Clinical Pharmacology: Recent Episodes
ReachMD
Host: Peter Buch, MD, FACG, AGAF, FACP
Guest: David Fudman, MD
As the advanced treatment landscape for irritable bowel disease continues to expand, selecting the right therapies has become more complex, with efficacy, safety, patient preferences, disease phenotypes, and more as factors to consider. Learn how to effectively navigate these therapeutic options for ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease with Dr. Peter Buch and Dr. David Fudman, Assistant Professor and Director of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinics at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
Guest: Martin Cheatle, PhD
A thoughtful, communicative, and compassionate approach to opioid use is essential for responsible patient use. Join Dr. Martin Cheatle as he explains the neuroscience of chronic pain, the psychosocial components often overlooked in these patients, and evidence-based strategies for evaluating risk and treatment response. Dr. Cheatle is the Director of Behavioral Medicine at the Penn Pain Medicine Center as well as an Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Anesthesiology, and Critical Care and the Director of Pain and Chemical Dependency Research at the Center for Studies of Addiction at the University of Pennsylvania. He also presented on this topic at the 2025 Congress of Clinical Rheumatology East conference.
Guest: Andre Harvin, PharmD, MS, MBA
Biosimilars have greatly impacted the US healthcare system over the last decade, creating cost savings and increasing access for patients.1,2 However, although some biosimilars have seen significant adoption, not all biosimilars have been able to achieve sustainable market use.1 Learn about the barriers to biosimilar adoption in the US and strategies for overcoming them from Dr. Andre Harvin. Dr. Harvin is the chief pharmacy officer at Cone Health in Greensboro, North Carolina.
References:
- AAM, The U.S. Generic & Biosimilar Medicines Savings Report, September 2023
- IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science, Biosimilars in the United States 2023-2027: Competition, Savings, and Sustainability, January 2023
© Fresenius Kabi USA, LLC 2025 03/2025
Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP
Guest: Sheila Reddy, MD
Guest: Carol M. Antequera, DMSc, PA-C
When treating patients with irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea (IBS-D), primary care providers have a variety of pharmacologic or behavioral options to choose from. Creating a personalized, integrative care plan can help address symptoms and maintain patient well-being. Join Dr. Brian McDonough, Dr. Sheila Reddy, and Ms. Carol Antequera as they share their perspectives on individualizing IBS-D care and facilitating communication with patients. Dr. Reddy is a board-certified gastroenterologist at Austin Gastroenterology in Texas, and Ms. Antequera is a physician assistant specializing in gastroenterology at the University of Miami Health System in Florida.
Salix Pharmaceuticals
400 Somerset Corporate Blvd.
Bridgewater, NJ 08807
© 2025 Salix Pharmaceuticals or its affiliates. MED-US-NPR-0060
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Guest: Emily Reidenbach, PharmD, MBA
Grace Health in Michigan recently implemented the AMA MAP™ Hypertension Quality Improvement Program, and now, pharmacists play a much bigger role in helping both providers and patients. In fact, pharmacists have been able to improve adherence and outcomes through education, patient-centered care, and the use of single-pill combinations. Here with Dr. Charles Turck to share her experience with the AMA MAP™ Hypertension program is Dr. Emily Reidenbach, a pharmacist at Grace Health in Michigan.
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Guest: Phil Ayers, PharmD, BCNSP, FMSHP, FASHP
When considering multi-chamber bag parenteral nutrition (MCB-PN), there are a variety of factors to consider, including the patients’ hemodynamic stability and nutrient needs. After a patient is selected, their whole care team must be aware of common risks and challenges to ensure safe and effective delivery. Dr. Charles Turck is joined by Dr. Phil Ayers to discuss appropriate patient selection based on recent updates to ASPEN guidelines and safety considerations. Dr. Ayers is a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy and the Chief of Clinical Pharmacy Services in the Department of Pharmacy at Baptist Medical Center in Jackson, MI.
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Guest: Phil Ayers, PharmD, BCNSP, FMSHP, FASHP
Though 100% soybean oil was once the standard for lipid emulsions in parenteral nutrition, mixed lipid emulsions have become more popular over the last decade. But there are a variety of patient-specific factors to consider before determining which type of lipid emulsion is appropriate. Dr. Charles Turck sits down with Dr. Phil Ayers to compare the available options and recommend strategies for selecting and monitoring patients. Dr. Ayers is a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy and the Chief of Clinical Pharmacy Services in the Department of Pharmacy at Baptist Medical Center in Jackson.
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Guest: John Hertig PharmD, MS, CPPS
Not only does intraoperative opioid waste have serious environmental, regulatory, and financial costs, but it can also threaten the quality of patient care and safety. Fortunately, implementing strategies like ready-to-administer syringes with small doses can improve surgical protocols, patient outcomes, and overall healthcare efficiency. Joining Dr. Charles Turck to discuss how we can address and prevent the critical impacts of opioid waste is Dr. John Hertig, Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice and Department Chair at Butler University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.
Host: Manesh R. Patel, MD
Host: Sean Pokorney, MD
Older patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) are challenging to treat due to concomitant increased risk for both stroke and bleeding and the presence of an increasing number of comorbidities. Data from clinical trials, meta-analyses, and real-world evidence support the relative merits of NOAC therapy compared with conventional anticoagulation in treating elderly patients with AF. This program focuses on the factors and considerations that can drive the choice of anticoagulation therapy for elderly patients with AF, such as comorbidities and associated medications, falling risk, and monitoring and treatment adherence, which may help clinicians optimize the care of their elderly patients with AF.
Host: Manesh R. Patel, MD
Host: Sean Pokorney, MD
Older patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) are challenging to treat due to concomitant increased risk for both stroke and bleeding and the presence of an increasing number of comorbidities. Data from clinical trials, meta-analyses, and real-world evidence support the relative merits of NOAC therapy compared with conventional anticoagulation in treating elderly patients with AF. This program focuses on the factors and considerations that can drive the choice of anticoagulation therapy for elderly patients with AF, such as comorbidities and associated medications, falling risk, and monitoring and treatment adherence, which may help clinicians optimize the care of their elderly patients with AF.
Host: Manesh R. Patel, MD
Host: Sean Pokorney, MD
Older patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) are challenging to treat due to concomitant increased risk for both stroke and bleeding and the presence of an increasing number of comorbidities. Data from clinical trials, meta-analyses, and real-world evidence support the relative merits of NOAC therapy compared with conventional anticoagulation in treating elderly patients with AF. This program focuses on the factors and considerations that can drive the choice of anticoagulation therapy for elderly patients with AF, such as comorbidities and associated medications, falling risk, and monitoring and treatment adherence, which may help clinicians optimize the care of their elderly patients with AF.
Host: Manesh R. Patel, MD
Host: Sean Pokorney, MD
Older patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) are challenging to treat due to concomitant increased risk for both stroke and bleeding and the presence of an increasing number of comorbidities. Data from clinical trials, meta-analyses, and real-world evidence support the relative merits of NOAC therapy compared with conventional anticoagulation in treating elderly patients with AF. This program focuses on the factors and considerations that can drive the choice of anticoagulation therapy for elderly patients with AF, such as comorbidities and associated medications, falling risk, and monitoring and treatment adherence, which may help clinicians optimize the care of their elderly patients with AF.
Host: Christoph U. Correll, MD
Host: Leslie Citrome, MD, MPH
This program will concentrate on practical clinical strategies aimed at utilizing long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotics at an earlier stage to improve outcomes for individuals with schizophrenia. These informative episodes will present optimal approaches for overcoming barriers to LAI utilization, identifying patients who would benefit from LAIs across the entire patient spectrum, employing assessment tools to measure patient improvement, and advocating for the early use of LAI antipsychotics as maintenance therapy in suboptimally treated or nonadherent schizophrenia patients.
Host: Leslie Citrome, MD, MPH
This program will concentrate on practical clinical strategies aimed at utilizing long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotics at an earlier stage to improve outcomes for individuals with schizophrenia. These informative episodes will present optimal approaches for overcoming barriers to LAI utilization, identifying patients who would benefit from LAIs across the entire patient spectrum, employing assessment tools to measure patient improvement, and advocating for the early use of LAI antipsychotics as maintenance therapy in suboptimally treated or nonadherent schizophrenia patients.
Host: Christoph U. Correll, MD
This program will concentrate on practical clinical strategies aimed at utilizing long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotics at an earlier stage to improve outcomes for individuals with schizophrenia. These informative episodes will present optimal approaches for overcoming barriers to LAI utilization, identifying patients who would benefit from LAIs across the entire patient spectrum, employing assessment tools to measure patient improvement, and advocating for the early use of LAI antipsychotics as maintenance therapy in suboptimally treated or nonadherent schizophrenia patients.
Host: Christoph U. Correll, MD
This program will concentrate on practical clinical strategies aimed at utilizing long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotics at an earlier stage to improve outcomes for individuals with schizophrenia. These informative episodes will present optimal approaches for overcoming barriers to LAI utilization, identifying patients who would benefit from LAIs across the entire patient spectrum, employing assessment tools to measure patient improvement, and advocating for the early use of LAI antipsychotics as maintenance therapy in suboptimally treated or nonadherent schizophrenia patients.
Host: Christoph U. Correll, MD
Host: Leslie Citrome, MD, MPH
This program will concentrate on practical clinical strategies aimed at utilizing long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotics at an earlier stage to improve outcomes for individuals with schizophrenia. These informative episodes will present optimal approaches for overcoming barriers to LAI utilization, identifying patients who would benefit from LAIs across the entire patient spectrum, employing assessment tools to measure patient improvement, and advocating for the early use of LAI antipsychotics as maintenance therapy in suboptimally treated or nonadherent schizophrenia patients.
Host: Adam Brufsky, MD, PhD
Host: Christopher M. Gallagher, MD
This program focuses on increasing clinician familiarity and comfort with real-world evidence (RWE) of CDK4/6 inhibitors in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) and clinicians’ confidence in their ability to discuss RWE with their patients.
Host: Christopher M. Gallagher, MD
Host: Adam Brufsky, MD, PhD
This program focuses on increasing clinician familiarity and comfort with real-world evidence (RWE) of CDK4/6 inhibitors in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) and clinicians’ confidence in their ability to discuss RWE with their patients.
Host: Christopher M. Gallagher, MD
This program focuses on increasing clinician familiarity and comfort with real-world evidence (RWE) of CDK4/6 inhibitors in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) and clinicians’ confidence in their ability to discuss RWE with their patients.
Host: Adam Brufsky, MD, PhD
This program focuses on increasing clinician familiarity and comfort with real-world evidence (RWE) of CDK4/6 inhibitors in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) and clinicians’ confidence in their ability to discuss RWE with their patients.
Host: Christopher M. Gallagher, MD
This program focuses on increasing clinician familiarity and comfort with real-world evidence (RWE) of CDK4/6 inhibitors in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) and clinicians’ confidence in their ability to discuss RWE with their patients.
Host: Adam Brufsky, MD, PhD
This program focuses on increasing clinician familiarity and comfort with real-world evidence (RWE) of CDK4/6 inhibitors in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) and clinicians’ confidence in their ability to discuss RWE with their patients.
Host: Adam Brufsky, MD, PhD
Host: Christopher M. Gallagher, MD
This program focuses on increasing clinician familiarity and comfort with real-world evidence (RWE) of CDK4/6 inhibitors in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) and clinicians’ confidence in their ability to discuss RWE with their patients.
Host: Kevin Trice, MD
Insomnia is characterized by difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, and experiencing non-restorative or poor-quality sleep; it often leaves individuals feeling unrefreshed upon awakening. Symptoms during the day may include fatigue, irritability, impaired focus, and excessive sleepiness. The condition can significantly deteriorate a person’s quality of life, leading to reduced productivity, impaired cognitive function, mood disturbances, and an increased risk of accidents or injuries due to daytime sleepiness.
This educational program delves into the pathophysiology and diagnosis of insomnia as well as the role of the orexin system in the sleep/wake cycle. The program also evaluates the latest treatments, including the dual orexin receptor antagonists (DORAs), daridorexant, and lemborexant, and how these DORAs compare to other insomnia treatments with the aim of improving treatment choices, reducing adverse events, and improving patient outcomes.
Host: Kevin Trice, MD
Host: Michael E. Yurcheshen, MD, FAASM
Insomnia is characterized by difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, and experiencing non-restorative or poor-quality sleep; it often leaves individuals feeling unrefreshed upon awakening. Symptoms during the day may include fatigue, irritability, impaired focus, and excessive sleepiness. The condition can significantly deteriorate a person’s quality of life, leading to reduced productivity, impaired cognitive function, mood disturbances, and an increased risk of accidents or injuries due to daytime sleepiness.
This educational program delves into the pathophysiology and diagnosis of insomnia as well as the role of the orexin system in the sleep/wake cycle. The program also evaluates the latest treatments, including the dual orexin receptor antagonists (DORAs), daridorexant, and lemborexant, and how these DORAs compare to other insomnia treatments with the aim of improving treatment choices, reducing adverse events, and improving patient outcomes.
Host: Kevin Trice, MD
Insomnia is characterized by difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, and experiencing non-restorative or poor-quality sleep; it often leaves individuals feeling unrefreshed upon awakening. Symptoms during the day may include fatigue, irritability, impaired focus, and excessive sleepiness. The condition can significantly deteriorate a person’s quality of life, leading to reduced productivity, impaired cognitive function, mood disturbances, and an increased risk of accidents or injuries due to daytime sleepiness.
This educational program delves into the pathophysiology and diagnosis of insomnia as well as the role of the orexin system in the sleep/wake cycle. The program also evaluates the latest treatments, including the dual orexin receptor antagonists (DORAs), daridorexant, and lemborexant, and how these DORAs compare to other insomnia treatments with the aim of improving treatment choices, reducing adverse events, and improving patient outcomes.
Host: Michael E. Yurcheshen, MD, FAASM
Insomnia is characterized by difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, and experiencing non-restorative or poor-quality sleep; it often leaves individuals feeling unrefreshed upon awakening. Symptoms during the day may include fatigue, irritability, impaired focus, and excessive sleepiness. The condition can significantly deteriorate a person’s quality of life, leading to reduced productivity, impaired cognitive function, mood disturbances, and an increased risk of accidents or injuries due to daytime sleepiness.
This educational program delves into the pathophysiology and diagnosis of insomnia as well as the role of the orexin system in the sleep/wake cycle. The program also evaluates the latest treatments, including the dual orexin receptor antagonists (DORAs), daridorexant, and lemborexant, and how these DORAs compare to other insomnia treatments with the aim of improving treatment choices, reducing adverse events, and improving patient outcomes.
