Pharmacy Week in Review: Pinterest Tackles Anti-Vaccine Movement, CLL Linked to Higher Melanoma Risk

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.

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Hello and welcome to the Pharmacy Times News Network. I’m Nicole Grassano your host for our Pharmacy Week in Review.Pinterest, a social-media platform, recently said that it is providing vaccine-related searches that contain authoritative information from reputable resources such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC, the World Health Organization, and the WHO-established Vaccine Safety Net, Pharmacy Times reported. According to the article, reliable vaccine health information will be displayed when users search for “measles,” “vaccine safety,” and other related terms on the web and through the mobile apps. Pinterest is also collaborating with organizations such as AAP to develop creative resources for Pins on vaccine health facts. Expert vaccine-related health information will be displayed on Pinterest, and recommendations or comments on Pins in these search results will not be shown. Additionally, Pinterest will remove vaccine misinformation, as well as accounts that spread inaccurate content. Last year, Pinterest also began to tackle the antivaccination movement when it stopped showing search results that included vaccine misinformation.Researchers at the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of California in San Diego found that patients using tramadol may be at a greater risk for developing hypoglycemia, Contemporary Clinic reported. The study was based on the investigating team’s analysis of more than 12 million reports from the FDA Adverse Effect Reporting System and Adverse Event Reporting System databases. These reports outlined the adverse effects that people experienced while taking tramadol between January 2004 and March 2019. Adverse effects include common effects of opioids, such as constipation, dizziness, headaches, and nausea, as well as more serious risks, including serotonin syndrome and increased seizure risk. Although researchers examined other prescribed opioids and similar-acting nonopioid medications, only tramadol carried the risk of hypoglycemia.Researchers from the Wilmot Cancer Institute have found that patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia had a 600% higher risk of melanoma, Specialty Pharmacy Times reported. Although previous study results have shown a higher risk of melanoma among patients with CLL, detection rates and treatment efficacy had yet to be reported According to the report, 22 melanomas were diagnosed among 470 people in the study’s cohort of patients with CLL, which is 600% higher than the expected rate in a similar group of age- and gender-matched people from the general population. Eighty-eight percent of the cases involved earlier-stage disease with a better prognosis. As a result of these new data, the study authors recommend that all clinical teams who care for patients with CLL monitor for melanoma as part of their care routines, with a goal of catching it early and managing it with new targeted therapies.Pharmacists may get more questions about Eucrisa, if patients have seen a recent commercial for the prescription medication. In the spot, called “Push Car,” the narrator explains that Eucrisa can be used for patients 2 years and older. According to the commercial, Eucrisa is a prescribed medical ointment that is intended to treat people who have been diagnosed with mild-to-moderate eczema when applied properly as directed.For more great coverage and practical information for today’s pharmacist, visit our website and sign up for our Daily eNews. And don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Thanks for watching our Pharmacy Week in Review. I’m Nicole Grassano at the Pharmacy Times News Network.