May 31 Pharmacy Week in Review: American Society of Clinical Oncology Meeting Coverage Coming, Behaviors and Psychosocial Stressors May Increase Asthma Risk in Adolescents

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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.

A PHARM-CHF randomized controlled trial has found that elderly patients with heart failure adhered better to their recommended medications when they saw a pharmacist once a week, Pharmacy Times reported.

The trial looked at data from 237 ambulatory patients with chronic heart failure aged 60 and older who were randomly assigned to usual care or a pharmacy intervention, and followed up for a median of 2 years. The average age was 74 years, 62% were male, and the median number of different medications was 9. Improvement in quality of life was more pronounced in the pharmacy group after 1 year and significantly better compared with the usual-care group after 2 years. This meant that patients in the pharmacy group were less limited in their daily activities and less worried about their disease.

The study results were presented this week at Heart Failure 2019, a scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology.

A research team through the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh has found that asthma may worsen during adolescence, because of health risk behaviors and psychosocial stressors, including exposure to violence, marijuana use, and poor diet, Contemporary Clinic reported.

The study examined more than 24,000 high school students and using self-administered survey results, investigators collection information on asthma, demographic characteristics, health risk behaviors, and psychosocial stressors. Asthma was reported by about 13% of participating adolescents. Gender, marijuana use, obesity, sleep duration, and soda consumption, were found to increase the odds of asthma from 14% to 36%.

In order to reduce asthma among this group of adolescents, the authors called for early detection of violence exposure, the promotion of healthy life choices, and treatment of depressive symptoms.

Specialty Pharmacy Times will be on site at the 2019 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting, held from May 31 to June 4 in Chicago, Illinois. The meeting will bring together more than 32,000 oncology professionals from around the world to share the latest clinical cancer research affecting patient care. The theme of this year’s conference is Caring for Every Patient, Learning From Every Patient.

Throughout the meeting, Specialty Pharmacy Times will offer live coverage on the latest groundbreaking trial data and updates in oncology. Topics range from advances in targeted therapies for pancreatic and pediatric cancers to new approaches to overcoming limited access to cancer care. Highly anticipated findings include response to entrectinib in central nervous system tumors, lenalidomide in precancerous myeloma, and results from the pediatric MATCH trial.

Keep an eye out for our latest coverage on educational sessions, interviews with oncology experts, and late-breaking abstracts. Sign up for our e-newsletters to receive daily recaps straight to your inbox, follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and check out our conference page on SpecialtyPharmacyTimes.com to stay up to date.

Pharmacists may get more questions about Humira, if patients have seen a recent commercial for the prescription medication. In the spot, called “Wake-up Call: Horseback Riding,” the narrator says that patients with rheumatoid arthritis should be aware that pain and stiffness may be signs of muscle erosion. According to the commercial, Humira prevents further join damage, by targeting and blocking a source of inflammation that contributes to joint pain and irreversible damage.

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