Host: Michael E. Yurcheshen, MD, FAASM
Host: Kevin Trice, MD
Insomnia is characterized by difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, and experiencing non-restorative or poor-quality sleep; it often leaves individuals feeling unrefreshed upon awakening. Symptoms during the day may include fatigue, irritability, impaired focus, and excessive sleepiness. The condition can significantly deteriorate a person’s quality of life, leading to reduced productivity, impaired cognitive function, mood disturbances, and an increased risk of accidents or injuries due to daytime sleepiness.
This educational program delves into the pathophysiology and diagnosis of insomnia as well as the role of the orexin system in the sleep/wake cycle. The program also evaluates the latest treatments, including the dual orexin receptor antagonists (DORAs), daridorexant, and lemborexant, and how these DORAs compare to other insomnia treatments with the aim of improving treatment choices, reducing adverse events, and improving patient outcomes.
Host: Michael E. Yurcheshen, MD, FAASM
Insomnia is characterized by difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, and experiencing non-restorative or poor-quality sleep; it often leaves individuals feeling unrefreshed upon awakening. Symptoms during the day may include fatigue, irritability, impaired focus, and excessive sleepiness. The condition can significantly deteriorate a person’s quality of life, leading to reduced productivity, impaired cognitive function, mood disturbances, and an increased risk of accidents or injuries due to daytime sleepiness.
This educational program delves into the pathophysiology and diagnosis of insomnia as well as the role of the orexin system in the sleep/wake cycle. The program also evaluates the latest treatments, including the dual orexin receptor antagonists (DORAs), daridorexant, and lemborexant, and how these DORAs compare to other insomnia treatments with the aim of improving treatment choices, reducing adverse events, and improving patient outcomes.
Host: Nikhil I. Khushalani, MD
Host: Tara C. Mitchell, MD
This program is designed to improve clinicians’ knowledge of the latest clinical trial data surrounding the use of immunotherapy for the adjuvant treatment of patients with melanoma. The program addresses clinical challenges faced by oncologists/surgeons, including selecting appropriate patients, determining optimal treatment schedules and dosing, and managing toxicity.
Host: Nikhil I. Khushalani, MD
Host: Tara C. Mitchell, MD
This program is designed to improve clinicians’ knowledge of the latest clinical trial data surrounding the use of immunotherapy for the adjuvant treatment of patients with melanoma. The program addresses clinical challenges faced by oncologists/surgeons, including selecting appropriate patients, determining optimal treatment schedules and dosing, and managing toxicity.
Host: Nikhil I. Khushalani, MD
This program is designed to improve clinicians’ knowledge of the latest clinical trial data surrounding the use of immunotherapy for the adjuvant treatment of patients with melanoma. The program addresses clinical challenges faced by oncologists/surgeons, including selecting appropriate patients, determining optimal treatment schedules and dosing, and managing toxicity.
Host: Tara C. Mitchell, MD
This program is designed to improve clinicians’ knowledge of the latest clinical trial data surrounding the use of immunotherapy for the adjuvant treatment of patients with melanoma. The program addresses clinical challenges faced by oncologists/surgeons, including selecting appropriate patients, determining optimal treatment schedules and dosing, and managing toxicity.
Host: Nikhil I. Khushalani, MD
This program is designed to improve clinicians’ knowledge of the latest clinical trial data surrounding the use of immunotherapy for the adjuvant treatment of patients with melanoma. The program addresses clinical challenges faced by oncologists/surgeons, including selecting appropriate patients, determining optimal treatment schedules and dosing, and managing toxicity.
Host: Tara C. Mitchell, MD
This program is designed to improve clinicians’ knowledge of the latest clinical trial data surrounding the use of immunotherapy for the adjuvant treatment of patients with melanoma. The program addresses clinical challenges faced by oncologists/surgeons, including selecting appropriate patients, determining optimal treatment schedules and dosing, and managing toxicity.
Host: Mazen Noureddin, MD
Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is an epidemic with enormous health and economic implications. Join us for our chairman’s perspective on best practices to identify, screen, and refer patients. Dr. Mazen Noureddin also examines some of the emerging therapeutics that may change your approach to NASH.
Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO
Guest: Stefanie Cribb, PharmD
Guest: Ryan Haumschild, PharmD
Guest: Jennifer Rubino
Guest: Ira Steinberg, MD
There’s been a lot of focus recently on biosimilars and their potential role in evolving the healthcare system. We're digging in deeper to understand what makes biosimilars so exciting. Joining Dr. Jennifer Caudle to discuss the biosimilar approval process and the important commitment supporting healthcare providers and patients in their adoption is a panel of experts: Dr. Stefanie Cribb, Dr. Ira Steinberg, and Ms. Jennifer Rubin from Coherus Biosciences and Dr. Ryan Haumschild from the Emory Healthcare and Winship Cancer Institute.
© 2022 Coherus BioSciences
C1122-COH-P829
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Guest: David Mohr, PhD
In addition to potentially improving access to mental health care, digital tools have also been shown to improve symptoms in many types of mental illness1 and can serve as an adjunct to psychotherapy or pharmacotherapy. Despite this, these tools have not yet been widely adopted in the United States. So what are some strategies we can use to implement these tools and develop an improved framework? Joining Dr. Charles Turck to discuss mental health treatments and their application in clinical practice is Dr. David Mohr, a Professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.
Reference:
- Mohr DC, Azocar F, Bertagnolli A, et al. Banbury Forum Consensus Statement on the Path Forward for Digital Mental Health Treatment. Psychiatr Serv. 2021;72(6):677-683.
December 2022 US.UNB.X.22.00074
Host: Andrea Singer, MD, FACP, CCD
Guest: Paul A. Anderson, MD
Guest: Susan V. Bukata, MD, FAOA, FAAOS
Since the recording of this CME activity, the following updates have been published:
-
NAMS Position Statement on the Management of Osteoporosis in Postmenopausal Women
- Menopause. 2021;28(9):973-997.
-
Consensus Statement from the Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation, formerly known as the National Osteoporosis Foundation
- The Clinician’s Guide to Prevention and Treatment of Osteoporosis. Osteoporosis Int. 2022;33(10):2049-2102.
While there’s growing awareness among orthopedic surgeons that osteoporosis is the underlying cause of fractures, there is often a disconnect between this recognition and action in the form of treatment to prevent subsequent fractures. In this discussion, Drs. Andrea Singer, Paul Anderson, and Susan Bukata address the pathophysiology of osteoporosis and the need to identify patients at risk for additional fractures. Osteoporosis treatment (including pharmacotherapy) can play a critical role in preventing future fractures, but physicians must first recognize that fracture is a sentinel event and treat it as a call to action.
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Guest: Musaddiq Khan
Clinical data continues to emerge on mRNA therapeutics and their applications. What do we need to know about this data, and are there any barriers to the broader application of these therapeutics? Dr. Charles Turck is joined by Musaddiq Khan, the Vice President of Therapeutic Area Solutions in the Customer Value Team at Medable, to dive into clinical trials for mRNA therapeutics.
Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO
Guest: Francesca Taraballi, PhD
Guest: John J. Russell, MD
As mRNA therapeutics continue to emerge, what do our patients know about them? Joining Dr. Jennifer Caudle to explore knowledge gaps and discuss tactics to educate patients are Drs. John Russell and Francesca Taraballi.
Guest: Ahmed Zayed Obeidat, MD, PhD
The developments of mRNA therapeutics may change the way we treat neurodegenerative diseases. Here to provide insight on the role of these therapeutics and share what’s on the horizon is Dr. Ahmed Obeidat, Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology at the Medical College of Wisconsin.
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Guest: Ahmed Zayed Obeidat, MD, PhD
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disabling disease that has challenged clinicians for decades. But developments in our understanding of the Epstein-Barr virus and emerging mRNA therapeutics may help us determine the root cause of MS—and develop a preventative treatment for it.
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Guest: John P. Cooke, MD, PhD
What do we need to know about the potential utility of mRNA therapeutics in regenerative medicine? Joining Dr. Charles Turck to discuss mRNA medicine’s potential impact on tissue engineering and targeted tissue restoration is Dr. John Cooke, Medical Director of the RNA Therapeutics Program in the Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart and Vascular Center.
Guest: Hyunjoon Kim, PhD
New mRNA therapeutics are on the horizon for patients with autoimmune diseases. What kind of impact might these therapeutics have? To answer this question, Dr. Hyunjoon Kim, Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of Kansas, joins us to explore these new therapeutics.
Guest: John P. Cooke, MD, PhD
What are some of the biggest challenges in regenerative medicine, and can mRNA therapeutics help us combat them? Dr. John Cooke from the Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart and Vascular Center explores these obstacles and shares how we can overcome them with potential mRNA therapeutics.
Guest: Jianxun Song, PhD
Several mRNA therapeutics are in development for cancer immunotherapy. What do we need to know about them? Dr. Jianxun (Jim) Song explores mRNA technology’s impact on antigen-specific T cells and immuno-oncology.
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Guest: Laila Woc-Colburn, MD, DTM&H, FACP, FIDSA
Guest: John P. Cooke, MD, PhD
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to patient disparities that have impacted the development and delivery of mRNA medicine. What do we need to know about these obstacles, and how can we overcome them? Dr. Charles Turck is joined by Drs. John P. Cooke and Laila Woc-Colburn to explore barriers to access.
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Guest: Ehab L. Atallah, MD
New longer-term outcome data for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) has recently emerged with some interesting results. To dive into the key findings of these trials and other current CLL treatments available, Dr. Charles Turck is joined by Dr. Ehan Atallah, Professor of Medicine and the Section Head of Hematological Malignancies at the Medical College of Wisconsin Division of Hematology and Oncology.
Guest: Neera Dahl, MD, PhD
Guest: Craig E. Gordon, MD
This Expert Exchange webcast is designed to help improve clinicians’ ability to apply pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic strategies in the management of patients with ADPKD.
Host: Mary Katherine Cheeley, PharmD, BCPS, CLS, FNLA
Guest: Charles P. Vega, MD
We now have evidence-based options to reduce atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) event burden beyond any previously available therapy. A pragmatic approach that addresses residual cardiovascular (CV) risk across a variety of risk factors and that goes beyond LDL-C lowering therapies is needed to optimally manage patients with or at high risk of ASCVD. Pharmacists treating these patients require review of recent data and guidelines so they can incorporate these findings into clinical practice. Join us to ensure you’re keeping up with the science and giving your patients the best care.
Host: Paul P. Doghramji, MD, FAAFP
Guest: Samantha Conroy, MD
Locum tenens can improve quality of care around the globe—especially in remote and underserved communities. To share how, Dr. Paul Doghramji joins Dr. Samantha Conroy, a family practice obstetrician to share her experiences working as a locum tenens obstetrician in underserved communities.
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Guest: Trevor Cabrera, MD
What’s it like becoming a locum tenens physician right out of residency? Dr. Charles Turck joins Dr. Trevor Cabrera, a Board-Certified pediatrician who trained in Houston, Texas, to share his firsthand experience and offer advice for residents.
Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO
Guest: Maurice G. Sholas, MD, PhD
After years of serving the New Orleans community, one physician decided to pursue locum tenens work. Dr. Jennifer Caudle joins Dr. Maurice Sholas, a pediatric physical rehabilitation physician, to share his experiences with locum tenens and in New Orleans.
Host: John J. Russell, MD
Guest: Joseph E. Bavaria, MD
Featuring a wide range of disciplines and a new approach to comprehensive care, what do we need to know about the Aorta Center at Penn Medicine? Dr. John Russell is joined by Dr. Joseph E. Bavaria to dive into this aortic program and discuss a new approach to comprehensive care.
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Guest: Maryam Lustberg, MD, MPH
Amid the evolving treatment landscape for HER2-low breast cancer, many therapeutic challenges and limitations remain, resulting in unmet needs for our patients. Fortunately, developments in the therapeutic landscape can help address those unmet needs, and joining Dr. Charles Turck to share what’s on the horizon is Dr. Maryam Lustberg.
Host: Javed Butler, MD, MBA, MPH
Guest: Shelley Zieroth, MD
Have you started using newly approved therapies when caring for your patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF)? Tune in to hear Drs. Javed Butler and Shelley Zieroth discuss strategies you can use to determine the best treatment approaches for your most challenging patients. A 3D mechanism of action animation is included to help you understand the workings of novel classes of agents in heart failure. Make sure you get with the guidelines, because guideline-directed medical therapy really does work.
Host: Jacob Sands, MD
Guest: Kathleen Fenn, MD
Guest: Oudai Hassan, MD
How do the 2018 ASCO/CAP guidelines redefine our approach to caring for patients with HER2-mutated breast cancer? Find out as Dr. Jacob Sands speaks with Dr. Kathleen Fenn and Dr. Oudai Hassan about HER2 scoring criteria and how the data drives collaborative care between the medical oncology and pathology teams.
Host: Mark Socinski, MD
Guest: Benjamin Levy, MD
With the availability of more immunotherapies for the management of first-line metastatic NSCLC, PD-L1 status takes on greater importance in determining which approach is best for each patient. Follow along as Dr. Mark Socinski and Dr. Benjamin Levy discuss the factors they use when considering either an immuno-monotherapy or immunotherapy plus chemotherapy approach, and how they monitor for and manage immunotherapy-related adverse events.
Host: Mark Socinski, MD
Guest: Sandip Patel, MD
Medical innovation in the treatment of lung cancer is at an all-time high. However, the gap between recent developments and their adoption into clinical practice continues to expand for community oncologists as the plethora of scientific and clinical data for the treatment of NSCLC rapidly emerges. Dr. Mark Socinski and Dr. Sandip Patel go through the selection and management of immune checkpoint inhibitors for patients with advanced NSCLC who do not have an actionable mutation.
Host: Mark Socinski, MD
Guest: Vivek Subbiah, MD
RET rearrangements occur in about 1 to 2% of non-small cell lung cancers. Comprehensive genomic testing is critical for identifying these patients and selecting the appropriate treatment option. Find out the exciting progress that has been made with precision oncology in RET+ NSCLC.
Host: Mark Socinski, MD
Guest: Edward B. Garon, MD, MS
The therapeutic landscape for the first-line treatment of non-driver metastatic NSCLC has become complex and, in some cases, controversial. Based on PD-L1 status, do you know which patients should receive immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) monotherapy and when ICI should be combined with chemotherapy? Join Drs. Mark Socinski and Edward Garon as they focus on the intricacies associated with making these therapeutic choices, while also looking at future immunotherapeutic opportunities in the neoadjuvant and adjuvant settings.
