Trumm Drug

July 2009 Drug News

Minnesota pharmacist shares good news on Capitol Hill during APhA Academy visits.

When it comes to health and wellness, General Mills does more than use those words in its marketing slogans for the cereals Americans eat every day. Health, wellness, and disease prevention also are a major focus for employees of this Twin Cities company, and that has led to a medication therapy management (MTM) role for Molly Ekstrand, BPharm, of Fairview Pharmacy Services, one of the nearly three dozen APhA members who visited Capitol Hill last week in conjunction with the annual Academies Leadership Meeting.
Ekstrand, a 1996 graduate of the University of Minnesota, was inculcated with the principles of pharmaceutical care by Strand, Cipolle, and the other well-known proponents of this way of practicing pharmacy who teach at this Twin Cities institution. During nearly 8 years with Walgreens following graduation, she developed a pharmaceutical care practice within her busy chain location, helping patients with their medication-use problems and assisting them in managing their chronic conditions.
Molly now practices full-time with Fairview, where she divides her time among General Mills and two Fairview primary care clinics. She began seeing General Mills employees and dependents in January 2009, and she told pharmacist.com that so far, she has consulted with about 50 patients there. Later this month, she is presenting seminars to employee groups on asthma and allergy. This will help to market her MTM services to those General Mills employees who are just becoming aware of the kind of help she can offer them.
Is Ekstrand’s MTM approach to care being noticed at General Mills? Consider what the company’s chairman and CEO Kendall Powell, told a White House breakout on health care reform in March: “No one understands these medications. They are too complex. We have white collar, professional, highly educated people at General Mills who do not know how to follow their meds. And so what we’re doing now – again on this prevention tack – is we’re sitting them down with a pharmacist. For as long as they need to, to understand what they’re taking, why, the consequences of withdrawal, all the interactions. And again it makes a huge difference in the management of chronic disease.”
During the ALM Hill visits, Ekstrand met with two Minnesota representatives, one for the district in which she lives and the other for the district where General Mills is located. Molly also joined colleagues in visits to Members of Congress from other states, sharing the good news about MTM and the difference it’s making in people’s lives.

NCPO: Medication And Counseling Vital For Healthcare Reform, Implementation And Future Patient Care Improvements

In a policy statement released May 28, the National Conference of Pharmaceutical Organizations (NCPO) called on Congress and the Administration to reap the full benefits of medications and medication counseling as they develop healthcare reform legislation and other policies. The statement, titled “From Reform to Revolution: Maximizing the Power of Proper Medication Use in Patient Care,” reflects a cohesive voice for associations in the pharmaceutical and pharmacy value chain. NCPO serves as a forum for the leadership of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, the American Pharmacists Association, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, the Consumer Healthcare Products Association, the Generic Pharmaceutical Association, the Healthcare Distribution Management Association, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, the National Community Pharmacists Association and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.

FDA Issues Update On Asthma Drugs’ Psychiatric Risks

Neuropsychiatric events have been reported in some patients taking montelukast (Singulair), zafirlukast (Accolate), and zileuton (Zyflo and Zyflo CR). FDA has requested that manufacturers include a precaution in the drug prescribing information (drug labeling). The reported neuropsychiatric events include postmarket cases of agitation, aggression, anxiousness, dream abnormalities and hallucinations, depression, insomnia, irritability, restlessness, suicidal thinking and behavior (including suicide), and tremor. FDA recommends that: * Patients and healthcare professionals should be aware of the potential for neuropsychiatric events with these medications. * Patients should talk with their healthcare providers if these events occur. * Healthcare professionals should consider discontinuing these medications if patients develop neuropsychiatric symptoms.

Survey: 20% Skipping Rx Drugs Due To Economy

The recession is taking a toll on some American workers’ health and, consequently, is driving many workers to make behavioral changes to improve their health and well-being and better control their own healthcare costs, according to a survey commissioned and released by the National Business Group on Health (NBGH). Some 27% reported forgoing healthcare treatment to save money on copayments or coinsurance costs. About 20% skipped taking their prescription drug medication dosage as prescribed by their doctor.

Survey finds 16.5 million Americans experience depression

Data from a 2007 government survey on drug use and health found 16.5 million American adults had experienced at least one bout of major depression during the past year. Only 64.5% were treated for their depression, researchers said. Rates of depression were higher among younger adults compared to older Americans. Yahoo!/HealthDay News (5/19)

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