Category: Content Updates

COVID-19 Updates

17 March, 2020 no responses

ASHP is committed to bringing you the most relevant COVID-19 updates as we navigate these unprecedented times. 

  • Today, President Trump’s Coronavirus Task Force issued new recommendations to include limiting social gatherings to no more than 10 people over the next 15 days. 
  • The  first participant in a clinical trial for a vaccine to protect against COVID-19 received an experimental dose on Monday.
  • ASHP continues to monitor for impact to drug shortages. 
  • ASHP sent a letter to Vice President Mike Pence urging the Trump Administration to take immediate steps to maximize pharmacist engagement in COVID-19 preparedness and response efforts. We also asked that decisive action by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services be taken to remove barriers to pharmacists’ patient care services. 
  • We are also closely monitoring the impact to personal protective equipment supply and will report results of our survey later this week.
  • We have made AHFS Drug Information available to the public through May 31. You may access this resource with the username “ahfs@ashp.org” and password “covid-19.” 

We encourage you to bookmark ASHP’s COVID-19 Resource Center, which serves as a clearinghouse for more information on COVID-19.

New:  COVID-19 Pandemic Assessment Tool
ASHP has released its COVID-19 Pandemic Assessment Tool for Health-System Pharmacy Departments, which is intended to assist in COVID-19 pandemic planning efforts in departments of pharmacy and to foster pharmacist involvement in preparedness at the institutional and community levels. 

AHFS Patient Medication Information Update – October 2017

19 October, 2017 no responses

The October update to the AHFS Patient Medication Information (PMI) database has been published. Highlights of the update include:

New PMI Monographs

  • Fosaprepitant Injection (Emend®)
    • Fosaprepitant injection is used along with other medications to prevent nausea and vomiting in adults that may occur within 24 hours after receiving cancer chemotherapy treatment. It is also used along with other medications to prevent delayed nausea and vomiting that may occur several days after receiving certain chemotherapy medications.
  • Enasidenib (Idhifa®)
    • Enasidenib is used to treat a certain type of acute myeloid leukemia (AML; a type of cancer that begins in the white blood cells) that has worsened or come back after treatment with other chemotherapy medications.
  • Inotuzumab Ozogamicin Injection (Besponsa®)
    • Inotuzumab ozogamicin injection is used to treat certain acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL; a type of cancer that begins in the white blood cells) in adults who have not responded to previous cancer treatments.
  • Glecaprevir and Pibrentasvir (Mavyret®)
    • The combination of glecaprevir and pibrentasvir is used to treat certain types of chronic (long-term) hepatitis C infection (swelling of the liver caused by a virus).

FDA MedWatch Alert Revisions

  • Obeticholic Acid (Ocaliva®)
    • FDA is warning that the liver disease medicine obeticholic acid is being incorrectly dosed in some patients with moderate to severe decreases in liver function, resulting in an increased risk of serious liver injury and death.
  • Methadone (Dolophine®) & Buprenorphine (Subutex®)
    • FDA is advising that the opioid addiction medications buprenorphine and methadone should not be withheld from patients taking benzodiazepines or other drugs that depress the central nervous system (CNS).

AHFS Drug Information/Essentials Update – October 2017

19 October, 2017 no responses

The October update to the AHFS Drug Information/Essentials database has been published. Highlights from this month’s update include:

New First-Release Monographs

  • Gemtuzumab Ozogamicin (Mylotarg®) – 10:00 (Antineoplastic Agents)
    • Gemtuzumab was removed from US market June 2010 and reapproved September 2017 with many changes
    • New indications: 
      • Treatment of newly diagnosed CD33-positive acute myeloid leukemia in adults.
      • Treatment of relapsed or refractory CD33-positive AML in adults and in pediatric patients 2 years and older.
  • Deutetrabenazine (Austedo®) – 28:92 (Central Nervous System Agents, Miscellaneous)
    • Treatment of chorea associated with Huntington’s disease.
    • Treatment of tardive dyskinesia in adults.
  • Daunorubicin And Cytarabine (Vyxeos®) – 10:00 (Antineoplastic Agents)
    • A liposomal combination of daunorubicin, an anthracycline topoisomerase inhibitor, and cytarabine, a nucleoside metabolic inhibitor, that is indicated for the treatment of adults with newly-diagnosed therapy-related acute myeloid leukemia (t-AML) or AML with myelodysplasia-related changes (AML-MRC).
  • Selenious Acid – 40:12 (Replacement Preparations)
    • Trace element
  • Inotuzumab Ozogamicin (Besponsa®) – 10:00 (Antineoplastic Agents)
    • Treatment of adults with relapsed or refractory B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

FDA MedWatch Alerts

  • Increased risks associated with the use of pembrolizumab (Keytruda) in combination with dexamethasone and an immunomodulatory agent (lenalidomide or pomalidomide) for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma.
    • Affected monographs:
      • 315018,”Pembrolizumab”,”10:00″
  • Obeticholic acid (Ocaliva) is being incorrectly dosed in some patients with moderate to severe decreases in liver function, resulting in an increased risk of serious liver injury and death.
    • Affected monographs:
      • 316059,”Obeticholic Acid”,”56:92″
  • Avoid taking the potassium-lowering drug sodium polystyrene sulfonate (Kayexalate) at the same time as other medicines taken by mouth.
    • Affected monographs:
      • 382108,”Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate”,”40:18.18″
  • Opioid addiction medications buprenorphine and methadone should not be withheld from patients taking benzodiazepines or other drugs that depress the central nervous system (CNS).
    • Affected monographs:
      • 382134,”Methadone”,”28:08.08″
      • 387004,”Buprenorphine”,”28:08.12″
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