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Guest: Laila Woc-Colburn, MD, DTM&H, FACP, FIDSA
What are some ways we can better care for our patients prior to starting biologic therapy? Dr. Charles Turck joins Dr. Laila Woc-Colburn from the Emory University School of Medicine to discuss ways to improve safety for patients with tuberculosis.
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Guest: Sandy Marks
Guest: Kim Horvath, JD
Guest: Kyle Thomson, JD
With telehealth services expanding during the COVID-19 pandemic, has our access to them changed? To better understand this, Dr. Charles Turck meets with Sandy Marks, Kim Horvath, and Kyle Thomson from the AMA to explore what’s been done to provide Medicare coverage during a public health emergency and what’s on the horizon for telehealth access.
Host: Peter Libby, MD
Guest: Lawrence A. Leiter, MD
Guest: Prof. Kausik Ray, MBChB, MD, MPhil
This CME Roundtable highlights key takeaways and late-breaking data shared at a symposium held at the AHA annual meeting. Hear updated management strategies, new data, and guidelines to help you manage patients with established ASCVD who are at an increased risk of myocardial infarction, stroke, and death.
Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO
Guest: Sarah Ali, MD
From working in a big city to taking on an assignment in a small mountain village, Dr. Sarah Ali from the Ventura County Medical Center joins Dr. Jennifer Caudle to talk about her adventures abroad with locum tenens and share key lessons she learned along the way.
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Guest: Mark Blatter, MD
Despite their crucial role in preventing seasonal influenza, traditional influenza vaccines may not be providing as much protection as we thought, leading researchers to take a look at different methods of vaccine production, specifically cell-based flu vaccine production. Here with Dr. Charles Turck to discuss influenza prevention and the latest evidence supporting a cell-based vaccine option is Dr. Mark Blatter.
USA-QIVc-21-0146 November 2021
Host: Andrea Singer, MD, FACP, CCD
Guest: Paul A. Anderson, MD
Guest: Susan V. Bukata, MD, FAOA, FAAOS
While there’s growing awareness among orthopedic surgeons that osteoporosis is the underlying cause of fractures, there is often a disconnect between this recognition and action in the form of treatment to prevent subsequent fractures. In this discussion, Drs. Andrea Singer, Paul Anderson, and Susan Bukata address the pathophysiology of osteoporosis and the need to identify patients at risk for additional fractures. Osteoporosis treatment (including pharmacotherapy) can play a critical role in preventing future fractures, but physicians must first recognize that fracture is a sentinel event and treat it as a call to action.
Host: Paul P. Doghramji, MD, FAAFP
Guest: Mojgan Saber, MD
Can Locum Tenens be an option for healthcare professionals just completing their residency? Dr. Paul Doghramji is joined by Dr. Mojgan Saber to share her own experience as well as tips and tricks for residents looking at Locum Tenens right after residency.
Guest: Madhukar H. Trivedi, MD
Guest: Steven Shoptaw, PhD
Join Drs. Madhukar Trivedi and Steven Shoptaw as they discuss the evolving landscape of pharmacologic intervention for methamphetamine use disorder. Their focus will be on evidence from the ADAPT-2 clinical trial supporting the combination of extended release naltrexone and high dose bupropion to reduce methamphetamine use for patients with moderate to severe methamphetamine addiction. These important data from ADAPT-2 offer a significant therapeutic advance for methamphetamine use disorder that can be taken into the clinic.
Host: Jacob Sands, MD
Guest: Elizabeth A. Brem, MD
Dr. Jacob Sands is joined by Dr. Elizabeth Brém, an Assistant Professor in the Division of Hematology/Oncology at the University of California Irvine School of Medicine to explore opportunities and challenges with fixed duration therapy for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
Host: Joseph Saseen, PharmD, BCPS, BCACP, CLS
Guest: Mary Katherine Cheeley, PharmD, BCPS, CLS, FNLA
Drs. Cheeley and Saseen will discuss the biological effects of OM-3s and their mechanisms of action and review all recent major clinical trials. Faculty will share practical information for pharmacists on the use of icosapent ethyl vs. generic OM-3s and dietary supplements for ASCVD management.
Upon completion of this activity you will be directed to the activity’s sponsor, Postgraduate Healthcare Education, LLC (PHE) to claim your ACPE credits. Once there you will click, ‘Take Exam’ to claim your credits.
Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO
Guest: Lauren Angelo, PharmD, MBA
Egg-based manufacturing methods for influenza vaccines have been a mainstay of production. But the recent emergence of a cell based manufacturing method changes our approach entirely. What will this paradigm shift look like? Are there new opportunities and challenges to address along the way? Here to answer that and other practical questions is Dr. Lauren Angelo, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and an Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science College of Pharmacy.
USA-CRP-21-0030 May 2021
Host: Jennifer Caudle, DO
Guest: Aryeh Shander, MD, FCCM, FCCP
Bleeding is the most common complication of anticoagulant use. And to better care for patients either experiencing acute bleeding or urgently needing surgery, it's critical that clinicians thoroughly understand how to assess, treat, and reverse anticoagulation. Dr. Jennifer Caudle sits down with Dr. Aryeh Shander to discuss some of the different considerations we should take into account when selecting a warfarin reversal option.
Please read full Prescribing Information for Kcentra®.
KCT-0033-APR21
Guest: Robert Gottlieb, MD, PhD, FACC
Guest: Marilyn Bulloch, PharmD, BCPS, FCCM
Guest: Tesha Seabra, MSN, RN
Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP
As of February 2022, information originally presented in the original broadcast has been updated. Due to the rise of the omicron variant, two combination therapies no longer carry EUA: bamlanivimab+eteseviman and casirivimab+imdevimab.
Neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) first received emergency use authorization (EUA) in November 2020 for treating at-risk patients with COVID-19, and the field has continued to evolve since that time. This presentation provides an update in the latest evidence showing reduced severe illness and hospitalization in patients treated with neutralizing mAbs. This presentation will also answer your questions from multidisciplinary expert perspectives in identifying EUA-appropriate patients and administering outpatient infusion therapies: Robert Gottlieb, MD, PhD; Marilyn Bulloch, PharmD, BCPS, FCCM; and Tesha Seabra, MSN, RN.
Guest: Monica L. Baskin, PhD
Guest: Josep M. Llovet, MD, PhD
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common form of liver cancer. Patients with advanced disease at diagnosis typically are not candidates for potentially curative treatment options, such as resection, liver transplantation, or ablation. Additionally, liver cirrhosis and hepatic dysfunction often complicate treatment. Advances in the understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of HCC have broadened the potential for effective molecular targeted therapies, and advances in immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy are now transforming the way clinicians treat HCC.
Of particular concern, HCC incidence and mortality rates have risen among American Indian/Alaska Native, Hispanic, and black populations in the United States in recent years. Incidence of HCC is also expected to increase in older populations due to hepatitis C, a risk factor for development of HCC, among other comorbid conditions such as cirrhosis, obesity, diabetes, and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, which are also on the rise. Screening and surveillance of these conditions that contribute to the development of HCC occur less often in many Hispanic and black populations, which can delay diagnosis and leave them ineligible for curative resection or transplantation due to advanced disease, leading to worse prognosis.
In this activity, the expert faculty will review health disparities, inequities, and …
Host: Peter Buch, MD, FACG, AGAF, FACP
Guest: Philip Ginsburg, MD
Tofacitinib is a common treatment option for patients with ulcerative colitis. But it’s not without its risks. Here to share what we need to consider before we start our patients on tofacitinib is Dr. Philip Ginsburg, Medical Director of Research and the Director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center of Connecticut.
Host: Neilanjan Nandi, MD
Guest: Brian E. Lacy, MD, PhD
What do we need to know about choosing the right medication for our patients with IBS? Stay tuned as Dr. Neil Nandi talks with Dr. Brain Lacy, a gastroenterologist at the Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, and the co-editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Gastroenterology, on these pharmacologic therapies.
Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP
Guest: Karen Bloch, MD, MPH, FIDSA, FACP
Guest: Jarrod W. Kile, RPh, BCPS
Hear from a multidisciplinary, interprofessional panel of experts on COVID-19 infusion therapies with virus-neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). This activity features a clinical discussion of the Emergency Use Authorization criteria and data from real-world use of mAbs in ambulatory patients. Learn how this treatment reduces the chance of patients with COVID-19 developing severe illness and what could be done to effectively implement the outpatient delivery of mAbs to patients with COVID-19 in your practice.
Host: Linda Bernstein, Pharm.D.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced its approval of Ebanga (Ansuvimab-zykl) for the treatment of the ebola virus infection in adults and children. To learn more about the second ebolavirus treatment to receive approval, Dr. Linda Bernstein walks us through this new drug.
Published December 29, 2020
Host: Linda Bernstein, Pharm.D.
As a growing number of pharmaceutical companies refuse to provide discounts to 340B hospitals for drugs dispensed at community-based pharmacies, a federal lawsuit is challenging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in order to fight for patient communities harmed by this refusal. On this episode of The Drug Report, Dr. Linda Bernstein dives into this lawsuit.
Host: Linda Bernstein, Pharm.D.
The first vaccine to receive Emergency Use Authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration, this authorization allows the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to be distributed throughout the US. But what do we know about this vaccine? In this episode of The Drug Report, Dr. Linda Bernstein discusses the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
Published December 18, 2020
Host: Linda Bernstein, Pharm.D.
This episode of The Drug Report takes a look at a COVID-19 cocktail comprised of the coadministration of casirivimab and imdevimab, which has proven to decrease hospitalization and emergency room visits.
Published November 30, 2020
Host: Peter Buch, MD, FACG, AGAF, FACP
Guest: Douglas Drossman, MD
Developed to treat psychiatric disorders, emerging evidence suggests that neuromodulators play a vital role in treating functional GI disorders. Here today is Dr. Peter Buch who will be discussing the role of neuromodulators in functional GI disorders with Dr. Douglas Drossman.
Host: Abdullah Abdussalam, MD
Proactive Vs Reactive Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of Infliximab in Crohn’s
Diana M Negoescu, Eva A Enns, PhD, Brooke Swanhorst, Bonnie Baumgartner, James P Campbell, Mark T Osterman, MD, Konstantinos Papamichael, PhD, Adam S Cheifetz, MD, Byron P Vaughn, MD
Background: Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is increasingly performed for Infliximab (IFX) in patients with Crohn's disease (CD). Reactive TDM is a cost-effective strategy to empiric IFX dose escalation. The cost-effectiveness of proactive TDM is unknown. The aim of this study is to assess the cost-effectiveness of proactive vs reactive TDM in a simulated population of CD patients on IFX.
Methods: We developed a stochastic simulation model of CD patients on IFX and evaluated the expected health costs and outcomes of a proactive TDM strategy compared with a reactive strategy. The proactive strategy measured IFX concentration and antibody status every 6 months, or at the time of a flare, and dosed IFX to a therapeutic window. The reactive strategy only did so at the time of a flare.
Host: Mario R. Nacinovich, Jr., MSc
Guest: David Fajgenbaum, MD
Since its founding, the Castleman Disease Collaborative Network (CDCN) has worked to identify an effective treatment for Castleman disease, a rare immune system disorder that leads to a cytokine storm and multi-organ failure—much like what’s being seen in COVID-19 patients. Here to review how the CDCN’s innovations are now being leveraged toward the fight against COVID-19 is the CDCN’s Co-Founder and Executive Director Dr. David Fajgenbaum.
Guest: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
With the growing amount of illicit pharmaceutical drugs and medical supplies filling the global market amid the COVID-19 pandemic, are we at risk of facing another public health crisis? Listen in as Dr. Charles Turck brings this troubling trend to light.
Published June 3, 2020
Host: Matt Birnholz, MD
Guest: Frank Scott, MD
Disease and drug monitoring can help us improve our approach to managing our patients’ IBD, but when’s the right time to perform that practice and how do we go about it? Joining Dr. Matt Birnholz at the third annual Crohn’s & Colitis Congress in Austin, Texas to answer those questions and more was Dr. Frank Scott, Assistant Professor of Medicine from the Crohn’s & Colitis Center at the University of Colorado.
Host: Linda Bernstein, Pharm.D.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued a new guidance for the issuance of oral Schedule II prescriptions in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and nationwide public health emergency. Pharmacist Dr. Linda Bernstein details the DEA’s temporary exceptions to the regulations to ease prescribing and dispensing of these controlled substances during this challenging time.
Published April 24, 2020
Host: John J. Russell, MD
In the absence of FDA-approved therapies and vaccines to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare professionals on the frontlines are turning to malarial medicines like chloroquine and hydroquinone to treat their patients—despite the fact that there’s no evidence to support their use. But this isn’t the first time that medicines have been used for a different purpose than what they were intended for, as Dr. John Russell explains.
Published April 21, 2020
Host: Linda Bernstein, Pharm.D.
The Centers for Disease Control provided a guidance for pharmacy staff to minimize their risk of exposure to the COVID-19 virus and reduce customer risk during the pandemic. Pharmacist Dr. Linda Bernstein presents highlights of the guidance that offers recommendations on ways to minimize viral exposure when medication dispensing along with methods to minimize patient-to-patient contact.
Published on April 17, 2020
Host: Linda Bernstein, Pharm.D.
This special episode of The Drug Report provides an update regarding the antiviral Remdesivir, which is the first investigational therapeutic to be studied under an FDA-approved NIH adaptive randomized controlled clinical trial for hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Currently, there are three options through clinical trials for obtaining remdesivir for the treatment of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 and pneumonia in the United States, as pharmacist Dr. Linda Bernstein explains.
Published April 10, 2020
Host: Matt Birnholz, MD
Among the most touted candidates in the hunt for effective coronavirus treatments are the antimalarial drugs chloroquine and its derivative, hydroxychloroquine. Will these drugs become effective treatment and post-exposure prophylaxis agents?
Published March 23, 2020
Guest: Anish Patel, DO, FACG
Real-world Pattern of Biologic Use in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Treatment Persistence, Switching, and Importance of Concurrent Immunosuppressive Therapy
Chao Chen, PhD, Abraham G Hartzema, PhD, Hong Xiao, PhD, Yu-Jung Wei, PhD, Naueen Chaudhry, MD, Ofor Ewelukwa, MD, Sarah C Glover, DO, Ellen M Zimmermann, MD
BACKGROUND AND AIMS:
Medication persistence, defined as the time from drug initiation to discontinuation of therapy, has been suggested as a proxy for real-world therapeutic benefit and safety. This study seeks to compare the persistence of biologic drugs among patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
METHODS:
Patients with newly diagnosed IBD were included in a retrospective study using Truven MarketScan database. Treatment persistence and switching was compared among biologic medications including infliximab, adalimumab, certolizumab, golimumab, and vedolizumab. Predictors for discontinuation and switching were evaluated using time-dependent proportional hazard regression.
