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July 2, 2021 Dear <<First Name>>, Welcome to this week's issue of the California Pharmacists Association's CEO Message. IN THIS ISSUE Celebrating July 4th? Thank Your Pharmacist. Thank you to America’s pharmacy teams for helping to make 2021’s July 4th celebrations just that – true celebrations! Through their leadership in the COVID vaccination initiative, the people of pharmacy are helping families and friends pick up where they left off. Bands in this year’s parades will find new spring in their steps. And fireworks grand finales will symbolize new beginnings. [Read Article] Pfizer and Moderna Vaccines Likely to Produce Lasting Immunity, Study Finds The vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna set off a persistent immune reaction in the body that may protect against the coronavirus for years, scientists reported on Monday. The findings add to growing evidence that most people immunized with the mRNA vaccines may not need boosters, so long as the virus and its variants do not evolve much beyond their current forms — which is not guaranteed. [Read Article] COVID-19 Shines a Spotlight on the Importance of Preserving Local Pharmacies Over the past 15 months since the COVID-19 pandemic became a national emergency, pharmacies across the country have played a vital role supporting the health and well-being of Americans in the face of the rapidly spreading SARS-CoV-2. [Read Article] Meet the Unsung Heroes Behind 450,000 COVID-19 Vaccines For 16 months, doctors and nurses have been the face of the pandemic fight. Behind the scenes, pharmacists are the unsung heroes that took their work to the medical frontlines. As all aspects of the medical field stepped up during an unprecedented event, the combination helped. [Read Article] Finding an Opportunity to Advance Pharmacy Practice During a Pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic has led to significant innovation, which presents a unique opportunity for pharmacists to advance pharmacy practice by serving as the integral drug monitoring experts of the health care team. [Read Article] L.A. County Urges Everyone to Wear Masks Indoors as Delta Variant Spreads With the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus continuing to spread statewide, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is recommending that all residents wear masks in public indoor spaces — regardless of whether they’ve been vaccinated for COVID-19. [Read Article] With the More Contagious Delta variant, Some Officials are Issuing New Mask Guidance The variant is expected to become the dominant coronavirus strain in the US, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. And with half the US still not fully vaccinated, doctors say it could cause a resurgence of Covid-19 in the fall -- just as children too young to get vaccinated go back to school. [Read Article] Why No One is Sure if Delta is Deadlier The coronavirus is on a serious self-improvement kick. Since infiltrating the human population, SARS-CoV-2 has splintered into hundreds of lineages, with some seeding new, fast-spreading variants. [Read Article] Calls Rise for FDA to Fully Approve COVID-19 Vaccines Calls are rising from some experts for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to move faster to fully approve the COVID-19 vaccines, in what could be a key step to address vaccine hesitancy. [Read Article] COVID’s Lingering Effects Can Put the Brakes On Elective Surgeries Even after recovering from COVID, many patients experience respiratory or other problems and, since this effect of the virus is so unpredictable, medical experts aren't sure when it is safe to undergo elective surgery. But medical experts are setting up guidelines. [Read Article] Vaccine Mix Study Suggests Combinations Safe and Effective Alternating a dose of Covid-19 vaccine made by Pfizer Inc. with one from AstraZeneca PLC is safe and provides a strong immune response against the disease, a new study shows. [Read Article] 12 Lessons COVID-19 Taught Us About Developing Vaccines During a Pandemic The extraordinary drive to develop COVID-19 vaccines was like a moonshot — and like that fabled acceleration of space exploration science, it delivered. Just a little over six months after the first Covid vaccines were authorized for use, nearly 3 billion vaccine doses have been administered around the globe. [Read Article] Kids’ Hospitalization Rates for Type 2 Diabetes More Than Doubled During Pandemic, Study Shows Kids' hospitalization rates for new Type 2 diabetes more than doubled amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to data analyzed at a Louisiana hospital. [Read Article] How a Focus On Prevention Can Improve the Nation’s Health in the Wake of the Pandemic It’s a well-known fact that we do not appreciate our health until we’re unwell – or, perhaps, until we’re confronted with a once-in-a-generation global pandemic. With our busy pre-lockdown diaries, it often seemed easier to react to symptoms after they emerged – taking a quick trip to the pharmacy for painkillers, gel