Mike Hennessy Sr, Chairman

In a continuing quest to be a one-stop shop to pharmacy professionals and students, Pharmacy Times® has upped its game on the podcast front in 2021 and will continue to introduce more podcasts in 2022. 

Pharmacy Times® offers podcasts: Pharmacy Focus, Women in Pharmacy, Move the Needle Monday, Pharmacy Tech Talk, Psychedelic Pharmacy, Independent Rx Forum, and for students, Study Break. In , we plan to introduce Forensic Pharmacy, OTC Product Show, and Public Health Matters.

The rich array of podcasts is, of course, in addition to our many other offerings, including videos, webcasts, and conference coverage.

In this print issue of Pharmacy Times®, we look at pain management, including in our cover feature, “Monitor Patients for Opioid-Induced Adverse Drug Events,” in which Kathleen Kenny, PharmD, RPh, discusses using the lowest effective dosages to prevent constipation, sedation, and respiratory depression. Other related articles cover back pain, migraines, and OTC analgesics.

Elsewhere in the issue, we offer coverage of avoiding infusion pump errors, JAK inhibitors as treatment options for atopic dermatitis, and off-patent generic drugs.

Meanwhile, Editor in Chief Troy Trygstad, PharmD, PhD, MBA, discusses Walgreens doubling down on care-team integration in his Editor’s Note, noting that the role of the pharmacy chain in health systems, primary care, and specialty remains uncertain.

Looking ahead to the December issue, check out our cough and cold issue as winter approaches. Coverage of cough and cold as well as influenza can also be found on PharmacyTimes.com.

As we approach the end of the year, we wish pharmacy professionals and pharmacy students a happy and safe holiday season. We hope that pharmacists and other pharmacy staff members get a well-deserved break after working so hard in 2021.

And we once again salute pharmacists and pharmacy technicians for all they have done during the COVID-19 pandemic to keep communities and patients safe.

Articles

In a continuing quest to be a one-stop shop to pharmacy professionals and students, Pharmacy Times® has upped its game on the podcast front in 2021 and will continue to introduce more podcasts in 2022.

Podcasts Deliver Information and News to Pharmacists, Students, and Technicians

The past 2 years have been filled with social upheaval, and as trusted community members, pharmacists have stepped up to meet these challenges. While handling the ongoing stress of the COVID-19 pandemic, pharmacy school faculty members, administrators, and students have found unique ways to also address social determinants of health and disparities both in curricula and in the daily hands-on work of pharmacy.

Social determinants of health propose that the conditions in which people live, work, learn, and play can directly affect their health risks and outcomes. As community members living in the same neighborhoods as their patients, pharmacists are well positioned to address these issues. By asking patients about housing stability, food access, or mental health concerns, pharmacists can learn more about their patients and provide more holistic, patient-centered care.

, we feature pharmacy students and faculty members who are tackling social disparities in health care and their impact on patient health.

At the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy, students and faculty members have created affinity groups to provide space for people with shared identities and backgrounds to connect. In a Student Voices article, Leyla Rashid, a PharmD candidate, said these groups provided essential spaces to gather during the social upheaval of the summer of 2020.

Disparities in health care have also been frequent topics at various conferences, and a feature article reviews one such session at the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy 2021 Virtual Meeting, titled "Teaching On Half the Story: The Case of Systemic Racism." In the session, experts reviewed survey results that found teaching on systemic racism is a low priority in pharmacy curricula, although that may be changing.

Pharmacists and pharmacy students are also turning to social media to connect with others in the field while raising awareness about issues they are passionate about. A feature article by Nyrah Saleem, PharmD, discusses how pharmacy students can use various platforms to advocate for provider status and increased public awareness about the profession.

Similarly, a new series on social media pharmacy "influencers" features several pharmacists popular on TikTok, several of whom said they use the app to tackle COVID-19 misinformation. Social media literacy will certainly be an essential skill for pharmacists in the future, both to connect with other health care professionals and to educate patients.

Students are also active on the issue of environmental sustainability. In a feature article, Ashley Lam, a PharmD candidate at the University of Charleston School of Pharmacy, reviews how closely related health care and the environment can be, as well as ways that students can tackle environmental issues while pursuing their studies.