RESULTS:
In total, 5612 patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and 3533 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) were included in this analysis. Less than half of the patients continued using their initial biologic treatment after 1 year (48.48% in CD cohort; 44.78% …
Host: Maurice Pickard, MD
Guest: Katherine Eban
Joining Dr. Maurice Pickard is award-winning journalist and author of Bottles of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom Katherine Eban, who investigates the health concerns that are beginning to surface on a global scale due to the rise in generic drug use.
Host: Matt Birnholz, MD
Guest: Wes Ely, MD, MPH
After surviving a critical illness, many patients look forward to their lives returning to normal, but unfortunately, that’s not always possible.
To uncover the far-reaching impacts of delirium, Dr. Matt Birnholz is joined by Dr. Wes Ely, Professor of Medicine and Co-Director of the Center for Critical Illness, Brain Dysfunction and Survivorship Center at Vanderbilt University’s School of Medicine which focuses on improving the lives and care of patients in the intensive care unit to ensure both physical and cognitive rehabilitation.
Host: Mario R. Nacinovich, Jr., MSc
Guest: Zachary Palace, MD, CMD, FACP
Guest: Robert Accetta
At the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists Annual Meeting, Mario Nacinovich caught up with Dr. Zachary Palace and Robert Accetta. As they dispel current misconceptions, Dr. Palace and Mr. Accetta shed light on medical cannabis and the impact they’ve seen it have in practice.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning that the medicine lamotrigine (Lamictal) for seizures and bipolar disorder can cause a rare but very serious reaction that excessively activates the body’s infection-fighting immune system. This can cause severe inflammation throughout the body and lead to hospitalization and death, especially if the reaction is not diagnosed and treated quickly.
A link to the full communication detailing specific information for health care professionals and a list of FDA-approved GBCAs can be found at www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety
Released 4/25/2018
Host: John J. Russell, MD
Guest: Meredith Wadman, BM, BCh, M.S.
Until the late 1960s, tens of thousands of American children suffered crippling birth defects if their mothers had been exposed to rubella, popularly known as German measles, while pregnant; there was no vaccine and little understanding of how the disease devastated fetuses.
In June 1962, a young biologist in Philadelphia, using human tissue samples sent from Sweden, produced a line of cells that allowed the creation of vaccines against rubella and other common childhood diseases. Two years later, in the midst of a massive German measles epidemic, the vaccine that would one day wipe out homegrown rubella was introduced. This vaccine has since protected more than 150 million people in the United States, and its development method has also led to other vaccines that have protected billions of people around the world from polio, rabies, chicken pox, measles, hepatitis A, shingles, and adenovirus.
Host Dr. John Russell chats with Meredith Wadman, author of The Vaccine Race: Science, Politics, and the Human Costs of Defeating Disease, about the story of both the science of this urgent race and the political and ethical controversies that nearly ended it prematurely.
Oncologists Dr. Sanjeeve Bala and Dr. Abhilasha Nair from FDA’s Oncology Center of Excellence discuss the recent approval of bevacizumab-awwb, a biosimilar to US-licensed Avastin, marketed as MVASI. MVASI is the first biosimilar approved in the US for the treatment of cancer.
Released on December 21, 2017
FDA medical oncologists discuss the July 7, 2017, approval of l-glutamine to reduce the acute complications of sickle cell disease.
Released August 17, 2017
FDA medical oncologists discuss the approval of osimertinib for EGFR mutation-positive non-small cell lung cancer.
Released July 28, 2017
FDA medical oncologists discuss the FDA approvals of brigatinib and ceritinib for ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer.
Released July 25, 2017
The D.I.S.C.O. hosts discuss the agency’s first approval of pembrolizumab, a cancer treatment based on a common biomarker rather than the location in the body where the tumor originated.
Released May 30, 2017.
FDA medical oncologists discuss the agency’s March 23, 2017 approval of avelumab for the treatment of patients 12 years and older with metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma.
Released May 22, 2017
FDA medical oncologists discuss the agency’s March 2017 approval of niraparib for the maintenance treatment of patients with recurrent epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer who are in complete or partial response to platinum-based chemotherapy.
Released May 18, 2017
FDA medical oncologists discuss the agency’s accelerated approval of rucaparib for treatment of patients with deleterious BRCA mutation-associated advanced ovarian cancer who have been treated with two or more chemotherapies.
Released May 17, 2017
In the FDA's inaugural Drug Information Soundcast in Clinical Oncology (D.I.S.C.O.) episode, Dr. Richard Pazdur, director of the FDA Oncology Center of Excellence, talks with hosts Dr. Sanjeeve Bala and Dr. Abhilasha Nair about this new podcast series.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is restricting the use of codeine and tramadol medicines in children. Codeine is approved to treat pain and cough, and tramadol is approved to treat pain. These medicines carry serious risks, including slowed or difficult breathing and death, which appear to be a greater risk in children younger than 12 years, and should not be used in these children. These medicines should also be limited in some older children. Single-ingredient codeine and all tramadol-containing products are FDA-approved only for use in adults. The FDA is also recommending against the use of codeine and tramadol medicines in breastfeeding mothers due to possible harm to their infants.
As a result, the FDA is requiring several changes to the labels of all prescription medicines containing these drugs. These new actions further limit the use of these medicines beyond the 2013 restriction of codeine use in children younger than 18 years to treat pain after surgery to remove the tonsils and/or adenoids. The FDA is now adding:
- FDA’s strongest warning, called a Contraindication, to the drug labels of codeine and tramadol alerting that codeine should not be used to treat pain or cough and tramadol …
Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP
Dr. Brian McDonough chats with Deadly Prescription author Dr. Robert Marx, Professor of Surgery and Chief of the Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the University of Miami School of Medicine. The two discuss powerful impacts that corporate conflicts of interest from pharmaceutical companies can have on patient health.
Host: Lea Ann Chen, MD
Guest: Gary Lichtenstein, MD
Recorded on location at the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s Annual Meeting in Orlando, host Dr. Lea Ann Chen, Assistant Professor of Medicine at New York University, discusses potential complications of biologics with Dr. Gary Lichtenstein, Professor of Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
Host: Alan S. Brown, MD, FACC, FAHA, FNLA
Live from the Clinical Lipid Update of the National Lipid Association in Amelia Island, FL, host Dr. Alan Brown welcomes Dr. Rhoda Cooper-DeHoff. Dr. Cooper-DeHoff is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacotherapy and Translational Research and Division of Cardiovascular Medicine of the Colleges of Pharmacy and Medicine at the University of Florida. She is also Associate Director of the Center for Pharmacogenomics at this institution.
Dr. Cooper-DeHoff discusses the rise of pharmacometabolomics, genomic testing, and pharmacogenetic testing in lipidology, with particular emphasis on predictive mapping for statin responses.
Host: Alan S. Brown, MD, FACC, FAHA, FNLA
Live from the Clinical Lipid Update of the National Lipid Association in Amelia Island, FL, host Dr. Alan Brown welcomes Dave Dixon, PharmD, Clinical Pharmacist and Associate Professor of Pharmacology at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy. Dr. Dixon is also a Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist, Clinical Lipid Specialist, and Fellow of the National Lipid Association. He serves as a Regional Representative for the Southeast Chapter of NLA and on the Journal of Clinical Lipidology Editorial Board.
Dr. Dixon discusses guidelines for treating hypertriglyceridemia, effective therapies for reducing triglyceride levels, and emerging lipid-lowering therapies in development.
Host: Alan S. Brown, MD, FACC, FAHA, FNLA
Live from the Clinical Lipid Update of the National Lipid Association in Amelia Island, FL, host Dr. Alan Brown welcomes Dr. Eugenia Gianos. Dr. Gianos is an assistant professor in the Department of Medicine and co-clinical director of the Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease at the NYU School of Medicine.
Dr. Gianos discusses the effectiveness, potential side effects, and patient outcomes with PCSK9 antibodies for management of dyslipidemia.
[Read the Article]
The increasing cost of prescription drugs in the United States has become a source of growing concern for patients, prescribers, payers, and policy makers. A new study examined the reasons for these high prices and also suggests policy changes that could help contain costs.
Researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital reviewed the medical and health policy literature on prescription drug prices in the U.S. and found high drug costs stem from various factors such as market exclusivity, limitations on payers and their ability to negotiate prices, and limitations on competition.
The researchers state that the most realistic short-term strategies include enforcing stricter requirements for exclusivity rights, ensuring timely generic drug availability, providing greater opportunities for price negotiation by patients, and effectively educating patients, prescribers, payers, and policy makers about these choices.
[Watch more videos of The JAMA Report]
Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP
An old adage states "There's many a slip between the cup and the lip." Applied to drug delivery, dosing, and compliance by patients, this phrase couldn't be more accurate. Drug information and clinical decision support systems are evolving to address problems in getting the right medications to the right patients, but more work needs to be done.
Joining Dr. Brian McDonough to discuss barriers and solutions to medication-related decision support is Dr. Shobha Phansalkar, Director of Informatics and Clinical Quality Control at the Clinical Drug Information Division of Wolters Kluwer. Additionally, she is an Assistant Professor in Medicine at the Division of General Medicine and Primary Care, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
A novel treatment of cystic fibrosis acting on-target: cysteamine plus epigallocatechin gallate for the autophagy-dependent rescue of class II-mutated CFTR.
Tosco A, De Gregorio F, Esposito S, De Stefano D, Sana I, Ferrari E, Sepe A, Salvadori L, Buonpensiero P, Di Pasqua A, Grassia R, Leone CA,Guido S, De Rosa G, Lusa S, Bona G, Stoll G, Maiuri MC, Mehta A, Kroemer G, Maiuri L, Raia V.
Cell Death Differ. 2016 Aug;23(8):1380-93. doi: 10.1038/cdd.2016.22. Epub 2016 Apr 1.
Abstract
We previously reported that the combination of two safe proteostasis regulators, cysteamine andepigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), can be used to improve deficient expression of the cystic fibrosistransmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) in patients homozygous for the CFTR Phe508del mutation. Here we provide the proof-of-concept that this combination treatment restored CFTR function and reduced lung inflammation (P<0.001) in Phe508del/Phe508del or Phe508del/null-Cftr (but not in Cftr-null mice), provided that such mice were autophagy-competent. Primary nasal cells from patients bearing different class II CFTR mutations, either in homozygous or compound heterozygous form, responded to the treatment in vitro. We assessed individual responses to cysteamine plus EGCG in a single-centre, open-label phase-2 trial. The combination treatment decreased sweat chloride from baseline, increased both …
Host: Alan S. Brown, MD, FACC, FAHA, FNLA
Joining Dr. Alan Brown to discuss the pharmacokinetic data behind drug interactions between treatments for complex lipid abnormalities is Dr. Barbara Wiggins, Pharm.D, clinical pharmacy specialist in cardiology at the Medical University of South Carolina and adjunct professor at the South Carolina School of Pharmacy. Dr. Wiggens has served as a member of the cardiovascular expert panel for the United States Pharmacopoeia.
[Read the Article]
Therapeutic substitution is a practice that replaces chemically different compounds within the same class of medications for one another. A new study examined how using this practice could save money on prescription drug costs.
Researchers from the Ohio State University reviewed records of more than 107,000 patients between 2010 and 2012 and looked at their prescription drug use and estimated how much money could be saved using therapeutic substitution.
The authors report that an extra $73 billion was spent between 2010 and 2012 on brand name medications. Therapeutic substitution could help lower those costs. Although therapeutic substitution is somewhat controversial, the authors conclude that if implemented in a way that does not negatively affect quality of care, this is a useful approach to decreasing healthcare costs.
[Watch more videos of The JAMA Report]
Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP
Dr. Brian McDonough speaks with Dr. Philip E. Empey, PharmD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pharmacy and Therapeutics at the University of Pittsburg School of Pharmacy. Their discussion centers on advancements in genetic testing to detect variances in response to anticoagulation therapies for patients undergoing vascular procedures such as stent placements.
[Read the Article]
According to a new study, low dose aspirin taken regularly was associated with a reduced risk for cancer.
Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital examined data from two large national studies that include about 136,000 men and women who have been providing detailed information about their overall health for decades.
Researchers identified 20,414 cancers among 88,084 women and 7,571 cancers among 47,881 men during a 32-year follow-up. Regular use of aspirin, two times or more per week, was associated with a 3 percent lower overall risk for cancer. This was mostly due to a 15 percent lower risk for gastrointestinal tract cancers and a 19 percent lower risk for cancers of the colon and rectum.
[Watch more videos of The JAMA Report]
Drug diversion is the illegal distribution or abuse of prescription drugs or their use for unintended purposes. The diversion of prescription drugs may occur at any point as prescription drugs are distributed from the manufacturer to wholesale distributors, to pharmacies, and ultimately to the patient. Though this problem is nearly universal among healthcare instititions, many don't have adequate processes in place to detect it. Moreover, concerns about civil and regulatory liability, as well as negative publicity, often impede healthcare organizations from reporting instances of drug diversion.
Dr. Howard Zucker, New York State Department of Health Commissioner, speaks with noted provider drug diversion expert Kimberly New, JD, BSN, RN about how prevalent the problem of drug diversion is, the signs of potential drug diversion activity, and how to set up a robust facility program to avert potential diversion events.
This program is provided on behalf of the New York One and Only Campaign, a public health effort led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Safe Injection Practices Coalition (SIPC) to raise awareness among patients and healthcare providers about safe injection practices.
Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP
Guest: Tina Kaur Thethi, MD, MPH, FACE
Dr. Brian McDonough welcomes Dr. Tina Thethi, Assistant Professor of Medicine in the section of Endocrinology and Metabolism at Tulane University Health Sciences Center. The two discuss pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatment options for obesity, with an eye on longer term management strategies to curtail the development of diabetes after lifestyle modifications fall short of target goals.
[Read the Article]
Agitation is common in patients with dementia and can contribute to distress for patients and caregivers and an increased risk of institutionalization. Nonpharmacological interventions are recommended as first-line therapy, but many patients fail to respond, and medications are often needed. Currently available medications don't work very well and can have serious side effects. A new study tested a combination of two existing medications, dextromethorphan hydrobromide and quinidine sulfate, to see if this would help control agitation in patients with Alzheimer's dementia.
