2- Tuesday Pharmacy Practice News – 21th September

 1 – Individuals With Diabetes Develop More Severe COVID-19 Symptoms

• Individuals with diabetes and severe COVID-19 have reduced levels of interferon-beta than those without diabetes, which leads to a worsening in their COVID-19 symptoms, the results of a new study show.
• Interferon, a cytokine important for viral immunity, has been previously linked to increased SETDB2 response to heal inflammatory wounds.
• The results of the study showed that when coronavirus-infected diabetic mice were injected with an interferon beta, SETDB2 was increased and helped decrease the inflammatory cytokines.
• The results of the study not only highlight the continued study of interferon but also a need to understand the timing and cell-specificity in therapy for individuals with underlying conditions.

Source: Pharmacy Times

2 – Moderna Submits to FDA Initial Data for COVID-19 Booster Shot, Showing Efficacy Against All COVID-19 Variants

• Moderna submitted initial data to the FDA based on the results of a phase 2 trial that demonstrated the efficacy of a booster shot of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine mRNA-1273.
• This booster shot would be administered to patients 6 months after their second dose of mRNA-1273.
• The initial data demonstrated that the booster of mRNA-1273 boosts the neutralizing titers above the phase 3 benchmark and induces an antibody response that significantly increases geometric mean titers of all variants of the COVID-19 virus.
• The data also showed that the safety profile of the booster shot is similar to that of the second dose of mRNA-1273.

Source: Pharmacy Times

3 – Anti-Viral Agents Can Eradicate COVID-19 With B-Cell Recovery, Study Results Show

• The results of a new study published in The International Journal of Molecular Sciences shows that convalescent plasma, IVIG, and remdesivir help immunocompromised patients recover from COVID-19 without B-cell population recovery.
• Remdesivir inhibits the replication of the virus, while convalescent plasma promotes SARS-CoV-2 antibodies that work with the immune system to get rid of the virus.
• The study results showed that an immunocompromised individual had difficulty recovering from COVID-19, because of being treated with Rituximab, which depletes an individual’s B lymphocyte cell supply and disables production of neutralizing antibodies.

Source: Pharmacy Times

4- Pharmacy Groups Call for Immediate End to Prescribing, Dispensing Ivermectin for COVID-19 Outside of Clinical Trials

• Several medical groups and pharmacy advocacy organizations have released a statement calling for an immediate end to dispensing, prescribing, and use of ivermectin for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19, outside of its use in clinical trials.
• The groups include the American Medical Association, the American Pharmacists Association, and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.
• According to a press release, ivermectin is approved by the FDA for the prevention of infections caused by internal or external parasites in humans but is not approved for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19.

Source: Pharmacy Times

5 – Probiotic Use May Decrease C. difficile Infection

• A study explored the use of probiotics and the subsequent effect on the development of Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) infection (CDI) in individuals receiving fluoroquinolones.
• The results showed that a higher percentage of proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use in the non-probiotic group was up 20% in comparison with the group receiving the probiotic.
• Also, individuals who were on fluoroquinolones that received probiotics had 0% of overall cases of CDI compared to 3% in the non-probiotic group, but this was not statistically significant enough to make a strong conclusion.
• However, the second outcome of the study provided more statistically significant results.
• Individuals who did receive probiotics had fewer C. difficile diagnosed stool samples at 4% compared to the 16% of their non-probiotic counterparts.

Source: Pharmacy Times

6 – FDA Approves First Twice-Yearly Treatment for Schizophrenia in Adults

• Paliperidone palmitate (Invega Hafyera; Janssen) has been approved by the FDA as the first and only twice-yearly treatment for adults with schizophrenia, offering the fewest doses per year, according to a press release.
• The drug is a long-acting atypical antipsychotic injection.
• Before transitioning to the 6-month dosages, patients must be treated with 1-month paliperidone palmitate for at least 4 months or the 3-month paliperidone palmitate for at least one 3-month injection cycle.
• Schizophrenia is a complex disorder in which the symptoms and potential for relapse can impact many aspects of individuals’ daily lives.

Source: Pharmacy Times

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