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Videos

Experts discuss what they learned at the American Pharmacists Association Annual Meeting and Exposition 2025.

Recap: Pharmacists Share The Biggest Takeaways from APhA 2025

Articles

A conversation with Rob Frankil, RPh, executive director of the Philadelphia Association of Retail Druggists.

Q&A: Pharmacy Closures, PBM Reform, and How Pharmacists Can Effectively Advocate

Jasmine Cutler, PharmD, CPh, assistant professor in the department of pharmacy practice at the Taneja College of Pharmacy, discusses role of education and accessibility in reproductive health.

Expert Discusses Role of the Pharmacist in Reproductive Health | APhA 2025

Susan Cornell, PharmD, CDCES, FAPhA, FADCES, associate director of experiential education at the College of Pharmacy at Midwestern University, also addresses personalized care and the expanding responsibilities of pharmacists.

Expert Discusses Critical Role of Technology in Diabetes Care | APhA 2025

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Belantamab mafodotin-blmf is now indicated for adult patients with relapsed or refractory myeloma who have received at least 4 prior therapies. 

Belantamab mafodotin-blmf for Relapsed or Refractory Multiple Myeloma

On October 22, 2020, the FDA approved remdesivir (Veklury; Gilead) as the first treatment for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Remdesivir in the Treatment of COVID-19

journal explores issues within pharmacy, from the impact advocacy can have in community pharmacies to staffing shortages across multiple sectors within pharmacy. This month’s issue also explored the importance of disease awareness months and how they are opportunities to maximize valued care. Check out a preview of this month’s issue here.

download the PDF of the Total Pharmacy August 2024 issue here

Don’t get left behind: Sign up today for our 

 and get the latest drug information, industry trends, and patient care tips delivered straight to your inbox.

See what’s trending in pharmacy with a preview of the Total Pharmacy August issue.

Total Pharmacy

In This Issue: Total Pharmacy August 2024

Combining sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2is) with glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) may offer additional protection against cardiovascular and kidney disease in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), according to the results of a new meta-analysis published in 

 and presented at the 61st European Renal Association Congress in Stockholm, Sweden.

Separately, SGLT2is and GLP-1RAs have demonstrated cardiovascular benefits. However, little clinical literature has focused on outcomes associated with using the medicines together. Due to the growing prevalence of GLP-1RAs in the 

 and obesity landscape, accelerated by an increasing number of indications for the agent class, this is a crucial area for further study.

The SGLT2 Inhibitor Meta-analysis Cardio-Renal Trialists’ Consortium (SMART-C) is the largest assessment of outcomes for the combined therapeutic use of SGLT2is and GLP-1RAs. The study gathered data from 12 large-scale, placebo-controlled trials of SGLT2is involving 73,238 patients with diabetes. Of these, 3065 were already receiving GLP-1RAs.

Overall, SGLT2is lowered the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events by 11% and hospitalization for heart failure or cardiovascular death by 23% compared to placebo. Notably, this benefit was seen regardless of whether patients were also taking GLP-1RAs.

When used together with GLP-1RAs, SGLT2is reduced the risk of chronic kidney disease progression by 33% and slowed the annual loss of kidney function by nearly 60%.

The study found no additional safety concerns when SGLT2is were used in combination with GLP-1RAs.

Study Reveals Robust Benefits of Semaglutide in Protecting Against Kidney, CV Events in Patients With T2D

Current meta-analysis results build off positive results of the landmark FLOW trial (

). Published earlier in May, results of the international, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled phase 3 trial spotlighted semaglutide’s effectiveness in lowering the risk of kidney failure, decelerating worsening kidney function, and protecting against the risk of cardiovascular events and death, in patients with T2D.

“SGLT2 inhibitors have clear protective effects against heart failure and chronic kidney disease, while GLP-1 receptor agonists can reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, and also kidney disease—as recently demonstrated in the landmark FLOW trial,” said Brendon Neuen, lead author, clinical associate professor, senior research fellow at The George Institute for Global Health, and director of kidney trials at Sydney’s Royal North Shore Hospital, in a news release.