Researchers from the Cleveland Clinic recruited 220 patients with Alzheimer's dementia and agitation. During a preliminary 10 week trial, participants were randomly assigned to receive either the dextromethorphan- quinidine combination or a placebo.
Results showed that patients receiving the combination medication demonstrated fewer episodes of agitation compared to patients who received the placebo. When agitation did occur, it tended to be less severe. Researchers also found that not only is the combined drug effective, but safe.
[Watch more videos of The JAMA Report]
JAMA Report videos provided pursuant to license. ©2015 American Medical Association, publisher of JAMA® and The JAMA Network® journals.
Host: Matt Birnholz, MD
Dr. Matt Birnholz welcomes Patrick Higgins, President and Chief Operating Officer of Tekmira Pharmaceuticals, to discuss his research team's inspiring journey toward developing a cure for Hepatitis C. Following this success, Tekmira aims to accelerate the pace of research and development for a novel Hepatitis B drug.
The Gender, Sexuality and HIV Prevention Center at Ann & Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago is the first of its kind facilty for adolescent patients. Host Dr. Jennifer Caudle welcoms the center's director, Dr. Robert Garofalo. Dr. Garofalo will share the center's mission of supporting multidisciplinary academic subjects including sexual health, gender, sexuality, HIV prevention and health disparities which affect adolescent and young adult populations at risk of acquiring HIV. The Center partners with similar organizations throughout the country in creating an environment where clinicians, academics and scientists can collaborate to design projects with public health significance.
Robert Garofalo, MD, MPH, is Professor of Pediatrics and Preventive Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. He is also an Attending Physician at Lurie Children's, where he directs the Adolescent/Young Adult HIV Program. Dr. Garofalo is a national authority on LGBT health issues, adolescent sexuality, and HIV clinical care and prevention.
Host: Frank Russomano
What are the continuing rehabilitation efforts in Haiti? And, how can you assist in the continual medical needs of this country? Host Frank Russomano welcomes pharmacist Ro Brual to discuss his special volunteer work in Haiti before, during and after the Haiti earthquake of 2010. Mr. Brual is a pharmacist and Associate Consultant of Medical Education at Eli Lilly & Company.
Host: Alan S. Brown, MD, FACC, FAHA, FNLA
Joining host Dr. Alan Brown is Michael B. Bottorff, Pharm.D., Professor and Chair in the Department of Pharmacy Practice at South College School of Pharmacy in Knoxville, Tennessee. Dr. Bottorff will be reviewing generic medications, from manufacturing processes to approval measures.
Guest: Neil Stone, MD
Host: Alan S. Brown, MD, FACC, FAHA, FNLA
Why is metabolic syndrome so important if it's not a disease? What have we learned from clinical trials about treating metabolic syndrome with lifestyle and/or drugs? And, what hurdles does the clinician face in trying to improve metabolic syndrome variables in the individual patient? Join Host Dr. Alan Brown as he welcomes Dr. Neil J Stone who will answer these questions and more. Dr. Stone is the Bonow Professor of Medicine at The Feinberg School of Medicine of Northwestern University and Distinguished Physician and Medical Director of the Vascular Center of the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute of Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Illinois.
Guest: Sean Yanchunas, Pharm.D, MBA
Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP
Dr. Brian McDonough is joined by guest Sean Yanchunas, Clinical Content Manager and Workflow Subject Matter Expert at Catholic Health East Hospital Systems, to talk about the links between pharmacy and medical informatics.
Host: Matt Birnholz, MD
Presenting this session of Grand Rounds is Dr. Leslie Boyer, founding director of the VIPER Institute in the College of Medicine at the University of Arizona.
This is Part 1 of a lecture in three parts.
Part 2 >>
Part 3 >>
To view the complete video recording of this and other Grand Rounds sessions from the University of Arizona College of Medicine, visit their website.
Host: Matt Birnholz, MD
Presenting this session of Grand Rounds is Dr. Mark J. Friedman, clinical professor of medicine and director of the Heart Failure Program at the University of Arizona.
This is Part 1 of a lecture in three parts.
Part 2 >>
Part 3 >>
To view the complete video recording of this and other Grand Rounds sessions from the University of Arizona College of Medicine, visit their website.
Host: Janet Wright, MD
Guest: Jeffrey Anderson, MD
Vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency are common because of a number of factors, not the least of which is a lack of exposure to sunlight. What role does vitamin D play in ensuring cardiovascular health, and should clinicians routinely test patients for such deficiency? Dr. Jeffrey Anderson, vice-chair of research in the department of medicine and associate chief of cardiology and director of cardiovascular research at Intermountain Medical Center, discusses current evidence about vitamin D and the heart, but says more prospective studies are needed to determine whether vitamin D plays an associated or causal role related to cardiovascular health. Is routine vitamin D supplementation useful for protecting cardiovascular health, or should clinicians wait for more evidence? Dr. Janet Wright hosts.
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Guest: Thiruvinva Dharmarajan, MD FACP AGSF
Host: Eric Tangalos, MD
Patients in hospital settings are often screened and promptly treated for venous thromboembolism, or VTE, but perhaps less commonly in long-term care, even though these patients may be at risk. Dr. T.S. Dharmarajan, clinical director of the division of geriatrics at Montefiore Medical Center (North Division) in the Bronx, New York, discusses the medical conditions in long-term care that put patients at risk for VTE, and ways to assess patients for the condition. What anticoagulation medications and treatments may be used for treating VTE in long-term care? Should long-term care clinicians treat VTE as aggressively as hospitals often do, or are there other unique considerations clinicians should keep in mind for managing patients at risk for VTE in long-term care? Dr. Eric Tangalos hosts.
Guest: Juan Pablo Frías, MD
Host: Steven Edelman, MD
Patients living with type 1 diabetes who are involved in athletics present particular challenges to approaching to their management, medication regimen and nutrition. How can healthcare professionals help their type 1 athletes optimize their performance and manage their diabetes? Join host Dr. Steven Edelman and his guest, director of research at TeamType1, Dr. Juan Frias, as they discuss restrictions, research, monitoring and adjusting insulin therapy for endurance type 1 athletes.
Guest: William Polonsky, PhD, CDE
Host: Timothy Bailey, MD
A majority of type 2 patients do not understand the benefits of structured self-monitoring of blood glucose and healthcare professionals lack the time to explain the values and the time to review the values themselves. What is the benefit of structured self-monitoring of blood glucose in patients with type 2 diabetes? Join guest host Dr. Timothy Bailey and his guest, founder of the Behavioral Diabetes Institute, Dr. William Polonsky, as they discuss the challenges and barriers for both healthcare professionals and patients with structured self-monitoring of blood glucose.
Guest: Candis Morello, PharmD, CDE
Host: Steven Edelman, MD
Medication adherence is one of the most challenging aspects of managing patients with diabetes. The majority of diabetes patients taking more than one oral agent do not adhere to their prescribed regimens. What is the key to successful adherence to drug regimens in patients living with diabetes? Join host Dr. Steven Edelman and his guest, associate professor of clinical pharmacy at UCSD Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Dr. Candis Morello, as they discuss results from a recent study on medication adherence for patients living with diabetes.
Host: Janet Wright, MD
Guest: Caldwell Esselstyn, Jr., MD
Some evidence suggests it is possible to prevent and reverse heart disease by adhering to a plant-based diet, but lifestyle changes are often the most challenging for physicians to prescribe and for patients to adopt. What strategies can physicians use to encourage a plant-based diet for patients who have or are at risk for having heart disease? Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, director of the cardiovascular prevention and reversal program at the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute in Lyndhurst, Ohio and author of the book, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, surveys the worst culprits of the Western diet responsible for causing heart disease, and describes the crucial role that nitric oxide released from the endothelium plays in protecting blood vessels. Dr. Esselstyn shares his tips and strategies for promoting and, most importantly, following a plant-based diet, in the midst of a culture riddled with nutritionally-questionable foods. Join us for part 2 of our two-part interview with Dr. Esselstyn. Dr. Janet Wright hosts.
If you missed Part 1, listen now >>
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Host: Matt Birnholz, MD
The United States is in the grip of an epidemic of prescription drug overdoses. Over 27,000 people died from overdoses in 2007, a number that has risen five-fold since 1990 and has never been higher. Prescription drugs are now involved in more overdose deaths than heroin and cocaine combined.
For health professionals, policymakers and legislators, addressing this problem is complicated. While they push for education, prevention, and enforcement to reverse this epidemic, they must also ensure that patients with a legitimate need for these medications still have access to them. This important session of the CDC's Public Health Grand Rounds addressed these challenges and explored the innovative state and federal policies and interventions that are showing promise in reducing injury and death from this epidemic.
This is Part 1 of a lecture in three parts.
Part 2 >>
Part 3 >>
To view the complete video recording of this and other CDC Public Health Grand Rounds sessions, visit http://www.cdc.gov/about/grand-rounds/
And for those interested in receiving continuing education credits for the live broadcasts of Public Health Grand Rounds, register at http://www2a.cdc.gov/TCEOnline.
CDC's participation in the activity is not meant to serve as an …
Guest: Jaime Davidson, MD
Host: Steven Edelman, MD
The relationship of insulin regimens to race and ethnicity is a new and growing area of research to better understand and provide clinical care at a personalized level. What are significant differences and approaches to these patients' diabetes management? Join host Dr. Steven Edelman and his guest, professor of internal medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dr. Jaime Davidson, as they discuss the need for more clinical trials to better understand the differences of race and ethnicity on the efficacy and safety of commonly-used insulin regimens.
Guest: Matthew Wayne, MD, CMD
Host: Eric Tangalos, MD
Regulations regarding nurses as prescribing agents of physicians in long-term care facilities are more restrictive than in the hospital setting, because controlled substance licenses are not currently approved for nursing homes in most states. These restrictions can make it challenging for long-term care patients to receive timely access to narcotics. Dr. Matthew Wayne, medical director, geriatric medicine, University Hospital Richmond Medical Center in Richmond Heights, Ohio, and assistant professor of medicine at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, suggests revisions to some provisions of the Controlled Substances Act in order to ensure long-term care patients have access to pain medications when they need them the most. What hurdles are the most significant impediments to improving patient care with appropriate access to narcotics, and how can medical professionals best navigate the waters until revisions are made to the current law? Dr. Eric Tangalos hosts.
Guest: R. Keith Campbell, BPharm, MBA
Host: Steven Edelman, MD
Changes in both care and treatment of diabetes reflect trends in healthcare that may need revision. How can healthcare professionals benefit from new pharmacotherapies for their patients living with diabetes? Join host Dr. Steven Edelman and his guest, professor of pharmacy, Keith Campbell, as they discuss trends in healthcare that may require revisions for the care of people living with diabetes.
Guest: Michael Steinman, MD
Host: Janet Wright, MD
One of the characteristics of our older patients with heart failure is that they often have other conditions and therefore take multiple medications. How can we reduce the risk of adverse drug events among patients with heart failure and other comorbidities? Dr. Michael Steinman, associate professor of medicine at the University of California-San Francisco and the San Francisco VA Medical Center discusses the challenge of managing medications for older patients with heart failure and offers his ideas on how to reduce drug interactions and encourage adherence. How can we better coordinate care between physicians to optimize care for patients with heart failure? Dr. Janet Wright hosts.
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Host: Eric Tangalos, MD
Guest: Steven Handler, MD, PhD, CMD
Because residents in long-term care facilities often have comorbidities, polypharmacy can be an issue. What are the most common types of adverse drug events that can occur among long-term care patients taking multiple medications? Dr. Steven Handler, assistant professor in the department of biomedical informatics and the department of geriatric medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and the medical director for long-term care health information technology for the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, says the current methods for monitoring medications in nursing homes are inadequate for protecting against adverse drug events, and suggests ways to improve medication safety in long-term care. What tools might help practitioners in long-term care better detect and prevent adverse drug events? Dr. Eric Tangalos hosts.
Host: Janet Wright, MD
Guest: Deepak Bhatt, MD
One of the biggest risks of antiplatelet therapy is gastrointestinal bleeding. Because of this risk, patients on the antiplatelet clopidogrel are often prescribed proten pump inhibitors, or PPIs. However, there are also concerns about PPIs decreasing the efficacy of clopidogrel. What approach should physicians take for patients at moderate to high risk for upper GI bleeding? Host Dr. Janet Wright welcomes Dr. Deepak Bhatt, chief of cardiology at the VA Boston Healthcare System, director of the Integrated Interventional Cardiovascular Program at Brigham and Women's Hospital & VA Boston Healthcare System, and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, to discuss evidence about the potential interactions between PPIs and clopidogrel based on findings from the COGENT trial.
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Guest: Carmella Evans-Molina, MD, PhD
Host: Bruce Bloom, DDS, JD
As the epidemic of type 2 diabetes in the United States grows, researchers are investigating hundreds of ways to treat and cure diabetes. Some of these methods include exogenous insulin, while other ideas being explored require more complex changes in our understanding of cellular biology. Dr. Carmella Evans-Molina, assistant professor at the Indiana University School of Medicine, who holds a faculty appointment in the division of endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism and the Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Diabetes Research, joins us to discuss molecular mechanisms of diabetes, and potential methods of prevention related to these mechanisms. Dr. Bruce Bloom hosts.
Guest: Robert Henry, MD
Host: Steven Edelman, MD
The potential benefits of a new class of medications, sodium-dependent glucose cotransporter-2 therapy (or SGLT-2s), for type 2 diabetes is promising, but where will they fit in the treatment of diabetes and what are the risks? Join host Dr. Steven Edelman and his guest, professor of medicine at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in San Diego, California, Dr. Robert Henry, as they discuss the mechanism, benefits and potential cardiovascular risks of this new class of medication.
Guest: Tatjana Rundek, MD, PhD
Host: Maurice Pickard, MD
Hundreds of millions of people may have insulin resistance worldwide. What is the connection between insulin resistance and the risk of ischemic stroke? Dr. Tatjana Rundek, associate professor of neurology and director of the clinical translational research division in the department of neurology of the Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami, Florida, discusses her research on the risk of developing ischemic stroke among non-diabetic patients with insulin resistance with host Dr. Maurice Pickard. How can lipid-lowering medications help reduce the risk of stroke for non-diabetic patients with insulin resistance, and are any other medications on the horizon for these patients?
