PodcastRx

On this episode, Chris Bender from the OPTICS clinical pharmacy team stops by to preview his upcoming NCCHC spring conference presentation on proper inhaler use. With some 38 possible inhaler therapies available for asthma and COPD, providers can be easily overwhelmed and out of breath with the choices. I talk with Chris about demystifying inhaler therapies for better patient and cost outcomes, along with the factors behind higher asthma/COPD rates in the correctional patient population, the mechanics of inhalers, inmate security considerations, and more. If you're going to NCCHC at the end of April, be sure to check out Chris's entire presentation.

Mentioned in the Show:

NCCHC Conference Info:

https://events.ncchc.org/spring-conference/HOME

Allergy & Asthma Network Respiratory Treatments Poster:

https://store.allergyasthmanetwork.org/digital-downloads/respiratory-treatments-digital-english-version-11-x-8-1-2

In November of 2023, Diamond's sister company InnovaScript became the official pharmacy partner to the Victoria's Voice Foundation, a non-profit drug education and addiction prevention support organization founded in memory of Victoria Siegel, a young woman who tragically lost her life to an accidental drug overdose.

At the heart of this new partnership is the #GetGiveSave campaign, a national effort to increase the access to and the awareness of naloxone. On this episode, we welcome Mark Cady-Archilla, corporate partnerships director for the Victoria’s Voice Foundation; Jason Baker, director of strategic initiatives for Diamond; and Chris Bender, pharmacist with Diamond's OPTICS team for a deeper discussion of this partnership and what it’s doing to put naloxone in more lifesaving locations.

Along the way, Mark gives us a greater introduction to Victoria’s Voice (and shares his deeply personal connection to the foundation’s work), we recap the efficacy and life-saving simplicity of naloxone, and we discuss the barriers of naloxone stigma and access, among many other areas of discussion. It’s a longer conversation, but there’s no shortage of powerful moments to be heard.

Resources Referenced in the Discussion:

The Victoria's Voice Foundation

www.victoriasvoice.foundation

www.getgivesave.org

Joint InnovaScript/Victoria's Voice Foundation Website:

vvf.innovascript.com

WFTV Investgates:"Hidden in Plain Sight: The Fentanyl Crisis"

https://www.wftv.com/news/watch-hidden-plain-sight-fentanyl-crisis/b939d91c-dd6d-45fe-ac7b-fd5586b170cf/

On this episode, we welcome (for the first time) executive consultant pharmacist Tim Welsh. As a youngster growing up in the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh, Tim’s fascination with drug stores and his admiration for a local pharmacist set him on a career path that made stops at Duquesne University, retail chains, and ultimately Diamond. With almost 26 years at Diamond now under his belt, Tim looks back at his formative pharmacy experiences and sheds light on the unique challenges and rewards of being a consultant pharmacist for correctional and long-term care facilities. If you have little understanding of the role of pharmacists beyond the retail and hospital settings (as Tim himself once did), then you’ll definitely want to listen to our conversation.

For this final episode of 2023, we welcome back regular contributor Chris Bender from the OPTICS clinical team to pick up our conversation about GLP-1 weight loss medications. With the FDA approval of Zepbound (or tirzepatide) for weight loss in November, the profile of these potent and high-profile medications only continues to rise. We take a closer look at tirzepatide- how it compares to semaglutide, what the clinical data shows for its potency, and what promise it shows for obese and overweight patients. We also discuss some exciting new weight loss medications in development and what all this new drug development and approval could mean for the future of bariatric surgery.

Referenced in Show/Further Reading:

PodcastRx Episode 36: GLP-1 Agonists and Weight Loss: A Closer Look with Chris Bender, Pharm. D., BCACP

"Tirzepatide Once Weekly for the Treatment of Obesity"

The New England Journal of Medicine

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2206038

"Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity"

The New England Journal of Medicine

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2032183

On this episode, Diamond nurse practitioner and infection control coordinator Debi Yackuboskey returns to discuss the outlook for the 2023-24 respiratory disease season. We talk about all three "tripledemic" respiratory diseases - influenza, COVID, and RSV- and what's new and/or noteworthy about each in terms of basic virology, prevention, and treatment. With the debut of the RSV vaccines and newly updated COVID vaccines in the mix, there was a lot for us to cover.