to ease aching muscles or something to soothe an upset stomach. [Read Article] Pandemic Worsens Continual Medication Shortage for Pharmacies For more than three decades, Centra Health has helped people get the medication they need. However, it’s been more difficult this year. “If you don’t have a med, that could be life or death for some patients,” Sr. Director of Pharmacy Dr. Randall Puckett says. “We definitely don’t want to run out of medication.” [Read Article] Tabula Rasa HealthCare Inks Agreements with 12 State Pharmacy Associations to Bring MedWise® Medication Risk Mitigation to Members Tabula Rasa HealthCare, Inc (TRHC) (NASDAQ: TRHC), a leading healthcare technology company advancing the safe use of medications, is collaborating with four more state pharmacy associations to bring TRHC's MedWise® technology to association members. MedWise medication decision support tools identify simultaneous, accumulative, multi-drug interactions, enabling pharmacists to improve medication safety, efficacy, and adherence. [Read Article] Attempts to Reform Drug Middlemen Surge In Nearly Every State Secretive companies that mediate between drug manufacturers, payers and pharmacies have been drawing heavy scrutiny for at least four years. Now efforts to change the way those companies do business have resulted in 100 bills introduced in 42 separate states, according to a report published Wednesday by the influential Kaiser Health News. [Read Article] PBM Reform Ensures Patient Choice and Access to Community Pharmacies It has always been my passion to help people, which is why I pursued a career in pharmacy. Now, I am fortunate to serve Flower Mound, focusing on the health and wellness of my neighbors and community, and the entire Denton County community. However, growing administrative burdens continue to make it increasingly difficult to care for patients. [Read Article] The Future of Pharmaceuticals and the FDA Pipeline Pharmacy Times spoke with Chad Landmon, attorney and chair of Axinn’s Intellectual Property and FDA Practice Groups, about key events in the FDA pipeline, such as Emergency Use Authorizations during COVID-19 and the future of narrowed approvals. [Read Article] Extreme Temperatures Have An Effect On Your Packages, Mail-Order Medication Extreme heat means pretty much everything is hot right now. Packages delivered to your mailbox or front door are included, and prescription medication is at risk during this warm weather. [Read Article] Shingles Vaccination Rate Surpasses US Target Goal Although COVID-19 vaccines and vaccination rates have received a lot of attention recently, it’s worth noting that there are numerous other vaccines recommended by the CDC in its Adult Immunization Schedule. [Read Article] Misinformation On Adverse Effects a Factor in HPV Vaccine Refusal More than 25% of parents in 2019 who refused the human papillomavirus vaccine for their child cited concerns of safety or adverse effects, a study in JAMA Pediatrics shows. [Read Article] J&J to Stop Selling Opioids, Agrees to $230M Settlement with N.Y. Johnson & Johnson has agreed to pay $230 million to New York state to settle claims that the pharmaceutical giant helped fuel the opioid crisis, Attorney General Letitia James said on Saturday. [Read Article] New Position Statement on the Importance of Sleep to Health and Well- Being An American Academy of Sleep Medicine position statement published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine focused on the importance of sleep to health and provided several recommendations and objectives to improve health, productivity, well-being , quality of life, and safety by maintaining adequate sleep duration, quality, timing and regularity. [Read Article] Few Adults are Aware of Hospital Price Transparency Requirements As of January 1 of this year, hospitals are required to post prices of common health services on their websites via consumer-friendly tools for patient use. [Read Article] Cancer Patients May Need Double Treatment of Immunotherapies New research from La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) and the University of Liverpool indicates that initiating treatment of patients with cancer with drugs to deplete T follicular regulatory (Tfr) cells may prep the body to respond to subsequent anti-PD-1 therapies and increase overall survival. [Read Article] FDA Approves Nasal Antihistamine to Treat Allergy Symptoms There is some hopeful news for the millions of people in the United StatesTrusted Source experiencing allergy symptoms. They can now get an antihistamine nasal spray for adult and childhood seasonal allergies. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the over-the- counter use of Astepro (azelastine hydrochloride nasal spray, 0.15 percent) last week. [Read Article] CDC Advisory Panel Backs Use of Dengue Vaccine In High-Risk Areas, Despite Delivery Challenges An expert panel voted Thursday to advise that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend use of a controversial dengue vaccine, despite the fact that it can only be given to a small fraction of U.S.