Guest: Hugh Tildesley, MD
Host: Lee Freedman, MD
Metformin is often the first line of therapy for patients with type 2 diabetes: it is relatively inexpensive, available, and has proven efficacy. However, metformin is contraindicated for patients with renal insufficiency, a common comorbidity in diabetes. Do the benefits of metformin outweigh the risks for those with renal insufficiency, or should we use caution when considering metformin for these patients? Dr. Hugh Tildesley, clinical professor in the department of medicine, division of endocrinology at the University of British Columbia at St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver, Canada, considers the safety of metformin in patients with diabetes. What approach should clinicians use when considering metformin for patients with type 2 diabetes who have some degree of renal impairment? Dr. Lee Freedman hosts.
Guest: Emmanuel Baetge, PhD
Host: Steven Edelman, MD
Current stem cell therapy research is leading the way into producing functional pancreatic, insulin-producing cells. How will this translate into clinical trials and human therapy for diabetes from a scale, delivery and efficacy position? Join host Dr. Steven Edelman and his guest Dr. Emmanuel Baetge, chief scientific officer of Viacyte, Inc., as they discuss the benefits of stem cell research therapy for diabetes.
Guest: Brian Lacy, MD, PhD
Host: Lee Freedman, MD
Resistance to proton pump inhibitors, or PPIs, is not uncommon among patients with gastroesophogeal reflux disease, or GERD. How should physicians initially approach managing patients with suspected GERD, and at what point should physicians classify a patient as a PPI non-responder? Our guest, Dr. Brian Lacy, associate professor of medicine at Dartmouth Medical School, and director of the GI Motility Laboratory at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire, suggests tests that physicians might use in evaluating patients with refractory GERD, including upper endoscopy and various types of pH monitoring. What therapeutic strategies can physicians use to manage these patients? Hosted by Dr. Freedman.
Guest: Robert Cuddihy, MD
Host: Steven Edelman, MD
There have been impressive results with incretin-based therapy for patients with type 2 diabetes: improved A1C, beta-cell preservation and weight loss are some of the benefits. But do healthcare professionals need to temper their enthusiasm for this novel therapy? Join host Dr. Steven Edelman and his guest, medical director of the International Diabetes Center, Park Nicollet Health Services, Dr. Robert Cuddihy, as they discuss whether incretin-based therapy holds promise of a truly disease-modifying therapy.
Host: Janet Wright, MD
Guest: Stuart Connolly, MD
Because atrial fibrillation increases the risk for stroke, especially among those with other underlying conditions, what anticoagulation therapies should be considered for these patients? Dr. Stuart Connolly, professor of medicine and director of the division of cardiology and the Salim Yusuf Chair in Cardiology at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, weighs the benefits and risks of different anticoagulation therapies, in the context of the recent Randomized Evaluation of Long-Term Anticoagulation Therapy (or, RE-LY) trial. In addition to the standard warfarin and aspirin anticoagulants, there are now two promising new classes of anticoagulation therapy. How effective is dabigatran, compared to warfarin? What questions do we still need answered about anticoatulantion therapies that will be addressed in the years to come? Hosted by Dr. Janet Wright.
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Guest: Frederick Wendt, RPh
Host: Eric Tangalos, MD
As medication costs continue rising, what strategies can help long-term care facilities reduce drug expenditures, while still providing the best quality of care for patients? Fred Wendt, RPh, vice president of pharmacy services for Senior PharmaStrategies in Burleson, Texas, says one of the most significant pharmacy issues in long-term care is the Drug Enforcement Administration's current position on the nursing facility staff as agent of the physician, with regard to controlled substances. How is the role of the consultant pharmacist changing in long-term care? What programs can help long-term care facilities reign in drug costs, while maintaining high quality care for patients, particularly in the area of diabetes? Dr. Eric Tangalos hosts.
Guest: Bruce Troen, MD
Host: Eric Tangalos, MD
Vitamin D deficiency has been receiving a deluge of media coverage lately, and physicians are likely to hear many related questions from patients, especially long-term care residents and their families. What are the latest developments in vitamin D research, and how can adequate vitamin D levels help prevent falls among our older patients? Even more fundamentally, how do we define vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency? Dr. Bruce Troen, professor of medicine, research scientist at the Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center, and director of the molecular gerontology program at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Miami, Florida, describes the crucial role that vitamin D plays throughout the body, beyond its well-known role in the musculoskeletal system. How common is vitamin D insufficiency among geriatric and nursing home residents? What is the best regimen and dosage to overcome vitamin D insufficiency or deficiency? When should calcium be supplemented to help prevent fractures? Tune in to hear host Dr. Eric Tangalos and this week's guest sift through the latest information on vitamin D.
Host: Bruce Japsen
Guest: Mark Frohlich, MD
The cancer treatment Provenge, known as a "therapeutic vaccine," was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in April, 2010 as a novel way to attack prostate tumors. But this is more than the story of a new treatment. Host Bruce Japsen learns about the long path to FDA approval for this unique therapy that some see as a watershed development in oncology, from Dr. Mark Frohlich, senior vice president of clinical affairs and chief medical officer of Dendreon Corporation, the Seattle-based biotech company that manufactures Provenge.
Guest: Jay Luxenberg, MD
Host: Eric Tangalos, MD
It can be challenging for caregivers to diagnose depression in long-term care medicine, even though depression in facilities such as nursing homes and assisted living facilities is common. How can long-term care physicians recognize the early signs and symptoms of depression, and determine when pharmacologic or other forms of therapy are most appropriate? What quantitative screening tests and management tools are helpful for physicians to use in diagnosing and treating depression? Dr. Jay Luxenberg, director of medical services at the Jewish Home in San Francisco, and clinical professor in the School of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, weighs the options of antidepressant therapy versus other non-pharmacologic treatments for patients with depression in long-term care facilities. What evidence demonstrates the efficacy of bright light therapy, family involvement and other activities in improving the symptoms of depression? Dr. Eric Tangalos hosts.
Guest: Anne Louise Peters, MD
Host: Steven Edelman, MD
Initiating insulin therapy for type 2 patients provides its own set of challenges and opportunities. New insulin preparations and a better understanding of insulin physiology may provide physicians more options in effectively tailoring insulin therapy to the needs of their patients. Join host Dr. Steven Edelman and his guest, director of clinical diabetes programs at the University of Southern California, Dr. Anne Peters, as they discuss the benefits of initiating insulin therapy for type 2 patients.
Guest: Steve Miller, MD
Host: Bruce Japsen
Doctors know their patients often don't take their medications, whether because they simply forget or procrastinate on obtaining refills. But the lack of compliance with prescriptions has enormous financial ramifications. Dr. Steve Miller, senior vice president & chief medical officer, research and clinical sciences for Express Scripts, one of the nation's largest managers of pharmacy benefits, tells host Bruce Japsen about Express Scripts most recent survey on patient behavior when it comes to pharmaceuticals. He also talks about how, based on this research, improved patient compliance and other factors could save the healthcare system $100 billion a year.
Guest: Frances Toneguzzo, PhD
Host: Bruce Bloom, DDS, JD
Guest: David Borsook, MD, PhD
The discovery of a new use for a failed or existing drug has often been entirely serendipitous: a drug in development to treat angina failed, but became famous as Viagra when some of the test subjects reported interesting side effects. There are other notable examples, and now scientists are beginning to repurpose drugs in a more systematic way. How is drug repurposing research carried out, why is it important, and what are the hurdles to bringing these new uses to market? Hosted by Dr. Bruce Bloom.
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Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Host Dr. Charles Turck talks with Dr. Karen Weiss, project lead for the FDA's Safe Use Initiative, and Dr. Dale Slavin, senior policy analyst. How is the FDA working to ensure that medications are used optimally once they’re available to the public? This program explains this collaborative initiative to address various types of preventable harm from medications.
Guest: Andrew Ahmann, MD
Host: Steven Edelman, MD
We now have many choices of oral agents in the treatment of type 2 diabetes patients. But choosing the type and where they fit in the treatment algorithm can be a challenge. Join host Dr. Steven Edelman and his guest, director of the Harold Schnitzer Diabetes Health Center, Dr. Andrew Ahmann, as they discuss the different classes of oral agents, benefits and treatment algorithms in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
Guest: Gary Wadler, MD
Host: Bruce Japsen
Even after steroids scandals in Major League Baseball and more than 30 athletes were withheld from the winter Olympics in Vancouver for breaking anti-doping rules, why do athletes still engage in pharmacological cheating? The latest concern among sport officials is a new erythropoietin called Hematide, still in investigate trials. Dr. Gary Wadler, chairman of the World Anti-Doping Agency's Prohibited List and Methods Sub-Committee, talks to host Bruce Japsen about the never-ending battle against the abuse of pharmacology in order to enhance athletic ability.
Guest: Matthew Riddle, MD
Host: Steven Edelman, MD
Multiple choices of insulin therapy have provided a decided advantage to both the healthcare provider and patient living with diabetes. What are the specific benefits of customizing insulin therapy for our patients? Join host Dr. Steven Edelman and his guest, professor of medicine at Oregon Health & Science University, Dr. Matthew Riddle, as they discuss the benefits of standard versus individualized insulin therapy.
The FDA has issued a public health advisory regarding serious medication errors that have arisen when consumers used Maalox Total Relief, the upset stomach reliever and anti-diarrheal medication,by mistake, when they had intended to use one of the traditional Maalox liquid antacid products.
Host: Janet Wright, MD
Guest: Michael Ho, MD, PhD
Medication adherence is a significant problem in the US. Patients with chronic conditions such as hypertension or high cholesterol can be particularly susceptible to non-adherence, because patients may not experience symptoms that would seem to justify taking medication, and thus may not notice any immediate benefits from their medications. What are some of the other barriers to medication adherence? Dr. Michael Ho, associate professor in the department of medicine at the University of Colorado, Denver, has examined the prevalence of non-adherence, and says that good communication and patient education can go a long way toward encouraging patients to take their medications. Tune in to hear other strategies cardiologists can use to address the issue with patients, including utilization of health information technology. Dr. Janet Wright hosts.
Host: Roy Levit, MD
Guest: Allen Verne, MD
What are the advantages to using private practices, as opposed to academic institutions, for testing medications? Dr. Allen Verne, president of the American Retina Foundation and founder of the Bay Area Retina Associates, discusses in-office drug studies he is involved in, including one on diabetic retinopathy and another on photodynamic therapy, and why these studies can be particularly useful in determining the most effective treatments for patients with retinal conditions. Dr. Verne also discusses the process of separating the interests of the pharmaceutical companies sponsoring studies and those participating in the study. What are the financial and time costs to the practices involved in in-office medication studies? Dr. Roy Levit hosts.
Guest: Matthias von Herrath, MD
Host: Steven Edelman, MD
Development of a combination therapy is showing significant promise in type 1 diabetes when caught in the early stages. What are some immuno-therapies currently being evaluated for treating type 1 diabetes? Join host Dr. Steven Edelman and his guest, director of the Center for Type 1 Diabetes Research at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, Dr. Matthias von Herrath, as they discuss histopathology, antigen-specific therapy, anti-CD3d antibodies and more.
Guest: Nancy Bohannon, MD
Host: Steven Edelman, MD
Will insulin pumps become the preferred therapy for patients with type 2 diabetes who are not at goal? New insulin pump technology and patch pumps are offering a whole new level of customization, an ability to improve glucose control and quality of life. Join host Dr. Steven Edelman and his guest, endocrinologist and director of clinical research at St. Luke’s Hospital, Dr. Nancy Bohannon as they discuss new insulin pump technology.
Guest: Robert Henry, MD
Host: Steven Edelman, MD
The ACT NOW study examined whether treatment of impaired glucose tolerance in pre-diabetic patients with pioglitazone could prevent or delay the development of type 2 diabetes. Join host Dr. Steven Edelman and his guest, endocrinologist and professor of medicine at the University of California San Diego, Dr. Robert Henry, as they discuss the results and implications for clinical care.
Guest: Christopher Cannon, MD
Host: Jack Lewin, MD
Previous trials, including the ENHANCE trial, have raised doubts about the clinical benefits of adding ezetimibe to high-dose statin therapy. The ARBITER 6-HALTS trial added further weight to the results of ENHANCE, wherein the ARBITER trial demonstrated that extended-release niacin was superior to ezetimibe as adjunctive therapy to high-dose statins in slowing atherosclerosis. However, this study was not based on clinical outcomes, but rather on measuring carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT). In addition, the ARBITER trial was relatively small, based on 208 patients completing the trial. Are these data enough to impact clinical use of ezetimibe and niacin, or should we await results of further large-scale trials? Dr. Christopher Cannon, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and editor-in-chief of the American College of Cardiology's Cardiosource, weighs in on these questions and more regarding adjunctive therapy to high-dose statins, with host Dr. Jack Lewin.
Guest: Lisa Kroon, PharmD, CD
Host: Steven Edelman, MD
The new class of medications known as dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors, which stimulate the pancreas to make more insulin after eating a meal, may be changing the way we treat people with type 2 diabetes. Join guest host, Dr. Candis Morello and her guest, professor of clinical pharmacy in the School of Pharmacy at the University of California San Francisco, Dr. Lisa Kroon, as they discuss the use of DPP-4 therapy in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
The FDA periodically releases documents in print and on its website that are geared toward healthcare professionals. New drugs, medical devices, safety notifications and product recalls: all are meant to help healthcare professionals protect patients. But channeling information through only the print medium may miss a large segment of an increasingly tech-savvy audience. How, then, does the FDA attract the more visual learners among us? The answer: a television and satellite broadcast show called FDA Patient Safety News. Host Dr. Charles Turck speaks with FDA PSN co-anchors Mark Barnett and Anita Rayner about how their broadcast show helps healthcare professionals protect patients when using medical products.
To follow Patient Safety News updates on ReachMD, visit the FDA PSN series page.
And to see video versions of these stories, visit the FDA Patient Safety News website at www.fda.gov/psn.
Host: Candis Morello, PharmD, CDE
Guest: Brookie Best, PharmD
New drug delivery technologies are changing one of the key therapeutic challenges of insulin delivery in the management of diabetes. Join guest host Dr. Candis Morello and her guest, Dr. Brookie Best, assistant clinical professor of pharmacy and pediatrics at University of California San Diego, as they discuss the emerging new technologies being developed in this space.
Guest: John Buse, MD, PhD
Host: Steven Edelman, MD
Diabetes therapeutics such as glucose and weight control are major physiological functions of the new glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists. But is there evidence to suggest that GLP-1 may also have some cardiovascular benefits? Join host Dr. Steven Edelman and Dr. John Buse, professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, as they discuss the emerging cardiovascular actions of incretin hormones.