CDC Respiratory Disease Outlook:

https://ow.ly/iPVo50Q6wbA

On this episode, we welcome back Henry So, clinical pharmacist for Diamond's OPTICS team. As we recorded this, Henry was days away from giving an NCCHC conference presentation on evaluating high cost therapies for type 2 diabetes patients. We discuss why he was inspired to develop a presentation around this topic, look at the use of different diabetic agents in special patient populations, and dive into his clinical rationale for helping providers choose between newer often pricier agents and older more established therapies. If you missed Henry’s presentation at NCCHC, you can catch up with this podcast.

Links to studies mentioned in the show/futher reading:

Empagliflozin, Cardiovascular Outcomes, and Mortality in Type 2 Diabetes | New England Journal of Medicine

Canagliflozin and Cardiovascular and Renal Events in Type 2 Diabetes | New England Journal of Medicine

Dapagliflozin and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetes | New England Journal of Medicine

Dapagliflozin in Heart Failure with Mildly Reduced or Preserved Ejection Fraction | New England Journal of Medicine

Empagliflozin in Heart Failure with a Preserved Ejection Fraction | New England Journal of Medicine

Cardiovascular and Renal Outcomes with Empagliflozin in Heart Failure | New England Journal of Medicine

Liraglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetes | New England Journal of Medicine

Semaglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes | New England Journal of Medicine

Dulaglutide and cardiovascular outcomes in type 2 diabetes (REWIND): a double-blind, randomised placebo-controlled trial - PubMed (nih.gov)

Semaglutide for cardiovascular event reduction in people with overweight or obesity: SELECT study baseline characteristics - PubMed (nih.gov)

On this episode, we welcome back Deborah Milito, director of clinical and consultant services for Diamond’s long-term care division, to talk about the threat of candida auris. Since first appearing in Japan in 2009, this drug-resistant fungus has showed up around the world and poses a threat to the sickest of the sick, especially in places like skilled nursing facilities. Deborah gives us the rundown on c.auris - why it’s deadly, how it resists drugs, and what providers can do to protect patients. If you’re not very familiar with c.auris, this podcast is an easy-listening primer.

Mentioned in the show/futher reading:

"List K: Antimicrobial Products Registered with EPA for Claims Against Clostridium difficile Spores" :

https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-registration/list-k-antimicrobial-products-registered-epa-claims-against-clostridium

"List P: Antimicrobial Products Registered with EPA for Claims Against Candida Auris"

https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-registration/list-p-antimicrobial-products-registered-epa-claims-against-candida-auris

Intro and outro music by Coma-Media.

On this late summer episode, Chris Bender of the OPTICS clinical pharmacy team sheds light - sunlight in particular - on drug-induced photosensitivity. He breaks down phototoxicity and photoallergy and how exactly the sun causes these conditions, cites the most common medications susceptible to photosensitivity, and talks about treatment. We also discuss the relationship between drugs and heat-related illness, how drugs impair thermoregulation, and what medications are prone to heat risk. Grab a cool beverage for this one.

Further Reading/Mentioned in the Show:

"The Sun and Your Medicine" - FDA

https://www.fda.gov/drugs/special-features/sun-and-your-medicine

"Heat-Related Illnesses" - American Family Physician

https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2019/0415/p482.html

On this episode, we're joined once again by Dr. Deborah Milito of Diamond's long-term care division, to discuss recent changes to the CMS State Operations Manual for long-term care facilities. We review a number of revisions and updates related to infection control, immunizations, medication stewardship, and more. It's an easy-listening regulatory roundup for any skilled care pharmacist or professional.

On this episode, pharmacist Henry So from the OPTICS team returns for a straightforward clinical discussion of bariatric surgery.  We talk about history of bariatric procedures, their efficacy, and the risks and downstream effects of surgery. We also cover what role pharmacists have in post-bariatric patient care and what Henry and his team have done to assist providers in this area.