University of Pharmacy

WASHINGTON, Aug. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) Foundation today announced the recipients of the 2024 Pinnacle Awards. Established in 1998, the Pinnacle Awards celebrate significant contributions to the medication use process leading to enhancements such as increasing patient adherence, reducing adverse drug events, promoting the use of national treatment guidelines, improving patient outcomes, and enhancing communication among the members of the health care team. "The APhA Foundation has the great pleasure of recognizing this year's Pinnacle award recipients," said Benjamin Bluml, RPh, APhA Foundation Executive Director and Senior Vice President, Research & Innovation. "These individuals and organizations are community champions of continued medication use improvement and quality care." 2024 Pinnacle Award Recipients and Categories Michael E. Klepser, PharmD, FCCP, FIDP Category I: Individual Award for Career Achievement presented to an individual who has demonstrated exceptional leadership in enhancing health care quality and medication use. Klepser has been in practice for more than 30 years. He has been a professor at the Ferris State University College of Pharmacy since 2001 and is an adjunct faculty at the University of Nebraska College of Pharmacy. Klepser is the founder and Director of The Collaboration of Advance Pharmacy Enterprises (CAPE). Under CAPE, Klepser works with numerous enterprises to improve quality of and patient access to care. Dispensary of Hope Category III: Award presented to Voluntary Health Agencies, Nonprofit Organizations, Associations, Government Agencies or Public/Private Partnerships that demonstrated approaches to assist patients and their caregivers in achieving better outcomes from their medications. Nashville-based nonprofit, Dispensary of Hope, has been actively operating and building a national model of medication access for the most vulnerable for over a decade. Dispensary of Hope is comprised of a network of dispensing sites, focused on a shared mission to provide vital medication access to low-income and uninsured individuals across the United States. This innovative model unifies pharmaceutical manufacturing and safety net health care delivery with a common goal of saving and transforming lives. The Innovations in Pharmacy Practice Lecture will be delivered by both Michael E. Klepser, PharmD, FCCP, FIDP, and Hillary Blackburn, PharmD, MBA, the Chief Pharmacy Officer of Dispensary of Hope. Support for the APhA Foundation Pinnacle Awards Program is provided by an educational grant from Merck. SOURCE American Pharmacists Association Foundation

In recent years, with growing public interest in health and weight management, the market acceptance of new weight loss drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro has been steadily increasing. This not only brings hope to those seeking healthy weight reduction, but also spurs major pharmaceutical companies to invest more resources in developing the next generation of weight loss medications.   Compared to existing weight loss drugs, these new medications have shown potential breakthrough advantages in reducing adverse effects and improving liver function, signaling a new chapter in the field of weight loss pharmaceuticals.   In a recent study, Dr. David Lau, a retired professor from the University of Calgary's School of Medicine, elaborated on the advantages of these new weight loss drugs. He pointed out that these drugs can help users achieve a 15-20% weight reduction target in a relatively safe environment, while avoiding common serious side effects such as muscle loss. Dr. Lau further explained, "Although the weight loss effect is slightly lower compared to previous drugs, the significant reduction in side effects is undoubtedly a huge progress. This means that users can pursue a healthy weight more safely while using these drugs."   Notably, these new drugs do not merely reduce weight, but also employ different hormonal regulation mechanisms to improve the user's overall health. Professor C. Michael White from the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy stated, "These new drugs not only help users achieve similar weight loss results, but also improve users' metabolic levels by regulating blood sugar and simulating the effects of exercise. This comprehensive treatment approach significantly reduces unpleasant symptoms like nausea and vomiting, making the weight loss process more comfortable for users."   According to an NBC News report, some leading pharmaceutical companies have already presented related clinical data at the American Diabetes Association's annual meeting. One new drug helped trial participants achieve an average weight loss of 8.6% in just 16 weeks, while another achieved an impressive 15.6% weight loss in 48 weeks. These data not only prove the efficacy of the new drugs, but also generate more market anticipation.   Although these new drugs are still in the research and development stage and will require several years to obtain FDA approval, experts generally believe that increasing the variety of weight loss drugs has a positive impact on driving down market prices and solving supply shortages. With more options available, consumers will be able to access safer, more effective, and more affordable weight loss drug products. This will not only help drive the development of the entire weight loss drug industry but also bring more hope to those pursuing a healthy weight.   In the future development, we look forward to these new drugs continuously improving and advancing, bringing health and beauty to more people. At the same time, we also call on consumers to pay attention to the safety and effectiveness of weight loss drugs when making choices, and to avoid blindly following trends or abusing drugs.

