Guidance released at ISOPP meeting
UP FRONT
Multimedia, plus top-read articles you may have missed .............
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CLINICAL
Oncology pharmacists teach, and learn, in Nigeria ............................
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Fine-tuning immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy ..................................
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ISMP’s Michael Cohen: a career dedicated to medication safety ....
RFID challenges, opportunities outlined in new ASHP report ....
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Safety experts ask for more regulatory muscle behind IV-WMS ............. 21 REVIEW ARTICLE
Rapid Diagnostic Testing See insert after page 12.
Knowledge Gap On Extravasation May Be Closing
‘Test-to-treat’ initiative spurs debate
AMA: Pharmacist Skills Fall Short in COVID-19 Rx
By Dave Doolittle
By Gina Shaw
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xtravasation caused by antineoplastic drugs has been well documented in guidelines, databases and reference papers, but there is little consensus on recommended treatments. There also is a lack of agreement on the risk for tissue damage posed by each antineoplastic drug. After reviewing these gaps, the Extravasation Working Group of the Spanish Oncology Pharmacy Group (GEDEFO) belonging to the Spanish Society of Hospital Pharmacists (SEFH) has proposed a classification of antineoplastic drug-induced tissue damage. The group also has recommended specific measures to be implemented in the event of extravasation.
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TECHNOLOGY
Volume 49 • Number 4 • April 2022
The Best-Read Pharmacist’s News Source
pharmacypracticenews.com
hysicians usually understand the value pharmacists bring to the care team, given the latter profession’s proven expertise in managing medications. But the American Medical Association (AMA) apparently didn’t get the memo, judging by the contention that has broken out between the two groups over President Joe Biden’s “test-to-treat” initiative governing COVID-19 therapeutics. Pharmacists are praising the initiative, which allows people to get tested for COVID-19 at pharmacy-based clinics and receive oral treatments immediately if they test positive, as a critical component of the national effort to protect Americans from the coronavirus. But in a March 4 statement, the AMA blasted the plan. “Establishing pharmacy-based clinics as one-stop shopping for COVID-19 testing and treatments is extremely
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PharmD Stewards Deemed ARTisans In HIV Rx Safety
Navigating the Complexities Of Biosimilar Use in Pediatrics
By David Wild
hen switching from an originator biologic to a biosimilar for pediatric patients, making the choice can be complicated by the fact that most biologics research is performed in adults receiving the reference product. Still, there are useful guideposts to follow, including some data on bioequivalence and also dilution and stability requirements that may point to the best formulary choice for a given institution. But for formulary managers who like to base such decisions on a strong and consistent body of evidence, this will not always be an easy process. “The literature for biosimilars in pediatric patients is often retrospective or observational,
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xpanding inpatient medication stewardship efforts to encompass antiretroviral therapy (ART) can slash medication errors and 30-day hospital readmission rates by more than 50% in people living with HIV, recent studies suggests. “ARVSPs [antiretroviral stewardship programs] improve outcomes for patients because they ensure patients get the right medications, at the right time, in the right doses,” said Elizabeth Sherman, PharmD, an associate professor of pharmacy Continued on page 18
By David Wild
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and data from adult participants in biologics research is frequently extrapolated by clinicians for use in younger patients,” said Elsen Jacob, PharmD, an assistant professor at St. John’s University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, in New York City. “So it can be challenging to decide whether and how to use biosimilars in our pediatric populations.” As for why children have been left out of drug trials historically, Dr. Jacob cited concerns about medication safety. But there have been attempts to address that data gap, he noted. In 2002, the Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act incentivized companies to perform pediatric clinical trials by granting them a six-month patent exclusivity extension if Continued on page 16
NEW PRODUCT Medi-Dose, Inc./EPS, Inc. announces new line of USP <800> labels See page 19.
