executive president of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, for her compassion and dedication to the pharmacy profession, Pharmacy Times reported.

The American Pharmacists Association noted that the honoree reflects the core values of the Remington Honor Medal: dedication to advancing pharmacy and improving quality of life for patients.

One of Maine’s achievements that exemplify her commitment to pharmacy advancement is her foundation, Pharmacists for Healthier Lives, an alliance of organizations that bring awareness to the countless services pharmacists provide beyond filling prescriptions.

Maine is the 6th woman to receive this award, of 90 recipients.

A study evaluating patients’ persistence with HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP found that women and young people used the therapy for shorter amounts of time than men and older adults, Contemporary Clinic reported.

Using data from the IBM MarketScan Research Databases, investigators created a cohort of PrEP users aged 18 to 64 years, who initiated the therapy between January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2016.

Investigators found that PrEP users who were female, resided in rural areas, and young were less likely to be persistent users when compared to older men. Just 36.6% of the users aged 18 to 24 years persisted for 12 months compared with 65.3% aged 55 to 64 years.

A better understanding of patient factors for nonpersistence is needed to support PrEP use for those people who might benefit from this therapy during periods of risk, according to the investigators.

A new study found that pharmacists and dermatologists often give different advice to patients regarding prescriptions for topical corticosteroids, Specialty Pharmacy Times reported.

Researchers surveyed 117 dermatologists and 2954 pharmacists, showing that the 2 groups provided different counseling on how long to use medications and how much to use, as well as emphasizing different risks and adverse events.

Forty-six percent of pharmacists said they advised patients to limit topical steroid use to 2 weeks or less, compared with 6% of the dermatologists. The study also showed that pharmacists were more likely than dermatologists to recommend that the medication be applied in a thin layer.

Pharmacists may get more questions about Xarelto if patients have seen a recent commercial for the prescription medication.

In the spot, called “Selective: Cost,” the narrators explain how the prescribed blood thinner is intended to treat patients suffering from deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism. According to the commercial, Xarelto can reduce the risk of blood clotting.

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Thanks for watching our Pharmacy Week in Review. I’m Nicole Grassano at the Pharmacy Times News Network.