WASHINGTON, April 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) and CDC are proud to announce the selected Community of Practice (CoP) Teams as part of the Advancing Health Equity with Pharmacy-Based Strategies, Pharmacists Patient Care Services and Support Services project to advance health equity and prevent heart disease and stroke in the United States. Teams from state and local health departments, state pharmacy associations, professional organizations, colleges of pharmacy, pharmacy practice settings, and community-based organizations were invited to submit applications for consideration. Following a competitive application and evaluation process, six teams were selected to participate in the project based on their composition, qualifications, and commitment to cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention. A collaboration between the California Department of Public Health, the Los Angeles Department of Public Health, the University of Southern California Alfred E. Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, the California Pharmacists Association, and the American Heart Association has helped scale value-based comprehensive medication management services through community-based pharmacies for patients experiencing health disparities in cardiovascular disease and stroke prevention, including certification of pharmacy technicians as community health workers. To tackle health disparities in the state, the Minnesota Department of Health and Hennepin Healthcare, a safety net hospital system, have partnered to provide pharmacist-driven medication management services and improve hypertension management. Partnerships between the Mississippi State Department of Health, the Community Pharmacy Enhanced Services Network (CPESN) Mississippi, and the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy will train pharmacy-based community health workers to screen for social determinants of health, identify patients at risk, and connect these patients to cardiovascular health resources. The State of Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services will partner with Bitterroot Drug and Thrifty Drug to drive the adoption of social determinants of health screeners in community-based pharmacies and improve referrals to local resources for patients with cardiovascular disease. The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, St. John's University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences have partnered with Allure Specialty Pharmacy, Burke Avenue Pharmacy, Felicity Pharmacy, and Marble Hill Pharmacy. These pharmacies serve patients with a high prevalence of poverty and chronic disease. This team will engage with CDC-trained Healthy Heart Ambassadors to improve patients' hypertension management through medication management and lifestyle modifications. Leveraging their long history of collaboration, the Pennsylvania Department of Health, the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Care Network, and the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy aim to expand access to community pharmacy-enhanced patient care services. Their multifaceted approach trains pharmacy technicians to serve as community health workers, further integrates social determinants of health screenings to identify and resolve gaps that impact cardiovascular disease, enhances community pharmacist-physician collaborations, and explores remote patient monitoring. The selected CoP Teams will accelerate the implementation of pharmacy-based strategies to advance health equity through initiatives that address racial and ethnic disparities in CVD risk factors, prevalence, or outcomes. The participants will engage with other CoP teams in virtual learning sessions and peer-to-peer learning opportunities and build capacity for health departments and pharmacy partners to implement promising program models in local communities. Michael D. Hogue, PharmD, FAPhA, FNAP, FFIP, executive vice president and CEO of APhA, said, "Pharmacists are natural collaborators. We are excited to see the models the CoP Teams employ to tackle CVD, including financial sustainability as a part of the model, to optimize public health and pharmacy partnerships to address the needs of local communities." Dr. Janet Wright, MD, MACC, FPCNA, Director, Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, CDC, commented, "Public health epitomizes a team sport, and pharmacists stand as vital members of this dynamic team. Collaboration across public health and clinical sectors is key in preventing and managing heart disease and stroke, addressing health disparities in our communities, and advancing health equity. We are delighted to support this collective effort and look forward to celebrating the results these teams will achieve in cardiovascular health and care." This project was funded in part by a contracted project agreement with CDC, which is an agency of HHS. SOURCE American Pharmacists Association