Using thiazide diuretics is associated with statistically significant lower odds of developing kidney stones, which supports the use of the products for kidney stone prevention, according to a recent study.
Concurrent Steroids Do Not Reduce Cancer Drugs’ Effectiveness
Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have played a crucial role in the field of immuno-oncology over the past decade, substantially improving the prognosis of different cancers.
Oral Antiviral Drug Paxlovid Reduced Only Some Post-COVID-19 Conditions
Nirmatrelvir-ritonavir, an oral antiviral drug used to treat COVID-19, only appears to reduce some post-COVID-19 conditions, such as combined thromboembolic events, according to a recent study.
Apixaban Suggested as Better OAC for Frail Older Adults With AF
Past research has suggested that elderly veterans who are frail are less likely to be prescribed oral anticoagulants for atrial fibrillation (AF). A recent study suggested a possible way to mitigate some of those challenges.
Veterans Receiving Community Care for Prostate Cancer Might Be Overtreated
Has greater use of community care for veterans with prostate cancer meant more overtreatment?
Military/VA Study Finds That Smallpox Vaccination Is Effective Against MPox
The smallpox vaccine appeared to be effective in preventing mpox (formerly called monkeypox) in U.S. military personnel and veterans, even if received more than a decade previously, according to a new report.
Initiative Utilizing the VIONE Dashboard Reduces Polypharmacy in Veterans
Polypharmacy, the concurrent use of multiple and often unnecessary medications, poses significant health risks to patients, including frailty, hospital admissions, falls and even mortality.
VA Trying to Apply ‘Buy American’ to More Pharmaceuticals
During the first year of the pandemic, the nation learned just how susceptible its healthcare system was to supply-chain problems and how relying on overseas manufacturers for pharmaceuticals and medical supplies can be dangerous when shipping lanes slow or stop entirely
No Increase in Cancer Identified With Use of Ranitidine Vs. Other H2RAs
In 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration asked manufacturers to remove from the market all products containing ranitidine, a histamine-2 receptor antagonist (H2RA) that has been widely used to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease and peptic ulcer disease.
Number of VA Patients Prescribed Opioids Has Plummeted in the Last Decade
The number of VHA patients with opioid prescriptions has plummeted by 67% since 2012, primarily because of the agency’s Opioid Safety Initiative (OSI) beginning a decade ago.
New Journal Article Decries Lack of Recognition for Military Medicine;
A new Special Communication in JAMA Network Open decried that military medicine’s contribution to healthcare advances often are overlooked and that not enough communication occurs between civilian and military clinicians.
Molnupiravir’s Benefit Limited for Severe COVID-19 Outcomes in Veterans
Molnupiravir, an antiviral medication that is used to treat COVID-19, is not associated with significant clinical benefits, such as preventing hospitalizations or death in veterans with COVID-19, according to a recent study.
Legislators Worried About Increased Pharmacy Errors With EHR Rollout
While the rollout of VA’s new electronic health record (EHR) has been paused indefinitely as the department works with the developer to address serious flaws in the system, legislators are worried about ongoing issues at the sites where the new EHR has already been introduced.
With More Than 250,000 Alzheimer’s Patients, VA Is a Market for New Drug
Now that the Food and Drug Administration has granted Fast Track approval for the new Alzheimer’s disease medication Leqembi, the issue of who will pay for it looms large.
Telehealth Rollback Puts Veterans Receiving Opioid Addiction Treatment at Risk
When the COVID-19 pandemic prompted federal policy changes increasing the use of telehealth delivery, one of those was the increased delivery of buprenorphine
COVID-19 Minimally Affected Prescriptions, Hospital Admissions for Veterans with MM
As COVID-19 burst upon the world stage, medical care rapidly shifted from in-person visits to telemedicine consultations with varying results among patients with chronic conditions, cancer and other diseases that required regular and ongoing interaction with medical personnel.
Pharmacist Email Alerts Don’t Reduce Opioid, Benzodiazepines Prescribing
Email alerts sent from pharmacists to practitioners who prescribe opioids and benzodiazepines fail to reduce concurrent prescribing of these medications, which can put patients at risk of overdose, according to a new study.
VA Receives First Doses of Vaccine to Help Combat Monkeypox Outbreak
When the World Health Organization declared monkeypox a public health emergency on July 23, there were more than 4,000 reported cases in the United States. By mid-September, the number of reported U.S. cases had surpassed 24,000.
Pharmacogenomic Testing Had Positive Results for Major Depression Patients
Pharmacogenomic testing can help clinicians avoid prescribing antidepressant medications that might have undesirable outcomes.
Despite Allergic-Type Reactions, Military Study Found Many Patients Can Tolerate Second Dose of COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine
Although serious allergic reactions to mRNA vaccines are extremely rare, fear of them has driven hesitancy among some potential recipients. That especially has been the case when an adverse effect occurred after the first dose.
Acute Heart Failure Patients Benefitted from Use of SGLT2 Inhibitors
KANSAS CITY, MO – While sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2), initially used to treat type 2 diabetes, have been shown to improve health status in chronic heart failure, their effect in acute heart failure has not been as clear, according to a new study....
Costs of Severe Drug Reactions Resulting in Hospitalization at the VHA
Each year, approximately 2 million serious adverse drug reactions (ADRs) occur in the U.S. and are responsible for around 100,000 deaths, according to the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.
Niacin Supplements Appear to Help PD Motor Function
Can niacin supplementation improve motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease patients?
VA Studies Find Older Patients Unexpectedly Amenable to Deprescribing
Clinicians are often wary of suggesting that older patients discontinue some of their medications, believing they will get pushback.
New Line of USP <800> Labels Can Help Assure Staff, Patient Safety
Pharmacists and other healthcare professionals understand the importance of clearly identifying medications requiring special handling, such as those covered by USP <800> and that the safety of staff and patients is at stake.
VHA Offers Inconsistent Benzodiazepine Dosing for AWS
Hospitalized patients with alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) —which is not uncommon—often have increased intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital lengths of stay, more hospital-acquired infections or sepsis and higher in-hospital mortality.
Why Do Cataract, TKA Surgeries Often Cost More at VA vs. Outside Care?
New study raises questions about which veterans requiring cataract and total knee replacement surgeries received community care, as opposed to the cases kept within the VA system.
How one VAMC Pharmacy Implemented Gravimetric IV Workflow Technology
For years, the Institute of Safe Medical Practices and other safety groups have been staunch advocates of technology solutions such as gravimetric verification of drug and diluent volumes and have strongly encouraged their implementation to augment manual processes and provide additional safeguards during sterile compounding.
Stimulants, Drug Mixes Play Increasing Role in Fatal Overdoses
Fatal drug overdoses have surpassed automobile accidents in recent years as the leading cause of accidental death and, despite efforts to reverse that trend, the number of overdoses is rising.
When Is a Medication Changes Necessary in Veterans With Heart Failure?
Inhibition of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) plays an important role in reducing morbidity and mortality in patients with heart failure (HF) —one of the most common causes of hospitalization among veterans—particularly in those with HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF).