Guest: Jack Grider, PhD
Host: Mark DeLegge, MD
What is the underlying mechanism of propulsion in the digestive system, and how is motility stimulated? How are some newer pharmacotherapies looking to target serotonin to treat conditions such as IBS and constipation? Dr. Jack Grider, professor in the department of medicine, division of gastroenterology at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, talks about future pharmacotherapy directions that either suppress or encourage motility in the digestive system. Hosted by Dr. Mark DeLegge.
Guest: William Chey, MD
Host: Mark DeLegge, MD
Guest: Mark Pimentel, MD
Irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, affects a significant number of patients and can be challenging to treat. How might antibiotic therapy benefit IBS patients, and how is antibiotic therapy a unique option for treating IBS? Should physicians empirically treat IBS patients with antibiotics? Joining us to debate these questions are Dr. William Chey, professor in the department of internal medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School, and Dr. Mark Pimentel, associate professor of medicine at the UCLA Geffen School of Medicine. Dr. Mark DeLegge hosts.
Host: Steven Edelman, MD
Guest: Candis Morello, PharmD, CDE
Dietary supplements and alternatives medicines are on the rise, however effectiveness of most of these products has not been demonstrated. Supplements differ significantly over prescription drugs in both production and regulation. How do healthcare professionals stay ahead of this rapidly growing area? Join host Dr. Steven Edelman and his guest, pharmacist and certified diabetes educator Dr. Candis Morello, as they discuss the need for further education and information. You can find out more about dietary supplements from the National Institutes of Health's Office of Dietary Supplements here, and from the NIH's National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine here.
On July 28th, 2009, the FDA issued an advisory recommending that consumers do not use body building products marketed as containing steroids or steroid-like substances, due to potential serious health risks. Listen now for the full advisory.
Guest: Michael Rybak, PharmD, MPH, PhD
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Vancomycin has come full circle in recent years. First used as an alternative to penicillin nearly a half-century ago, it was surpassed by methicillin and other semisynthetic penicillins that were regarded as less toxic. Paradoxically, the subsequent rise of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has reestablished vancomycin as the primary antibiotic treatment for MRSA infections. With this in mind, what do we know about its pharmacodynamics that allows us to institute optimal monitoring strategies for this drug? Host Dr. Charles Turck welcomes Dr. Michael Rybak, associate dean for research, professor of pharmacy and medicine, and director of the Anti-Infective Research Laboratory at the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences at Wayne State University in Detroit.
Host: Janet Wright, MD
Guest: Noel Bairey Merz, MD
Research tells us that more than 80 percent of American women have used hormonal contraception during their lives. Though evidence suggests hormonal contraception could offer anti-atheromatous effects, the verdict is far from in. Further, we have a lot to learn about the long-term risks for thrombosis, arrythmogenesis, vasomotion and beyond. As we study the potential links between contraceptive hormone use and cardiovascular disease, where should our priorities lie? Host Dr. Janet Wright poses this question as part of a fascinating conversation with Dr. Noel Bairey Merz, director of the Women's Heart Center and the Preventive and Rehabilitative Cardiac Center, and the Women's Guild Endowed Chair in Women's Health at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, and a professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Host: Todd Mahr, MD
Guest: Warner Carr, MD
What phases does the FDA use to approve a new medication, and why does this process take several years? Why must the active and excipient components of the medication, as well as the device, complete all of the testing phases? Dr. Warner Carr, allergist at Allergy and Asthma Associates in Mission Viejo, California, shares insight from his role as a new drug reviewer at the FDA. How do physicians play a vital role in the drug-approval process by providing clinical feedback to the FDA? Dr. Todd Mahr hosts.
Host: Shira Johnson, MD
Guest: Stephen Schwartz, PhD
Approximately 8000 men are diagnosed every year with testicular cancer in the United States. A first-of-its-kind study looked at whether or not marijuana use increases the risk. Dr. Stephen Schwartz, one of the researchers on the study and professor of epidemiology at the University of Washington, discusses his findings with host Dr. Shira Johnson. The two discuss how the research was conducted, who took part, and what needs to be done in the future to find more definitive answers.
Guest: Evelyn Hermes-DeSantis, PharmD
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Initial therapy for patients with gastroparesis often centers on dietary changes and pharmacotherapy. If first-line therapy proves ineffective, we appear to lack a broad selection of treatment options for patients with refractory gastroparesis. Some small studies have explored the idea that botulinum toxin could be valuable in this situation. What are its proposed mechanisms of action, and what is the current thinking on its efficacy? Host Dr. Charles Turck evaluates the evidence with Dr. Evelyn Hermes-DeSantis, director of the Drug Information Service at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and a clinical associate professor at the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey.
Guest: William Zellmer, MPH
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Every year, things change in healthcare. Looking retrospectively over the past 40 years in clinical pharmacy, we've seen nothing less than a revolution in the way we practice. Yet pharmacy practice, in many ways, remains dichotomous, when assessing our distributive and clinical duties. Host Dr. Charles Turck asks, Can we, and should we, find a way to reconcile these roles? And how do the changes of the past four decades project over the next 40 years? William Zellmer, former deputy executive vice president for the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, explores these questions and much more.
Guest: Charles Cefalu, MD MS
Host: Eric Tangalos, MD
What are the various types of anemia found in long-term care settings, and which types are the most common? What are some of the underlying causes of both chronic and acute anemia? Dr. Charles Cefalu, clinical professor and chief of the section of geriatric medicine at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, talks about how physicians can be alert to symptoms of anemia, which are often non-specific. What is the relationship between falling and anemia? Dr. Eric Tangalos hosts.
Guest: Keith Black, MD
Host: Mark Nolan Hill, MD
Despite our best efforts at surgery and chemotherapy for patients with glioblastoma, survival time is often far too limited. One novel weapon in our arsenal could be a vaccine that bolsters the immune system in the body's fight against these tumors. As we move forward with research toward a vaccine, what are the keys to boosting its efficacy? How much additional time could a vaccine buy for our glioblastoma patients? Host Dr. Mark Nolan Hill probes these questions and more with Dr. Keith Black, professor of neurosurgery and chair of the department of neurosurgery, and director of the Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Dr. Black also describes the fascinating process by which the research team collects tissue from each patient, which is subsequently applied toward the formation of a vaccine customized for the individual's condition.
Host: Jack Lewin, MD
Guest: Mark McClellan, MD, PhD
It takes a substantial measure of time, money and manpower to bring a new drug from the bench to the marketplace. One key aspect of this sequence is the drug approval process, overseen by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Host Dr. Jack Lewin welcomes Dr. Mark McClellan, director of the Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform at the Brookings Institution, former commissioner of the FDA and administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, to discuss a range of issues within the FDA's approval process: from essential boosts in funding, to more transparency about conflicts of interest, to the imperative need for comprehensive, real-time surveillance of long-term drug outcomes, how can the agency devote more attention to each of these areas of concern?
Guest: Nancy Toedter Williams, PharmD
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
For patients who are unable to receive nutrition or medications orally, enteral feeding tubes offer one alternative method of delivery. Successful administration through a feeding tube requires awareness of potential problems with drug efficacy, adverse symptoms or a clogged tube. Dr. Nancy Toedter Williams, associate professor of pharmacy practice at Southwestern Oklahoma State University College of Pharmacy, talks with host Dr. Charles Turck about the key considerations when administering medications through a feeding apparatus.
Guest: John Docherty
Host: Bruce Japsen
Cancer cells can be made to become more vulnerable to treatments like chemotherapy, and there are therapeutics under development which are designed to impact this so-called microenvironment of tumor cells. John Docherty, president of Toronto-based Helix BioPharma, tells host Bruce Japsen about a new wave of treatments and therapies in the biotechnology industry that could better target cancer cells and in turn help patients deal with the side effects of chemotherapy.
Guest: Patrick Frias, MD
Host: Jennifer Shu, MD, FAAP
Although sudden death in the pediatric population is rare, there has been a great deal of discussion recently over the possibility of an increase in risk of sudden cardiac death among individuals taking stimulant medication for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Dr. Patrick Frias, a pediatric cardiologist and electrophysiologist at Sibley Heart Center Cardiology in Atlanta and associate professor of pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine, explores this discussion with host Dr. Jennifer Shu. How can we best evaluate our patients' risk for sudden death before initiating medical treatment for ADHD, and how often should we monitor their cardiovascular status?
Guest: Frank Romanelli, PharmD, MPH
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Much of the debate surrounding lethal injection and its role as a form capital punishment in the United States stems from concerns of whether the drug combinations we choose-and how we administer them-engender a degree of unnecessary suffering. When weighing the ethics of lethal injection against the need for criminal justice, and even considering the legality of the participation of health care professionals in these procedures, how can we reconcile all of this with our overarching mission to promote health versus facilitating death? Dr. Frank Romanelli, assistant dean of education and associate professor of pharmacy at the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy, surveys an array of issues with host Dr. Charles Turck.
Guest: James Stolzenbach, MD
Host: Bruce Japsen
Consumers and their doctors all know about LDL and the need to lower the so-called bad cholesterol. But what about the treatments beyond those that lower LDL? James Stolzenbach, who oversees clinical research in the area of dyslipidemia and renal drug development at Abbott Laboratories, tells host Bruce Japsen about new developments in treating and managing cholesterol beyond lowering LDL.
Guest: Dan Roden, MD
Host: Bruce Bloom, DDS, JD
The greatest side effect of medications is that they often don't do what we expect them to do. Dr. Dan Roden, professor in the departments of medicine and pharmacology at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, talks with Dr. Bruce Bloom about variability in response to drugs. Genetic components are just one of many reasons patients respond differently. Dr. Roden also discusses his specific work with customizing treatment for patients with arrhythmias based upon the disease mechanism.
Guest: David Kass, MD
Host: Larry Kaskel, MD
The medication Viagra has been shown to have positive impact on the heart in recent research. Host Dr. Larry Kaskel discusses with Dr. David Kass, the Abraham and Virginia Weiss Professor of Cardiology and professor of biomedical engineering at Johns Hopkins University, the history of Viagra as a medicine developed for the heart. Dr. David Kass explains the results of his research with mice and how sildenafil triggers an important heart protein, RGS2, and why this enzyme may prevent heart failure. Tune in to hear the next chapter of Viagra as a shield against high blood pressure damage and its potential for future cardiovascular protective effects.
Guest: John Inadomi, MD
Host: Jay Goldstein, MD
Non-cardiac chest pain and chronic cough are just two of the extraesophageal manifestations of gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD. What other symptoms should we look for? If a patient displays characteristics of GERD, such as esophogeal regurgitation, is that patient also likely to experience extraesophogeal manifestations of GERD? Dr. John Inadomi, the Dean M. Craig Endowed Chair in Gastrointestinal Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, explains what distinguishes extraesophogeal manifestations of GERD from GERD symptoms. Do proton pump inhibitors treat both GERD and its extraesophogeal symptoms? Dr. Jay Goldstein hosts.
Guest: Michael Bresler
Host: Shira Johnson, MD
There are many vasoactive medications available to treat hypertension in an acute setting. Join Dr. Michael Bresler, professor in the division of emergency medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine and director of Emergency Medicine at the Mills-Peninsula Health System, to discuss the potent arsenal of acute care medications at your disposal. Dr. Shira Johnson is the host for this informative session on the use and misuse of vasodilators.
Guest: Grace Kuo, PharmD, MPH
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
In the minds of healthcare professionals, pharmacogenomics often conjures images of cutting-edge medical technology, and even a sense that the word describes the future of medicine moreso than the present. Aside from vague notions, it’s not clear that most of us have a solid grasp of what contemporary pharmacogenomics entails. How might we bridge this gap in our knowledge? Dr. Grace Kuo, associate professor of clinical pharmacy and director of the Pharmacogenomics Education Program at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, explains the genesis and foremost goals of this program with host Dr. Charles Turck. How should we think about 21st-century pharmacogenomics, in terms of what it may hold for our patients and our practices?
Guest: Robert Rapp, PharmD
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
The practice of pharmacy has certainly changed over the years, with pharmacy schools and pharmacists making an effort to become more patient-centered. Still, sometimes it takes a retrospective look through the eyes of a healthcare professional who experienced those changes as they happened, to truly appreciate just how far the practice of pharmacy has come, and just how far its place in healthcare has truly evolved over the past few decades. Dr. Robert Rapp, professor of pharmacy and professor of surgery at the University of Kentucky, chronicles pharmacy practice of decades past and previews how he believes the dynamic between pharmacists and other healthcare professionals will continue to progress in the years to come. Dr. Charles Turck hosts.
Guest: Matthew Wayne, MD, CMD
Host: Eric Tangalos, MD
What risks does polypharmacy pose for elderly patients, and how should physicians manage medications in the population of their patients over age 65? Dr. Matthew Wayne, assistant professor of medicine at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, discusses the typical symptoms that might indicate an adverse drug reaction, and suggests ways physicians can recognize these symptoms. What factors should physicians keep in mind when prescribing medications to a patient in their last few years of life? Dr. Eric Tangalos hosts.
Guest: Samuel Gandy, MD
Host: Lee Freedman, MD
What medications are approved for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease? Dr. Samuel Gandy, professor and director of the Farber institute for neurosciences at Thomas Jefferson University, discusses state of the art pharmacologic treatments for Alzheimer's disease with host Dr. Lee Freedman. What are the benefits to each medication, and how can physicians prevent side effects from these medications? How do diet and lifestyle influence the condition?
Guest: Barry Davis, MD, PhD
Host: Matthew J. Sorrentino, MD, FACC, FASH
Hypertension is the most common underlying risk factor for the development of congestive heart failure. Dr. Barry Davis, the Guy S. Parcel Chair in Public Health and director of the Coordinating Center for Clinical Trials at the University of Texas School of Public Health in Houston, will review a recent analysis of the ALLHAT hypertension trial showing that diuretics significantly reduced the occurrence of new-onset heart failure in individuals with both a preserved and reduced ejection fraction. Hosted by Dr. Matthew Sorrentino.
Host: Doug Weaver, MD
Guest: Peter Berger, MD
It is no longer a question of whether antiplatelet therapy should be used following implantation of a drug-eluting stent, but rather to what extent and to what duration. With this in mind, many new challenges arise, from bleeding risks to drug intolerance and product cost. Host Dr. Doug Weaver welcomes Dr. Peter Berger, associate chief research officer and director of the Center for Clinical Studies at the Geisinger Clinic in central Pennsylvania, to discuss how we’re moving to address these concerns. Dr. Berger also details a series of related procedural circumstances—dental surgery, bronchoscopy, certain orthopaedic procedures and more—in which antiplatelet therapy need not be discontinued.
