Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Pharmacy for May 2020. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
Metformin Recalled Due to Potential Cancer-Causing Chemical
FRIDAY, May 29, 2020 (HealthDay News) — A recall of the widely used diabetes drug metformin was announced by drug maker Apotex due to possible high levels of N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), which is believed to cause cancer in people.
Physician’s Briefing Weekly Coronavirus Roundup
Here is what the editors at Physician’s Briefing chose as the most important COVID-19 developments for you and your practice for the week of May 25 to 29, 2020. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal studies and other trusted sources that is most likely to affect clinical practice.
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VA Slashes Use of Hydroxychloroquine to Treat COVID-19 Patients
FRIDAY, May 29, 2020 (HealthDay News) — The VA health system has stopped nearly all use of hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 patients, Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie said at a House hearing on Thursday.
Remdesivir Use Growing Globally in COVID-19 Patients
FRIDAY, May 29, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Worldwide more physicians are using remdesivir to treat COVID-19 patients, according to a survey released May 21 by Sermo, a global health care polling company and social platform for physicians.
Outcomes Equal for AYA Hodgkin Therapy at Peds, Adult Centers
FRIDAY, May 29, 2020 (HealthDay News) — For adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), treatment strategies differ, but outcomes are equivalent with treatment at pediatric and adult centers, according to a study published online May 22 in Cancer Medicine.
Five-Day Course of Remdesivir Beneficial in Severe COVID-19
FRIDAY, May 29, 2020 (HealthDay News) — There seems to be no significant difference between a five- and 10-day course of remdesivir for patients with severe COVID-19 not requiring mechanical ventilation, according to a study published online May 27 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Large U.S. Pharmacy Chains Played Role in Opioid Crisis, Lawsuit Claims
THURSDAY, May 28, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Large pharmacy chains, including CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens, Giant Eagle, and those operated by Walmart, played a role in the U.S. opioid epidemic, alleges a lawsuit filed in federal court in Cleveland by two Ohio counties.
CDC: Coronavirus Antibody Tests Still Not Accurate Enough
THURSDAY, May 28, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Coronavirus antibody test results may not be accurate enough to help guide decisions about whether to allow large groups of people to gather at work, schools, dormitories, correctional facilities, and other locations, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday.
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9.5 Percent Uninsured in U.S. From January Through June 2019
WEDNESDAY, May 27, 2020 (HealthDay News) — A total of 9.5 percent of persons were uninsured from January through June 2019, according to a report published online May 28 by the National Center for Health Statistics.
Risk for Later Invasive Breast Cancer Up for Women With DCIS
THURSDAY, May 28, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Women with screening-detected ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) have increased long-term risks for invasive breast cancer and breast cancer death, according to a study published online May 27 in The BMJ.
CV Toxicity Tied to Azithromycin and/or Hydroxychloroquine
THURSDAY, May 28, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin may have a serious adverse impact on the cardiovascular system, according to a research letter published online May 22 in Circulation.
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Disease-Modifying Drug Regimen May Offer Benefit in Heart Failure
THURSDAY, May 28, 2020 (HealthDay News) — The treatment effects of early comprehensive disease-modifying pharmacological therapy are considerable for patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), according to a study published online May 21 in The Lancet.
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Improving Glycemic Control May Also Aid COVID-19 Outcomes
THURSDAY, May 28, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Insulin infusion helps achieve glycemic targets and may reduce the risk for poor outcomes in patients with hyperglycemia and COVID-19, according to a study published online May 19 in Diabetes Care.
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Benzodiazepines, Codispensed Opioids Common in Hemodialysis
WEDNESDAY, May 27, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Patients initiating hemodialysis often are prescribed opioids and short-acting benzodiazepines, which are associated with increased mortality risk, according to a study published online May 26 in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
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New Medicare Benefit Would Limit Insulin Copays to $35 a Month
TUESDAY, May 26, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Reacting to skyrocketing prices for insulin, the Trump Administration announced on Tuesday a new benefit that would limit Medicare recipients’ copays for insulin to a maximum of $35 a month and save them about $446 a year if they have prescription plans that offer the benefit.
WHO Suspends Testing of Hydroxychloroquine in COVID-19 Patients
TUESDAY, May 26, 2020 (HealthDay News) — The World Health Organization has suspended use of the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine in a clinical trial of treatments of COVID-19 after a study revealed that patients taking the drug are at increased risk for death and serious heart problems.
Remdesivir Beats Placebo for Time to COVID-19 Recovery
TUESDAY, May 26, 2020 (HealthDay News) — For adults hospitalized with COVID-19 with lower respiratory tract infection, time to recovery is shorter with remdesivir than placebo, according to a study published online May 22 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Adenovirus Type-5 Vectored COVID-19 Vaccine Shows Promise
TUESDAY, May 26, 2020 (HealthDay News) — A recombinant adenovirus type-5 (Ad5) vectored COVID-19 vaccine is safe, tolerable, and immunogenic, according to a study published online May 22 in The Lancet.
Platinum Therapy May Up Survival in Pancreatic Cancer With DNA Repair Defects
TUESDAY, May 26, 2020 (HealthDay News) — For patients with advanced-stage pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), those with homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) have improved survival with first-line (1L) platinum treatment, according to a study published online May 22 in Clinical Cancer Research.
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Physician’s Briefing Weekly Coronavirus Roundup
Here is what the editors at Physician’s Briefing chose as the most important COVID-19 developments for you and your practice for the week of May 18 to 22, 2020. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal studies and other trusted sources that is most likely to affect clinical practice.
