Bridging the Gap: Tools to Improve Health Literacy
Nicole Salata, PharmD, MS, MBA, a pharmacist with PharmD Live, encountered a 50+-year-old woman on two types of insulin and four anti-diabetic oral medications who still regularly had blood sugar levels in the 200-300 range. The Spanish-speaking patient had a language barrier, among other health literacy issues. Dr. Salata is a fluent Spanish speaker as well. […]
2021 Updated Review of AGS Beers Criteria®
By Kelly Wesselman, PharmD Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in Older Adults with Chronic Diseases The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) Beers Criteria® for Potentially Inappropriate Medication (PIM) Use in Older Adults is a resource for physicians and pharmacists to make careful clinical decisions for their patients. Updated in 2019, using the AGS Beers Criteria® improves medication […]
Polypharmacy in Seniors: The New Health Crisis
By Cynthia Chioma Nwaubani, PharmD, BCGP | CEO & Founder | PharmD Live Background on Polypharmacy in Seniors The population of persons 65 years and older is rapidly increasing. Approximately 49 million Americans are age 65 and older, and for the next 19 years,10,000 people will turn 65 every day. Projections estimate that the population of […]
Aduhelm: Development or Dissension?
By Minitha Jacob, PharmD Candidate, and Hannah Grice, PharmD Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is considered the most common cause of dementia and accounts for about 60% of cases (approximately 5.7 million adults) in the US. Alzheimer’s is primarily seen in patients aged 65 years and older. Statistics predict the number of cases to double by 2050.1 […]
Aduhelm: The New Alzheimer’s Drug and its Coverage Implications with Alzheimer’s Disease
by Giftina Wilson, PharmD Candidate On June 7, 2021, the FDA approved the controversial Aduhelm® (aducanumab) for treating Alzheimer’s Disease despite inadequate evidence of the drug’s efficacy based on a highly debated posthoc analysis.1 Currently, there is an ongoing discussion on whether Medicare will provide coverage of this new antibody to its beneficiaries. Aduhelm is […]