Guest: Paul Holman, MD
Host: Mark Nolan Hill, MD
Many of our patients who suffer from significant back pain put off surgery as long as they can, relying primarily on medical and physical therapy while hoping to avoid an elaborate operative procedure. Yet as with so many areas of medicine today, minimally invasive techniques are providing new options for patients with back pain, and others who face spine surgery. As with all new procedures, we have to ask, What are the fundamental risks and rewards? Dr. Paul Holman, a neurosurgeon for the Methodist Neurological Institute at the Methodist Hospital in Houston, hones in on key features of the newest approaches to minimally invasive spinal surgery: the expanding range of patients who are candidates for these procedures, common complications and the evolving technology that makes this all possible. Dr. Mark Nolan Hill hosts.
Host: Mark DeLegge, MD
Guest: William J. Sandborn, MD
The current treatment paradigm for Crohn's disease is a pyramid approach, where patients are given the safest medications before pursuing more aggressive strategies. New evidence suggests that Crohn's disease should be treated with the most effective medications first, such as anti-TNF therapies. But is a top-down strategy safe enough for most patients? Dr. William Sandborn, professor of medicine and gastrointestinal research at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, describes the results of new Crohn's disease trials and research. Is using steroids to treat Crohn's disease an idea of the past, or are steroids still effective for certain patients? Dr. Mark DeLegge hosts.
Guest: Denise L. Faustman, MD
Host: Bruce Bloom, DDS, JD
We spend billions each year to research possible cures for type I diabetes, but the cure may already be on the shelf. Join host Dr. Bruce Bloom and his guest, Dr. Denise L. Faustman, associated professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and director of the Immunobiology Laboratories at Massachusetts General Hospital, as they explore the first clinical trial using generic drugs to try to cure type I diabetes.
Host: Jay Goldstein, MD
Guest: Richard Fedorak, MD
Steroids used to be the standard treatment for inflammatory bowel disease. But now biologic and immunosuppresive therapies are often used. How can we increase the efficacy of these medications? What combinations work best? Dr. Richard Fedorak, professor of medicine in the division of gastroenterology at the University of Alberta in Canada, discusses IBD treatments with host Dr. Jay Goldstein.
Guest: Kate Phillips, PharmD
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Several factors impact our ability to safely and effectively prescribe warfarin and other anticoagulants. These issues include genetics, weight, renal impairment, and the potential for heparin-induced thrombocytopenia. How can we continue to improve our recognition of these factors that affect our patients' capacity to metabolize anticoagulants? Dr. Kate Phillips, clinical specialist in cardiology and anticoagulation at the Boston Medical Center, speaks with host Dr. Charles Turck about the challenges of anticoagulant therapy dosing, as well as the variation in response to therapy, based on ethnicity and other factors.
Guest: Jeffrey Settleman, PhD
Host: Bruce Bloom, DDS, JD
Cancer cells almost always defeat drug therapies. Can combination therapies prevent or overcome drug resistance? Join host Dr. Bruce Bloom as he discusses the research and clinical issues of cancer treatment with Dr. Jeffrey Settleman, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and scientific director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center.
Guest: Dan Luce, RPh, MBA
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Central prescription and order verification, at its core, is a concept whereby the various aspects of pharmacy practice can be divided up into a series of assignments to be completed by separate pharmacy workers. It allows data entry for a patient to occur in one location, just as that patient's drug utilization review is finished in a separate location. This gives the pharmacist an opportunity to spend more time with that patient, while the nuances of data processing are completed independently. Dan Luce, corporate manager of pharmacy affairs for the Walgreen Company, gives a few examples of circumstances in which this process might serve as a means to provide additional support to pharmacy practitioners at a single location. As proponents of central processing aim to expand the reach of these programs, what are the key obstacles to expansion? How have patients responded to this concept? Dr. Charles Turck hosts.
Guest: Devon Herrick, PhD
Host: Bruce Japsen
The drug bill for consumers continues to grow, but there are things they can do about it and doctors have ways of helping their patients in this regard. Dr. Devon Herrick, senior fellow at the National Center for Policy Analysis, tells host Bruce Japsen about the latest developments doctors and their patients should be aware of when it comes to paying for their prescriptions, including how to be a smart shopper.
Guest: Ronald Hall II, PharmD
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
A drug that's been around for decades, vancoymcin is the medicine of choice for treating MRSA infections. While intravenous dosing recommendations are usually weight-based, vancomycin is often prescribed using a flat-dose strategy. Given the growing obesity epidemic in our country, it's worthwhile to ask whether we're underdosing our patients when we write for vancomycin using the conventional flat-dose. Dr. Ronald Hall II joins host Dr. Charles Turck to evaluate vancomycin dosing by weight.
Guest: Luke Probst, PharmD
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
How do you adjust drug doses in your patients with kidney disease? Two main strategies might come to mind: the Cockcroft-Gault equation or the modified diet in renal disease. Is one more applicable for your patients?Dr. Charles Turck welcomes Dr. Luke Probst, a pediatric pharmacy specialist and a clinical assistant professor in the departments of pediatrics and medicine at the State University of New York Upstate Medical University.
Guest: Frank Leone, MD
Host: Lee Freedman, MD
The morbidities and health complications from smoking are certainly well established. But even with social trends increasingly making the life of a smoker more difficult, many of our patients still can’t kick the habit. Joining your host Dr. Lee Freedman, to discuss smoking cessation therapies is Dr. Frank Leone, pulmonologist and director of Comprehensive Smoking Treatment Programs at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Leone covers the origins of the habit, nicotine addiction, and how to best approach patients with both pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatments.
Guest: Kristine A. Rapp
Host: Maurice Pickard, MD
While relationships are changing between physicians and pharmaceutical companies, doctors still need pharma to provide direction with comparative drug efficacy, among other things. Kristine Rapp, vice president of global ethics and compliance at Hospira, Inc., speaks about the need for continuing medical education and other learning tools to be presented with impartiality and fairness. Dr. Maurice Pickard hosts.
Guest: Sarah Tomasello, PharmD
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
How are erythropoietic-stimulating agents (ESA) most helpful for patients with chronic kidney disease? What target levels of iron should clinicians maintain before starting ESA therapy, and what challenges will we encounter in this process? Host Dr. Charles Turck probes these questions and more with Dr. Sarah Tomasello, clinical associate professor at the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, and a clinical specialist in nephrology at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Jersey.
Guest: Christine Rosenbloom, PhD
Host: Leslie P. Lundt, MD
Athletes, always looking for an edge, are experimenting with a litany of products touted as performance enhancers. What are our athletic patients sampling these days? Will these items give them the extra boost they crave? Dr. Christine Rosenbloom, professor of nutrition at the College of Health and Human Sciences at Georgia State University, breaks down the latest evidence on performance-enhancing nutritional supplements. Dr. Leslie Lundt hosts.
Host: Larry Kaskel, MD
Guest: Gerald Dorn, MD
Should African American’s be treated with beta blockers to prevent heart failure? This has been a controversial question in the cardiovascular community. In this segment, Dr. Gerald Dorn of Washington University School of Medicine explains the biological mechanisms in which beta blockers offer protection from heart failure and what led him and his team to more closely examine the African American population who as a group does not seem to benefit as much from beta blockers. Learn in this segment about a gene variant identified by Dr. Dorn and his team carried by African American patients which provides protection from heart failure. Is this gene variant found in all African Americans? Are there other populations with this gene variant? Dr. Dorn talks about the implications of this study and where he hopes to go from here with his research.
Guest: Don Catlin, MD
Host: Gary Kohn, MD
In the Spy vs. Spy-like game of catching the athletes using illegal performance-enhancing substances, Dr. Don Catlin, chief executive of Anti-Doping Research in Los Angeles, and the former head of UCLA Olympic Analytical Labs, is among the world's foremost authorities on drug testing. He speaks with host Dr. Gary Kohn about the TE ratio marker as an indicator for pharmaceutical testosterone use, and a finding that may provide some genetically gifted individuals a license to cheat.
Guest: Theo Zaoutis, MD
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
Guest: Talene Metjian, PharmD
Antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASP) are recognized as apt measures for effective antimicrobial use and for promoting patient safety in adult care settings. Recent research indicates these programs may be applicable in pediatrics. Theo Zaoutis, MD, and Talene Metjian, PharmD, leaders of the ASP at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, join host Dr. Charles Turck. Can ASPs optimize clinical outcomes related to antimicrobial use?
Guest: Kathleen Jaeger, JD
Host: Bruce Japsen
Given the tremendous savings that generic drugs provide their patients, you would think doctors would know to turn to generics, but that is not always the case. To help educate them, some health care companies are turning to what is called counter detailing. Kathleen Jaeger, president and CEO of the Generic Pharmaceutical Association tells the Chicago Tribune's Bruce Japsen about counter detailing efforts by the generic drug industry, health plans and others as a way to spur more interest in cheaper medications.
Guest: Susan Goodin, PharmD
Host: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP
How do oral chemotherapeutic agents work, and what advances are needed to better optimize oncologic pharmacotherapy? Dr. Susan Goodin, oncology pharmacist and director of the Division of Pharmaceutical Services at the Cancer Institute of New Jersey, speaks with host Dr. Charles Turck on these important subjects.
Guest: Jan Berger, MD
Host: Bruce Japsen
The annual cost of diabetes care in this country is rapidly approaching $200 billion, an astonishing figure that has nearly doubled since the beginning of this decade. Dr. Jan Berger, senior vice president and chief clinical officer of the Caremark Corporation, tells host Bruce Japsen that it does not have to be this way. Patients with this potentially deadly disease must work more efficiently in coordination with their physicians toward proper management of care.
Guest: David Bailey, PhD
Host: Larry Kaskel, MD
More than 40 drugs have been demonstrated to interact with grapefruit juice, primarily drugs that are first-pass metabolized. Join host Dr. Larry Kaskel and guest Dr. David Baily to discuss the serious nature of potential grapefruit juice/drug interactions and how best to communicate the required cautions to patients. Then learn of current research working to identify other natural foods that may modulate the absorbtion of drugs.
Guest: Jan Berger, MD
Host: Lauren Streicher, MD
An array of tools on the internet, coupled with direct-to-consumer marketing by pharmaceutical companies, have put us in a situation where patients obtain much of their medical knowledge from sources other than their personal physician. Dr. Jan Berger, senior vice president and chief clinical officer of CVS Caremark Corporation, outlines effective communication strategies that will help you ensure that your patients are receiving accurate medical information. Dr. Lauren Streicher hosts.
Guest: Heather Hallen, PhD
Host: Paul Raeburn
The Death Cap mushroom. The Destroying Angel. Researchers are learning how these lethal mushrooms kill. Today we’re talking about some of the most dangerous and fiendishly clever organisms on earth: poisonous mushrooms. The names alone sound like something out of a B-movie: Deathcap and Destroying Angel. But how do these mushrooms kill? Researchers at Michigan State University who were studying the Death Cap mushroom thought they knew. They were looking for a big gene that produces a certain enzyme—the one that was supposed to do the damage. After years of trying and failing to sort out what was going on, they stumbled on something that was a complete surprise. Learn what they found--and get the latest advice on treating mushroom poisoning.
Guest: Sean Cutler, PhD
Host: Paul Raeburn
What can we learn about drug safety prior to human testing? How about using a plant considered "the lab rat of flora?" Turns out a lowly weedy mustard plant can tell us about about how people may react to drugs.
Guest: Murray Favus, MD
Host: Lauren Streicher, MD
Dr. Murray Favus, a Professor of Medicine at The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, and director of The University of Chicago Bone Program discusses denosumab, zoledronic acid, oral calcium sensing receptor antagonists, and other emerging therapies for osteoporosis.
Guest: Garret FitzGerald, MD
Host: Lee Freedman, MD
Dr. FitzGerald discusses how advances in molecular biology and our understanding of the human genome will lead to a paradigm shift in how we approach the development and prescibing of medications for our patients.
Host: Todd Mahr, MD
Guest: Stephen Tilles, MD
How common is Aspirin Intolerance? When was it first discovered, and what are the clinical manifestations? Dr. Stephen Tilles, clinical assistant professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine, joins Dr. Todd A. Mahr to discuss aspirin intolerance, highlighting symptoms and provocative testing.
Guest: James Baker, MD
Host: Maurice Pickard, MD
Dr. James Baker discusses the development of a new vaccine against anthrax that could be absorbed through the nasal mucosa with host Dr. Maurice Pickard. Dr. Baker also explains that the unique utilization of nanoemulsions toward the design of this vaccine may also apply to the development of other vaccines.
Guest: Shirley Grace, MA
Host: Michael Greenberg, MD
Dr. Michael Greenberg talks with Shirley Grace of Physician's Practice Journal about ways to interact more smoothly with pharmacists and reduce the paperwork involved with prescription writing.
Guest: Charles Bennett, MD
Host: Paul Raeburn
The FDA is supposed to monitor adverse drug reactions after drugs are approved and put on the market. It collects information in a huge database to try to spot problems. But a handful of researchers tucked away in a university are using a completely different approach--and spotting problems years before the FDA could. Find out how these medical detectives do it.
Host: Larry Kaskel, MD
Guest: Elizabeth Tieman, MD
Work-life balance: how many of us can say we have it, let alone come close to having it? Board-certified radiologist Dr. Betsy Tieman is one healthcare professional who can say she achieved work-life balance by leaving private practice where she was working 14 hours a day to take advantage of locum tenens work, which also enabled her to train and compete in triathlons.
Guest: Joshua Cohen, PhD
Host: Lee Freedman, MD
Dr. Cohen discusses how comparison of drug risks to risks of more well recognized activities in the arenas of occupations, transportation and recreation can help patients put medication risk into perspective.
Guest: Audrey Ignatoff, MS
Host: Laura Humphrey, PhD
In this segment medical sociologist Audrey Ignatoff talks about the difficult task of following a medication regimen for a senior on many concurrent medications.
Guest: Donald Kennedy, MD
Host: Paul Raeburn
Donald Kennedy, the editor of Science and the FDA Commissioner under President Carter, gives the FDA a prescription for change.
Guest: Allen Anderson, MD
Host: Matthew J. Sorrentino, MD, FACC, FASH
Dr. Anderson reviews the UNLOAD Trial and its findings.