Expert Insights

Gary Kerr, PharmD, MBA, chief pharmacy officer, Baystate Health, and president of HOSP, discusses a recent open letter that the Health System Owned Speciality Pharmacy Alliance wrote to better address the challenges that many speciality pharmacies face, and explains what he hopes clinical…

By Douglas L. Jennings, PharmD, FACC, FAHA, FCCP, FHFSA, BCPS Volume 1, Issue 1 “Brevity is the soul of wit.” Welcome to the first installment of “Talking Therapeutics!” Each week we’re going to tackle a timely therapeutic topic by breaking it down into bite-sized talking points. The goal is to…

Pharmacist Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges of Sabotaging COVID Vaccines At a time when most of the country’s pharmacists are on the frontlines of the fight against COVID-19, one pharmacist has pleaded guilty to tampering with over 500 doses of the coronavirus vaccine. The case made national…

By Julie Gould  Adnan Iqbal, CEO and co-founder, Luma Health, identifies what is lacking in vaccine delivery and operations, and offers tips for health administrators and health systems that are looking to improve their vaccine rollout.   Can you talk a little about what is lacking in vaccine…

By Damon Birkemeier, PharmD, FDA/ISMP safe medication management fellow Millions of compounded sterile products (CSPs) are produced each year, many of which are in hospital pharmacies. The Institute of Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) launched a survey intended to gather insights into pharmacy…

Diabetes is a well-known risk factor for the development of heart failure.1 Pre-diabetes continues to grow in the United States.2 This is important because pre-diabetes associated dysglycemia is associated with abnormal cardiac structure and function, associated with a higher risk of heart failure.…

By Yvette C Terrie, BS Pharm, RPh, Consultant Pharmacist The influenza virus and common cold viruses are typically widespread during this time of year, but this year activity is historically low. According to the CDC, influenza activity for the 2020-2021 influenza season thus far is “remarkably…

Cardiovascular health across the world is declining, especially in the older population.1-2 The rate of decline began in 2011 with downward trends in heart disease deaths and stroke in middle-aged Americans.  From 2011-2017 the rate of decline in cardiovascular mortality was 4%.3-5   Unfortunately…

By Julie Gould Tony Lin, PharmD, senior scientific director, AbbVie US medical affairs, discusses the VIALE-A (M15-656) and VIALE-C (M16-043) trials, which helped determine the approval of Venclexta for acute myeloid leukemia, and highlights what this approval means for clinical practice. Can you…

By: Jill Paslier, PharmD, CSP, International Safe Medication Management Fellow at Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP)  Error reporting is essential to a healthy safety culture. Error reporting can help healthcare providers learn about potential risks, actual errors, causes of errors,…