We hope you enjoy reading these and other stories in this issue of 

 and gain insight into how the next generation of pharmacists are poised to handle the challenges of a changing health care and societal landscape.

The past 2 years have been filled with social upheaval, and as trusted community members, pharmacists have stepped up to meet these challenges. 

Pharmacy Students Have Myriad Opportunities to Tackle Health Disparities, Social Issues

in development of oral oncolytic agents for a variety of therapy targets, the support pharmacists can provide patients in areas such as oral oncolytic medication adherence has come to the fore. Considering that much of health care has shifted to being delivered and administered in patients’ homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting a variety of new setting-related topics is critical.

Patients with cancer have even greater need for a safe environment for delivery and administration of their health care than much of the rest of the population, bringing the role of oral oncolytic agents and oncology pharmacists to new heights within the field. Outside of their prominent role in the safe delivery of oncology care during the pandemic, oral oncolytic agents offer other advantages over parenteral treatment. They provide the opportunity for less invasive administration, prolonged drug exposure, and greater patient convenience.

As early as May 2020, a survey of community practices in the United States showed that more than half of the oncologists/hematologists surveyed had shifted at least 10% of their patients from infusions to oral oncolytic agents.

 In October 2021, one can imagine this number has grown significantly. Consequently, this issue of 

® looks at the role of oral oncolytic drugs in the field today and provides information on what is to come in the d rug pipeline.

In our cover story, on page 52, authors Mark Alwardt and Shereen Stutz, RPh, address the role of medically integrated dispensing (MID) pharmacies within a new paradigm of oncology care, focusing on the role of MIDs in the landscape of oral oncolytic agents. On page 25, author Jennifer Gershman, PharmD, CPh, provides an overview of the oral oncolytic pipeline for multiple myeloma, highlighting relevant data from the studies conducted to date for each oral oncolytic agent on the horizon.

Additionally, on page 36, we examine the role of home infusion within the oncology field today. With data demonstrating that home infusion remains a critical option for patients with cancer during the pandemic, the Preserving Patient Access to Home Infusion Act was introduced to the US Congress in August 2021. The bill focuses on ensuring the availability of home infusions for certain Medicare patients to support their ongoing care during the pandemic and beyond.

In this way, the impact of the pandemic on health care has been far reaching. Yet, the wake of this impact has left oncology pharmacists holding a pivotal role in this new paradigm. They are uniquely positioned to meet the needs of patients and ensure their safety, now and in the future.

With a surge in development of oral oncolytic agents for a variety of therapy targets, the support pharmacists can provide patients in areas such as oral oncolytic medication adherence has come to the fore.

The Increasing Growth of Oral Oncolytic Agents Highlights Critical Role Oncology Pharmacists Play in Patient Care

and we celebrate Women Pharmacist Day on October 12 and Pharmacy Technician Day on October 19.

Pharmacy professionals play a crucial role in our communities and are true heroes. 

® salutes the life-saving care that pharmacists and technicians have provided during the COVID-19 pandemic, but these professionals were extending themselves for patients before the coronavirus ravaged communities and will continue to do so long after 2021 is over.

To that end, PharmacyTimes.com has a Pharmacy Heroes resource center that will have updated coverage of the value of the pharmacist throughout the month of October.

October also marks the start of our seventh annual #ThankAPharmacist campaign, which recognizes pharmacists and technicians on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for their commitment and dedication to improving patients’ lives.

In this month’s issue, we highlight American Pharmacists month, and Suzanne Soliman, PharmD, BCMAS, chief academic officer at the Accreditation Council for Medical Affairs and founder of the Pharmacist Moms Group writes about Women Pharmacist Day and the significant achievements that women have made to the profession.

One woman who has made huge contributions to pharmacy is Angela D. Adams, PharmD, MPH, executive director of the Central Florida Pharmacy Council. She is featured in this issue and on the cover and is a winner of the Parata Systems and Pharmacy Times® Next-Generation Pharmacist® Award from the Civic Leader category.

Adams said that her greatest achievement in pharmacy has been “creating culturally appropriate health education programs that serve as a tool in eliminating health care inequities and disparities.”

