Pharmacy Focus – Details, episodes & analysis

Expert shares reasons why many women are behind on their annual breast cancer screenings, along with the latest cutting edge treatment in the breast cancer space. 

The Alzheimer disease treatment landscape is rapidly changing, with several new FDA-approved antibody therapies that target amyloid plaque and aim to slow disease progression. While the controversial approval of aducanumab faced challenges, newer drugs like lecanemab and donanemab have shown more promising results in clinical trials, demonstrating cognitive benefits. Additionally, the pipeline includes novel therapies targeting tau protein and other mechanisms. Advancements in biomarker development, including plasma and imaging tests, are also enabling earlier diagnosis and the potential for preventive treatments before the onset of clinical symptoms.

Experts Include:
Pamela Spicer, neuroscience expert and therapy area Director, Citeline
Martin Tolar, MD, PhD, founder, president, CEO, Alzheon
Sharon Cohen, MD, FRCPC, medical director, site principal investigator, Toronto Memory Program

On this episode of Pharmacy Focus, experts discuss World Psychedelics Day, which is June 20. Experts will also discuss goals of World Psychedelics Day in increasing awareness and appreciation of psychedelics' therapeutic potential while honoring traditional knowledge. Experts cover the history of psychedelics, current research on psychedelic therapies for conditions like PTSD and depression, and future directions. Proper education, screening, medication management and harm reduction practices are highlighted as best ways that pharmacists can get involved.

Guests Include:
Mark Achbar, WPD Founder
Sarah Butterfield, WPD Creative Director
Rev. Shannon Smadella, WPD Operations & Partnerships Director
Sandra Dreisbach, PhD, WPD Ethics Director
Dennis Mckenna, Director and President of the Mckenna Academy
Kevin Lanzo, PharmD, co-founder of the Psychedelic Pharmacists Association (PPA)
Kristin Speer, PharmD, BCPS, co-founder of the PPA

References
1. Pharmacy Times. Survey Shows 65% of Affected Americans Want Access to Psychedelic Treatments for Mental Health Conditions. February 8. 2022. Accessed June 13, 2024. https://www.pharmacytimes.com/view/survey-shows-65-of-affected-americans-want-access-to-psychedelic-treatments-for-mental-health-conditions
2. Gallagher A. Psychedelic Medicine Could Fill Care Gap in Psychiatric Care. Pharmacy Times. April 10, 2024. Accessed June 13, 2024. https://www.pharmacytimes.com/view/psychedelic-medicine-could-fill-care-gap-in-psychiatric-care
3. Gallagher A. Is 2024 the Year for Psychedelic Medicine?. Pharmacy Times. April 4, 2024. Accessed June 13, 2024. https://www.pharmacytimes.com/view/is-2024-the-year-for-psychedelic-medicine-
4. Antrim A. FDA Advisory Panel Rejects MDMA-Assisted Therapy for PTSD. Pharmacy Times. June 4, 2024. Accessed June 13, 2024. https://www.pharmacytimes.com/view/fda-advisory-panel-rejects-mdma-assisted-therapy-for-ptsd

In this month's episode, Amanda Ryan, PharmD, BCGP, CPHQ, the director of Education for the Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA), discusses a new PQA program to teach pharmacy and other health professions students the basics of quality measurement and strategies to improve medication safety, adherence and appropriate use.

Ryan leads the strategic direction of PQA’s educational activities. Before joining PQA, Ryan served for six years as the Clinical Pharmacy Specialist for Qsource, a nonprofit healthcare quality improvement and information technology consultancy. She also has six years of long-term care pharmacy experience, where she oversaw the pharmacy‘s continuous quality improvement program and provided education to nursing home staff.

In this week’s episode, we spoke with Mandy Reece, PharmD, CDCES, BC-ADM, BCACP, FADCES, vice chair and associate professor in the department of pharmacy practice at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, on diabetes care, change in treatment, and management.

This week's episode features Kathy Pham, PharmD, BCPPS, senior director of Policy and Professional Affairs at the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP), who discusses her experience at ACCP and why advocacy is important to health care and the profession of pharmacy.

Kathy Pham is the Senior Director of Policy and Professional Affairs at the American College of Clinical Pharmacy. Dr. Pham came to ACCP from the Pew Charitable Trusts, where she served as Senior Officer of the Drug Safety Project. Her previous clinical experience has been in pediatric pharmacy practice, with the majority of that time spent as the NICU clinical specialist and pharmacy residency director at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Dr. Pham earned her PharmD degree from Rutgers and completed her pharmacy residency at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Pham leads ACCP's interprofessional stakeholder engagement to advance medication optimization. 

https://www.brown.edu/news/2023-01-11/pharmacy-addiction-treatment

https://www.genoahealthcare.com/pharmacists-can-start-patients-on-road-to-recovery-from-opioid-use-disorder-study-shows/

In this month's episode, we spoke with Matt Gibbs, president of Capital Rx, to discuss alternative career paths for students, including independently owned PBMs.

In this week's episode, Carina Dolan, PharmD, BCOP, senior director for Clinical Oncology and Pharmaceutical Outcomes at Vizient Inc, discusses the highlights and big picture moving forward for hospitals and health-system pharmacies.

This week's episode features Amina Abubakar, PharmD, AAHIVP, CEO of Avant Pharmacy & Wellness Center and president of Avant Institute, who discusses her experience in the pharmacy industry and the communities she serves.

Amina Abubakar graduated from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy University of the Sciences in 2005. She is the owner and manager of Avant Pharmacy & Wellness Center formerly known as Rx Clinic Pharmacy in Charlotte, NC, and the founder of the Avant Institute. She is an internationally recognized award-winning clinical pharmacist, Certified HIV Specialty Pharmacist, a preceptor to UNC Chapel Hill residents and students from several schools of pharmacy. Recently, Amina was bestowed the honor by the National Community Pharmacists Association as 2020’s Independent Pharmacist of the Year and also received the 2020 Bowl of Hygeia from the North Carolina Association of Pharmacists for outstanding service to the community.

Today's episode features Ronna Hauser of the National Community Pharmacists Association and Olin and Scotty Sykes, accountants from Sykes & Company, who discuss DIR changes.