As a part of APhA’s commitment to serve every pharmacist and all of pharmacy, we have advocated for issues impacting you and your practice in your state. I’d like to introduce you to Dr. Michael Murphy who serves as APhA’s advisor for state government affairs.

Washington, DC – The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) released cybersecurity recommendations today for urgent policy changes to better secure the pharmacy ecosystem and patient safety. The recommendations were submitted as Statements for the Record to the Senate Finance Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee for the congressional hearings taking place today on the Change Healthcare cyberattack.

A study of more than 11,000 U.S. adults suggests an association between acid-suppression therapy, including PPIs, H2RAs, and generic antacids, and an increased risk of migraine and severe headaches compared with people who do not take these medications. The risk was 70% higher for those using PPIs, 40% higher for those taking H2RAs, and 30% higher for generic antacids.

In a new study published in The BMJ, researchers found that using two new classes of T2D drugs together yielded benefits. When study participants took GLP-1 receptor agonists therapy added to a SGLT-2 inhibitor, they curtailed their risk of major adverse cardiovascular events by about 30% compared with taking an agent from just one class. The likelihood for serious renal events was also lower with combination therapy.