2- Tuesday Pharmacy Practice News – 30th November

 1 – Addressing COVID-19 Vaccination Hesitation as a Pharmacist

• Pharmacists are at the forefront of not only providing COVID-19 vaccinations, but also the information a patient needs before receiving the vaccine
• Pharmacists have not always been at the forefront of immunization administration, but our history of involvement may go back further than one realizes.
• How we counsel patients through their hesitation can make the difference in whether they proceed with receiving the COVID-19 vaccination.
• To best address the hesitation, it is first imperative to understand where it is coming from.
• One huge source of hesitation is a lack of understanding.
• Patients are worried the vaccine will harm them, the adverse effects will be unbearable, the formulation is dangerous.
• Although patients may have received vaccinations in the past without a second thought, the endless list of unknowns during the pandemic has made them ponder further into what a vaccination actually is.

Source: Pharmacy Times

2 – Molnupiravir: What We Know So Far About Oral Antiviral COVID-19 Treatment

• Molnupiravir (Lagevrio) is the first-ever investigational oral antiviral therapy for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) in non-hospitalized adult patients. I
• t is a potent ribonucleoside analog that blocks SARS-CoV-2 replication by acting as a competitive substrate of virally-encoded RNA-dependent RNA polymerase.
• The inhibition is what leads to rapid mutations of the virus over multiple viral replication cycles resulting in an antiviral effect.
• Merck has applied to the FDA for an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA).
• The submission is supported by hopeful results from the planned interim analysis of the ongoing MOVe-OUT clinical trial.
• MOVe-OUT is an ongoing phase 3, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded, multi-site study that aims to investigate the efficacy and safety of molnupiravir in non-hospitalized adult patients with mild to moderate COVID-19.

Source: Pharmacy Times

3 – COVID-19 Booster Shot Effective for Patients With Cancer Regardless of Initial Antibody Response

• The majority of patients with cancer without a measurable immune response following full vaccination for COVID-19 benefitted from a third dose, according to a study published in Cancer Cell.
• The investigators also found that the booster shot was extremely beneficial for all patients with cancer, especially those with a blood cancer.
• The study analyzed 2 groups of patients with cancer: 1 comprised of 99 patients who did not receive a booster shot and the other with 88 patients who did
• According to the investigators, 64% of patients in the second group had a measurable antibody response following standard vaccination.
• All participants received a booster dose regardless of initial response and 79.5% of participants had higher antibody levels following their booster shot.
• Further, 56% of patients with cancer who had no detectable antibodies following their initial standard vaccination had measurable antibody responses following the booster shot.

Source: Pharmacy Times

4- Nivolumab, Ipilimumab Combination Therapy Improves Overall Survival for Patients With Melanoma, Brain Metastases

• Combination therapy using nivolumab and ipilimumab demonstrated benefits to overall survival (OS) for patients with melanoma that has spread to the brain, according to phase 2 study results published in The Lancet Oncology.
• OS for asymptomatic patients receiving the combination therapy was 71.9%, whereas patients with symptomatic brain metastases or on corticosteroid therapy had an OS rate of 36.6%.
• According to the investigators, approximately 40% of patients with stage IV melanoma have brain metastases at diagnosis, whereas 75% develop brain metastases at some point.
• Prior to the introduction of this therapy, the 1-year survival rate for patients with melanoma brain metastases was approximately 20%.

Source: Pharmacy Times

5 – Flu Vaccine May Protect Against Severe Effects of COVID-19

• The influenza vaccine has the potential to provide vital protection against severe effects of COVID-19, according to new study.
• The study, which analyzed 37,377 patient records on a global scale, strongly suggests that getting the annual flu vaccine reduces the risks of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), sepsis, and stroke in patients with COVID-19.
• Those with COVID-19 who have been vaccinated against the flu were also significantly less likely to visit the emergency department (ED) and be admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), according to the study results.

Source: Pharmacy Times

6 – American Academy of Neurology Issues Guidelines for Treating Motor Symptoms

• The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) has issued guidelines for treating movement symptoms, known as motor symptoms, for individuals with early Parkinson disease.
• The new guidelines recommend that health care providers should counsel individuals with early Parkinson disease on the benefits and risks of 3 initial therapy options: dopamine agonists, which mimic the effects of dopamine; levodopa, a drug that is converted into dopamine in the brain; and monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) inhibitors, which prevent MAO-B enzymes from breaking down dopamine.
• The guidelines also state that treatment with levodopa provides superior benefits at reducing motor symptoms than the other options.
• Levodopa is more likely than initial treatment with dopamine agonists to cause dyskinesia during the first 5 years of treatment, but the prevalence was low during this timeframe.
• The guidelines recommend that health care providers prescribe the lowest effective dose to minimize the risk of dyskinesia and optimize benefits.

Source: Pharmacy Times

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