August 2 Pharmacy Week in Review: Investigational HIV drug May Extend Protection Against the Infection for 1 Year; Top Motivators for PharmD Candidates Revealed

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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 study has found several important motivators and barriers for Doctor of Pharmacy candidates’ involvement in research and scholarship, Pharmacy Times reported.

Researchers at Ferris State University College of Pharmacy discovered that the top motivators for students include an interest in the topic, their status as a competitive candidate for residency or other training programs, an energetic or engaging faculty member or preceptor, and comfort in working with the faculty member or preceptor.

Eleven barriers were also identified in the study, including lack of time, lack of knowledge about how to get involved, and lack of faculty support. Faculty responses were generally similar to student responses, with the most common barriers including lack of time, and lack of knowledge on how to get started.

The results of the study provided insight into both the motivations and barriers that students and faculty face in getting involved with research or other scholarship work. Identifying these barriers can help faculty overcome them, or, on the other hand, knowledge about motivating factors can help faculty increase student participation.

Researchers surveyed the prevalence of Rickettsia antibodies and Rickettsia-carrying ticks in human hunters, hunting dogs, and wild boars in Brazil in an effort to study the bacteria's circulation and ecology among human populations and wild animals in that country, Contemporary Clinic reported.

The researchers collected blood samples and ticks from 80 free-range wild boars, 34 hunters, and 170 hunting dogs from central-western and southern Brazil between 2016 and 2018.

A total of 1584 Amblyomma ticks of 3 species were collected from wild boars, whereas all 22 ticks on hunters were of the species Amblyomma sculptum, and the 9 ticks on hunting dogs were all of the Amblyomma aureolatum species. About 14.7% of hunters, 14.1% of hunting dogs, and 72.5% of wild boars were positive for Rickettsia antibodies.

Most infections caused by Rickettsia bacteria are spread through fleas, lice, mites, or ticks. Symptoms of infection with Rickettsia parkeri, called Pacific Coast tick fever, include fever, headache, muscle aches, and rash.

An investigational HIV drug being developed by Merck may be able to provide extended protection against the infection for up to 1 year through a drug-eluting implant, Specialty Pharmacy Times reported.

The drug islatravir was evaluated for the treatment of HIV in combination with other antiretrovirals, as well as for PrEP as a single agent in both a once-monthly oral 2-drug regimen and in an extended delivery formulation.

After assessing blood levels of the drug in participants for 12 plus an additional 4 weeks, the researchers determined that the implant containing islatravir 62 mg was effective in providing protection for 12 months.

According to Merck, the data provide early evidence for its potential as a once-yearly option for PrEP in individuals at high risk of HIV.

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

In the spot, called “Time for a Change: Vet” the narrator describes how depression can bring with it a loss of interest and fatigue.

According to the commercial, Trintellix is used to treat adults who have been diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder when taken regularly as prescribed.

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