November 15 Pharmacy Week in Review

This weekly video program provides our readers with an in-depth review of the latest news, product approvals, FDA rulings, and more. Our Week in Review is a can't miss for the busy pharmacy professional.

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 CDC has found vitamin E acetate, an additive in e-cigarettes or vaping products, within fluid samples from 29 patients who used e-cigarette or vaping products, Pharmacy Times reported.

This is the first time that the CDC has detected a potential chemical of concern in biologic samples from patients with e-cigarette- or vaping product use-associated lung injuries. THC was also identified in 82% of the samples.

Vitamin E acetate does not normally cause harm when ingested as a vitamin supplement or applied to the skin. However, previous research suggests that when vitamin E acetate is inhaled, it may interfere with normal lung functioning.

The CDC has reiterated that the public should not use e-cigarette or vaping products that contain THC. Because the specific compound or ingredient causing lung injury are not yet known, the only way to eliminate the health risks while the investigation continues is to consider refraining from using all e-cigarette or vaping products.

November 11 marks Nurse Practitioner Week, and NPs from across the country are writing to explain why they love their job, Contemporary Clinic reported.

To celebrate Nurse Practitioner Week, Contemporary Clinic’s social media page, @CClinicJournal, posted testimonials from NPs and fun facts about their responsibilities and importance to the health care landscape using the hashtag #WhyNP.

JoAnn Franklin, president of the Association of Missouri Nurse Practitioners, said: “I love being an NP because I know I can impact the health of individuals and improve their health outcomes. I love the relationships with families and the love they share back. It makes it all so rewarding!”

Interested in seeing what other NPs have to say? Follow @CClinicJournal to find out more about Nurse Practitioner Week and to share in the importance of NPs.

The results of a new study show that for the first time the stage at which long-term diffuse large B-cell lymphoma is diagnosed can affect the types of secondary cancers that may form after treatment, Specialty Pharmacy Times reported.

The researchers examined the outcomes of about 26,000 patients diagnosed with DLBCL between 1973 and 2010. More than half of the patients were diagnosed with stage 1 or 2 disease, and a little less than half were diagnosed with stage 3 or 4 disease. Overall, 13% of survivors went on to develop second primary cancers.

Patients diagnosed with early-stage DLBCL were more likely to develop second primary cancer in the 5 years following successful treatment, and these new cancers tended to be the most solid tumors compared with late-stage cancers.

The authors hope that the study will lead to prospective trials, with the goal of decreasing not only DLBCL relapse but also the development of second primary cancers.

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

In the spot, called “Your Moment,” the narrator says that IBRANCE is for post-menopausal women or for men with HR2+ or HER2- metastatic breast cancer as the first hormonal-based therapy.

According to the commercial, IBRANCE plus letrozole significantly delayed disease progression versus letrozole and shrank tumors in more than half of patients.

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