Since 2010, the Next-Generation Pharmacist® program has honored pharmacists, technicians, students, and industry advocates who are defining the future of pharmacy in 10 categories. The winners, all featured in this issue, are exceptional pharmacists, pharmacy students, and pharmacy technicians who have gone above and beyond in caring for their patients and advancing their profession.

In addition, the October issue features several articles on digestive health, including the cover feature, by Kathleen Kenny, PharmD, RPh, called “Pharmacists Can Help Patients Treat Digestive Disorders.”

Looking ahead, check out our technician supplement in November, when we focus on the contributions of these essential members of the pharmacy team.

October marks American Pharmacists Month, and we celebrate Women Pharmacist Day on October 12 and Pharmacy Technician Day on October 19.

Let's Celebrate Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians

Vaccinations are a huge success story in global health care and have helped eliminate smallpox and nearly eradicate polio. According to the CDC, immunization against deadly diseases saves 2 million to 3 million lives per year.

The COVID-19 vaccines are no different. Vaccine effectiveness studies provide a growing body of evidence that mRNA COVID-19 vaccines reduce the risk of contracting the virus, including severe disease, in fully vaccinated individuals by 90% or more.

 Yet vaccine hesitancy or outright opposition is prolonging the pandemic and landing many patients in intensive care units.

According to the results of a survey conducted in August 2021 by Morning Consult, a data intelligence company, 18% of Americans are opposed to getting vaccinated and 10% are hesitant.

Pharmacists can help combat hesitancy and opposition by providing facts about vaccines. One good resource is the American Hospital Association, which offers information on its website for hospital employees so that they can reassure patients about the COVID-19 vaccine.

Health systems have also started to look inward, and as of September 1, 166 are requiring mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for their employees. These include Atrium Health, Banner Health, and Kaiser Permanente.

Look for continuing COVID-19 vaccine coverage in the coronavirus resource center on PharmacyTimes.com. In addition, with influenza season beginning, check out the influenza resource center for articles about coadministration of the vaccine with routine immunizations and the role pharmacy technicians play in this year’s influenza vaccine campaign.

In this issue of Pharmacy TimesDirections in Health-System Pharmacy™, Kathryn Lincoln, PharmD, BCIDP, and Jerline Hsin, PharmD, BCOP, BCPS, offer information on the rabies pre-exposure vaccination.

In addition, the cover feature, written by Deepali Dixit, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP, FCCM, and PharmD candidates Winston Su, Olivia Wierciszewski, Kapil Rawal, and Chidambaranathan Sambath, looks at treating post–intensive care syndrome.

Vaccinations are a huge success story in global health care and have helped eliminate smallpox and nearly eradicate polio. 

Vaccinations Are Major Contributors to Global Health

Vaccinations are a huge success story in global health care and have helped to eliminate smallpox and nearly eradicate polio. According to the CDC, immunization against deadly diseases saves million to million lives per year.

 Yet vaccine hesitancy or outright opposition is prolonging the pandemic.

Pharmacists can help combat hesitancy and opposition by providing patients with the facts about vaccines, including efficacy and safety data.

In this issue’s Cover Feature, Kathleen Kenny, PharmD, RPh, discusses how the pharmacist-administered immunization movement is propelling the profession forward. In addition, in the OTC Focus article, Yvette C. Terrie, BSPharm, RPh, provides information on whether patients should avoid taking pain relievers before getting the COVID-19 vaccine. Meanwhile, Lisa Ruohoniemi, PharmD, offers information on travel vaccines in the Patient Focus article.

Look for coverage of flu season and influenza vaccines online at PharmacyTimes.com. In our influenza resource center, pharmacists can find information about flu season predictions, coadministration of the vaccine with routine immunizations, and the role pharmacy technicians play in this year’s influenza vaccine campaign.

Elsewhere in this issue, we provide tips on treating attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and dry eye disease.

In this issue we also are commemorating our finalists in the Next-Generation Pharmacist Awards program, which recognizes exceptional pharmacists, pharmacy students, and technicians who have gone above and beyond in caring for patients and advancing the profession. The awards ceremony will be held October 8, 2021, in Charlotte, North Carolina. Since 2010, the program has been held with Parata Systems, the industry’s most comprehensive pharmacy technology solutions provider. Look for the list of winners in the October issue of Pharmacy Times.

According to the CDC, immunization against deadly diseases saves 2 million to 3 million lives per year.