pharmacy

It's been just over a month since we last discussed cases of misfilled internet prescriptions and misbehavior by a US drug wholesaling firm. Yesterday, Sandra Kiume at OmniBrain told us about the death of a woman in British Columbia from what sounds like another case of terribly misrepresented drugs purchased over the internet (a second story is here). As Sandra noted, A "strong sleeping pill and sedative" which "has been linked to overdose deaths in other countries and is not legally available in Canada" [nobody says which one!] along with an "anti-anxiety" medication and acetaminophen…
For those who have been asking over the last couple of days, here are the oath of a pharmacist as recited at US colleges of pharmacy and a code of ethics adopted in 1994 by the then-American Pharmaceutical Association (now the American Pharmacists Association; still APhA). There seems to be a strong focus on the patient in the code of ethics but there's also a bit of wiggle room that can be interpreted as one sees fit. Oath of a Pharmacist At this time, I vow to devote my professional life to the service of all humankind through the profession of pharmacy. I will consider the welfare of…
Yesterday's discussion of a pharmacist's right to refuse filling prescriptions based on moral or legal grounds generated some great discussion. I appreciate the thoughtful discussion of the commenters as well as two posts on the topic by Prof Janet Stemwedel. The first draws from her older post on the topic nearly two years ago, illustrating that we haven't come very far in this debate. As Janet noted then Obviously, we've got a tug-of-war here between the moral convictions of the health care professionals and the moral convictions of the patients. I'm also going to quote Janet heavily…
So reads the title of an excellent essay Medscape has reprinted from a recent issue of the American Journal of Health-Systems Pharmacists by Emily Evans (free reg req'd). Evans is a Pharm.D. faculty member at the College of Pharmacy of the University of Louisiana at Monroe. She writes: In Texas, three pharmacists are fired for refusing to fill a rape victim's prescription for emergency contraception because it "violated [their] morals." A Wisconsin pharmacist refuses to fill, or transfer out, a similar prescription and is put on trial for violating the state's regulation and licensing…
Long ago in a place far away, I was a full-time pharmacy professor. I love pharmacy students, almost as much as I love medical and nursing students. But, to me, pharmacy students were special because they would one day be the frontline health professional seen first by the majority of the public. I took very seriously my responsibility to share with my students every known mechanism of drug action, why some drugs were better than others, and how some drugs interacted with others. I credit my pharmacy students with encouraging to develop my interest in herbal medicines, sifting the wheat…
Medscape Pharmacists has a great article up by Jacqueline Kostwick on modern options for a careers in pharmacy (free reg required). The article is directed toward already-practicing pharmacists who are looking to move within the profession, but it is also a great primer for the prospective student. For those of you who think that pharmacy practice in the US simply involves, "count, lick, and stick," like you see at your local community pharmacy, you would be wrong. Indeed, 61% of graduates still end up in community pharmacy, usually at chain drug stores, but the conversion of the entry-level…
While we're on the topic of death and acknowledging that 70-ish is a life well-lived, I'd note that experimental pharmacologist and legendary gonzo journalist, Dr Hunter S Thompson, would have been 69 yesterday. His widow, Anita, keeps a blog at their fortified Owl Farm estate and posted this loving tribute to The Good Doctor yesterday. Although we were live-blogging from Aspen last week, we're certainly not the kind of folks to go poking around in Mrs Thompson's business up Woody Creek Road - plus, I really do fear the remaining explosives, especially with a 4-year-old running wild and…
Monday's contest to win $50 decoding the chemical and historical nature of the Terra Sigillata banner masthead got such a response that I didn't even expect it. Amazingly, one entrant answered 4 of the 5 questions correctly, with the 5th being closest of anyone. I'll be contacting the lucky feller forthwith regarding delivery of his fifty American dollars. The answers will follow in subsequent posts, but here are the questions once again of you care to exercise your mind: 1. What is the complete name of the dude on the righthand side of the banner and why do you think I picked him to as the…
I've never properly acknowledged the commercial artist, Mr Brien O'Reilly of SaBOR Design, who designed the content-rich, scientific eye-candy banner in the masthead above for the Sb version of Terra Sigillata. So, I'd like to kick off the week raising awareness of the banner and advertising Mr O'Reilly's talents and services by asking some questions of you about the design elements of the banner. And, since I know that many readers of Terra Sig are poor graduate students or postdoctoral fellows, I'm well-aware that nothing gets your attention like cash-for-knowledge. (Well, yes, free…
As someone who has been associated with colleges of pharmacy as student or professor for 25 years, I feel compelled to weigh in on the debate raging in the US between a pharmacist's right of conscientious objection to filling certain prescriptions and their responsibilities as a licensed health professional of the state. I originally intended this discussion to target the emergency contraceptive, Plan B. However, today's post by Tara about a pharmacist refusing to fill a Vicodin prescription for a relative after breast surgery reminds me of the slippery slope we face in permitting health…