Colleen Hall

Articles by Colleen Hall

It was during the middle of the night when Suzanne Soliman, PharmD, founder of the Pharmacist Mom Group on Facebook, got the idea for her group page, which has since grown to be one of the most active on the popular social media platform, with more than 2 million posts last year alone.

Last week, National Association of EMS Physicians members joined with other health care professionals on Capitol Hil to bring attention to the issue of drug shortages, as emergency medical facilities across the country are forced to severely restrict use of certain IV fluids, anti-nausea medications, airway management medications, and other essential emergency medications (EEMs).

Officials with the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturing Association (PhRMA) said in a press release that they plan to request member companies’ direct-to-consumer (DTC) television advertisements to direct patients to information about medicine costs, including the list price of the medicine, out-of-pocket costs or other context about the potential cost of the medicine and available financial assistance.

Pharmacy gag clauses forbid pharmacists from proactively telling consumers if their prescription would cost less if they paid for it out-of-pocket rather than using their insurance plan.

The opioid reversal agent Narcan (naloxone) was reportedly used to save singer Demi Lovato’s life after an apparent drug overdose, and pharmacists may get more questions this week about what this medication is used for and how to use it. A video below contains advice on how to answer those questions.

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