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2020 March Newsletter

PHARMACOM LLC

A Consulting Company

March 2020


FDA Approves Prescription-to-OTC Switches

The FDA approved three products to be switched from prescription to OTC status. Voltaren Arthritis Pain is a topical gel containing 1% diclofenac sodium. It is used for temporary relief of joint pain caused by osteoarthritis. Pataday Twice Daily Relief eye drops contain 0.1% olopatadine hydrochloride, and Pataday Once Daily Relief eye drops contain 0.2% olopatadine hydrochloride. Both eye drops are used for temporary relief of itchy and red eyes resulting from allergies.

Crowdsourcing Used to Pay Medical Bills

The University of Chicago estimates that eight million Americans use crowdsourcing, including websites such as GoFundMe, to raise money to pay medical bills for themselves or someone in their household. An additional 12 million have started a crowdsourcing campaign for someone outside of their household. About 20% of Americans have donated to campaigns to help people pay for medical expenses. Increasing use of online fundraisers to pay medical bills highlights the increasing costs of health care, even for those who have insurance.

FDA Approves New Cholesterol-Lowering Drug

The FDA approved Nexletol (bempedoic acid) to lower LDL cholesterol in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. It reduces LDL cholesterol when taken alone and when added to other lipid-lowering medications. Bempedoic acid is an adenosine triphosphate-citrate lyase (ACL) inhibitor, and it is the first oral non-statin drug approved in nearly 20 years. The drug is viewed as an alternative for patients who are unable to take statins or do not respond to them.

Buprenorphine and Methadone Most Effective for Opioid Abuse

Buprenorphine and methadone appear to be the best medical treatment for patients with opioid use disorder (OUD). A comparison of six pathways (no treatment, inpatient detoxification, intensive outpatient behavioral health, non-intensive behavioral health, buprenorphine or methadone, and naltrexone) found that buprenorphine or methadone were most effective at reducing the risk of overdose and improving outcomes. Despite the demonstrated effectiveness of medications, an estimated one million patients with OUD go untreated each year because they do not have access to treatment.

March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

March is National Kidney Month

March 15-21 is National Poison Prevention Week

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