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U.S. Offers $1.2 Billion to Drug Company for COVID-19 Vaccine Research
FRIDAY, May 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said Thursday it would provide up to $1.2 billion to AstraZeneca to develop a potential COVID-19 vaccine from a lab in Oxford, England.
Antiobesity Meds May Curb Weight Regain After RYGB
FRIDAY, May 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) — The antiobesity medications (AOMs) phentermine and topiramate may help mitigate weight regain (WR) after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery, according to a study published online May 22 in Obesity.
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Updated Guidelines Issued for Management of Diverticulitis
FRIDAY, May 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) — In clinical practice guidelines from the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, published in the June issue of Diseases of the Colon & Rectum, updated recommendations are presented for the management of diverticulitis.
One-Year Mortality High Following ED Visit for Overdose
THURSDAY, May 21, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Emergency department patients with nonfatal opioid or sedative/hypnotic drug overdose have exceptionally high risks for death in the following year, according to a study published online May 7 in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
ACR Updates Guideline for Management of Gout
THURSDAY, May 21, 2020 (HealthDay News) — In an updated American College of Rheumatology guideline, published online May 11 in Arthritis Care & Research, recommendations are presented for the management of gout.
Melanoma Risk From Biologic Therapy Remains Uncertain
THURSDAY, May 21, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Clinically important increases in melanoma risk in patients treated with biologic therapy for common inflammatory diseases cannot be ruled out based on current evidence, according to a review published online May 20 in JAMA Dermatology.
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Musculoskeletal Malformations Up With Fluconazole in Pregnancy
THURSDAY, May 21, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Use of oral fluconazole for treatment of vulvovaginal candidiasis in the first trimester of pregnancy is associated with musculoskeletal malformations, but not with oral clefts or conotruncal malformations, according to a study published online May 20 in The BMJ.
Decrease Seen in Child Vaccination Coverage During COVID-19
WEDNESDAY, May 20, 2020 (HealthDay News) — There has been a decrease in child vaccination coverage in almost all milestone age cohorts during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to research published in the May 18 early-release issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Sales of Johnson’s Baby Powder Halted in U.S., Canada
WEDNESDAY, May 20, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Lawsuits claiming that talc-based Johnson’s Baby Powder has caused cancer have led to a plunge in sales in the United States and Canada, so Johnson & Johnson said Tuesday it is ending sales of the product in those two countries.
Sex Differences ID’d in Prescription of Cardiovascular Meds
WEDNESDAY, May 20, 2020 (HealthDay News) — For patients at high risk for or with established cardiovascular disease in primary care, sex differences exist in the prescription of cardiovascular medications, according to a review published online May 20 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
Age, CRP Up Risk for Mortality in Diabetes With COVID-19
WEDNESDAY, May 20, 2020 (HealthDay News) — For patients with diabetes and COVID-19, risk factors for mortality include older age and elevated C-reactive protein, and insulin usage is associated with poor prognosis, according to a study published online May 14 in Diabetes Care.
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Global Practice Guidelines Issued by International Society of Hypertension
WEDNESDAY, May 20, 2020 (HealthDay News) — In International Society of Hypertension practice guidelines, published in the June issues of Hypertension and the Journal of Hypertension, recommendations are presented for the management of hypertension in adults aged 18 years and older.
Spending on Primary Care Continues to Lag in the U.S.
TUESDAY, May 19, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Spending on inpatient services, specialty care, and prescriptions together accounted for about two-thirds of the increase in total U.S. health care spending from 2002 to 2016, according to a research letter published online May 18 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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Corticosteroids for IBD May Up Risk for Severe COVID-19
TUESDAY, May 19, 2020 (HealthDay News) — For patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and COVID-19, risk factors for severe disease include increasing age, comorbidities, and systemic corticosteroids, according to a study published online May 18 in Gastroenterology.
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Hydroxychloroquine Does Not Improve COVID-19 Pneumonia Outcomes
TUESDAY, May 19, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Hydroxychloroquine does not improve outcomes in COVID-19, according to two studies published online May 14 in The BMJ.
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Social Distancing Policies Reduced COVID-19 Growth Rate
MONDAY, May 18, 2020 (HealthDay News) — The impact of four widely adopted social distancing policies reduced the daily growth rate of COVID-19 across U.S. counties, according to a report published online May 14 in Health Affairs.
Experimental COVID-19 Vaccine Appears Safe, Triggers Immune Response
MONDAY, May 18, 2020 (HealthDay News) — An experimental vaccine against COVID-19 appears to be safe and to trigger an immune response, according to results of the first human clinical trial of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Osteoporotic Fracture Risk Lower for DOAC Than Warfarin in A-Fib
MONDAY, May 18, 2020 (HealthDay News) — For patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), the risk for osteoporotic fracture appears to be lower with direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) use compared with warfarin use, according to a study published online May 19 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Guidance Issued for Osteoporosis Management During COVID-19
Homicide, Suicide, and Overdose Leading Causes of Maternal Death 
Model Predicts Poor Outcomes Within 30 Days of a Before Medically Advised Discharge 
Fewer Than Half of Drug Overdose Survivors Go to the Hospital 
2000 to 2023 Saw Rise in Pediatric Exposure to Medications, Supplements 
Holding DMARDs at Time of COVID-19 Vaccine Not Warranted in Those With Inflammatory Arthritis 
1 in 3 With Lupus Take Supplements, Medications With Potential for Interactions 
2013 to 2024 Saw Decrease in Benzodiazepine Prescribing 
GLP-1 Receptor Agonists, SGLT-2is Slow Renal Function Decline in T2D With Albuminuria 
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