Hospital

When looking at the COVID-19 variants, it is increasingly necessary to assess them in terms of the mutations embedded in the variants themselves.

In addition to overall concerns about COVID-19 vaccines patients may have stronger fears about the second vaccine dose since it is often accompanied with more adverse effects.

The study also found that patients with comorbidities such as heart disease and diabetes were more likely to experience a high symptom burden.

Fatigue-inducing anemias caused by chronic diseases and inflammation may be treatable with a combination of inexpensive oral medications, according to a study published in Nature Communications.

Use of tranexamic acid is not associated with complications such as deep vein blood clots, heart attacks, seizures, or strokes or mini strokes when used in high-risk patients, according to a study published in Anesthesiology.

The authors of the study said this finding suggests that data from health care workers could be used to estimate the severity of future viruses more quickly.

Because several pharmaceutical companies pulled back from the federal 340B program last fall, many patients with diabetes are now seeing skyrocketing insulin prices, according to Anne Webster, NP, with UnityPoint Health.

The proposal would also distribute 1000 additional physician residency slots to hospitals in rural areas in an effort to address gaps in equitable care.

The APhA has joined a federal lawsuit filed by the NCPA in January to challenge DIR fees.

Further, while there is ambiguity surrounding the treatment of IBD flare in patients with CDI, case reports suggest corticosteroid initiation after appropriate antibiotic therapy may be effective.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been linked to a 44% increase in insomnia disorder among health care workers at a medical-school affiliated health system, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.

The finding raises the potential for repurposing available drugs as COVID-19 antivirals for cases in which a vaccine is not practical or effective, according to RPI chemistry and chemical professor Gaetano Montelione.

The necessary push for the health care industry to move to whole-person care instead of condition-oriented models and tactics for applying a value-based model in pharmacy benefits.

High demands on the health care system from COVID-19 may mean a permanent shift in the landscape.

Although the virtual format of this year's advisory board meeting was different, the feedback was no less valuable than it has been in other years.

The FDA hold was announced in December 2020 following the diagnosis of one patient with hepatocellular carcinoma in the HOPE-B pivotal trial.

A heart rhythm disorder, atrial fibrillation occurs at least twice as frequently in patients with diabetes as those without.

Scott J. Knoer, MS, PharmD, FASHP, EVP and CEO of APhA, discussed the value of the pharmacist on patient care teams and how this value could be supported and enhanced in the future.

Although the CDC and FDA have lifted the pause on Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine, Humphreys said the vaccine now comes with a warning label, and ongoing safety reviews will be paramount to ensure its continued safety.

Individuals with an average risk of colorectal cancer said they would prefer a stool-based screening test for colorectal cancer over colonoscopy.

Although therapeutics and vaccines for COVID-19 have dominated the news in the last year, development of other drugs has continued.

The efforts of pharmacists to keep their doors open during the pandemic, build COVID-19 testing sites, and prepare for and administer COVID-19 vaccinations took extraordinary investment and determination.

In addition to altered supply chains and medication access during the early months of the pandemic, the report predicts long-term changes for both COVID-19 survivors and those with chronic illnesses.

A metanalysis published in SN Comprehensive Clinical Medicine found that administering the therapies early in a patient’s treatment could be associated with better outcomes.

Cedric Richmond, senior advisor to President Biden and director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, thanked the NACDS and other health care providers for their hard work during a session at the 2021 NACDS Annual Meeting.

Bipartisan legislation has been introduced in the US Senate that would give millions of Medicare patients in medically underserved communities access to critical primary health care services delivered by pharmacists across the country.

Directions in Oncology Pharmacy® is getting to know oncology pharmacy professionals through a series of interviews. In this issue, we talk to David DeRemer, PharmD, BCOP, FCCP, FHOPA, president of the Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association (HOPA) Board of Directors, whose term ends this month.

A high dose of vitamin D administered at the time of admission to the hospital cannot improve the condition of patients with moderate to severe COVID-19, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.