 “Our findings support using this combination to further improve outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes who meet guideline recommendations for both therapies.”

Elevated glucose from diabetes can damage blood vessels in the heart and kidneys, increasing the risk of 

 and kidney disease. In fact, diabetes is the most common cause of chronic kidney disease.

Moreover, estimates predicting that T2D prevalence will more than double in the next 30 years, surpassing 1 billion global cases by 2050, further strengthen the need for research into diabetes care.

 According to Neuen in an interview with 

 conducted over email, the current study offers valuable insights for developing global treatment strategies for the condition.

"These findings, which represent the largest and most comprehensive evaluation of the combined use of SGLT2i and GLP-1RA, provides the clearest evidence yet that combined use of both medicines can further reduce cardiovascular and kidney disease," said Neuen. "We anticipate that these findings will inform how people with diabetes are treated worldwide, including influencing major clinical practice guidelines.

Although current results suggest that using SGLT2is and GLP-1RAs in tandem may offer robust protection against cardiovascular and kidney disease, further research is needed to fully understand the long-term effects of the combination therapy.

Pharmacy practice is always changing. Stay ahead of the curve: Sign up for our 

 and get the latest drug information, industry trends, and patient care tips, straight to your inbox.

1. Apperloo E, Neuen BL et al. Efficacy and safety of sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors with and without glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists: A SMART-C collaborative meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. 

. 2024. doi: 10.1016/S2213-8587(24)00183-9

2. Massaro L. Study reveals robust benefits of semaglutide in protecting against kidney, CV events in patients with T2D. 

https://www.drugtopics.com/view/study-reveals-robust-benefits-of-semaglutide-in-protecting-against-kidney-cv-events-in-patients-with-t2d

3. Combining popular diabetes drugs offers complementary heart and kidney benefits. News release. The George Institute for Global Health. July 9, 2024. Accessed July 10, 2024. 

https://www.georgeinstitute.org/media-releases/combining-popular-diabetes-drugs-offers-complementary-heart-and-kidney-benefits

4. Mayo Clinic Staff. Chronic kidney disease. Fact sheet. Accessed July 8, 2024. 

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/chronic-kidney-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20354521

5. Klein HE. Diabetes prevalence expected to double globally by 2050. 

https://www.ajmc.com/view/diabetes-prevalence-expected-to-double-globally-by-2050

When used together, sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2is) and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) were able to lower the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events and kidney disease by 11% and 33%, respectively.

Clinical

SGLT2i, GLP-1RA Combination Therapy Offers Robust Protection Against Cardiovascular, Kidney Disease

Understanding Flublok

Please click here for full Prescribing Information.

Sponsored Content: This video is sponsored by Sanofi.


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Understanding Flublok® (Influenza Vaccine)

A conversation with Nicole Cieri-Hutcherson, PharmD, BCPS, MSCP, FCCP, clinical associate professor at University at Buffalo.

Pharmacist-Administered Injectable Contraception Can Help Fill Gaps in Care

In the United States, over 65% of women between the ages of 15 and 49 currently use some form of contraception. Of those, 14% reported using the pill and 10.4% said they use long-acting reversible methods, such as intrauterine devices or contraceptive implants.

Access to contraception is critical. However, depending on the state, between 17% and 53% of patients currently live in a contraception desert, where access to contraception is limited.

As the most accessible members of the health care team, pharmacists are well positioned to help improve access to contraception. In a recent review published in the 

Journal of the American Pharmacists Association

, investigators assessed the feasibility, applicability, and satisfaction of pharmacist-administered injectable contraception.

 The study found that it can be beneficial, accessible, and convenient for patients.

® recently sat down with Nicole Cieri-Hutcherson, PharmD, BCPS, MSCP, FCCP, clinical associate professor at University at Buffalo and an author on the study, to discuss why community pharmacists are well-positioned to provide injectable contraception, as well as how pharmacists and patients view the service.

“Community pharmacists … [with] their current scope of practice and ability to administer vaccinations means that contraceptive injection techniques are training that they already have,” Cieri-Hutcherson said.

“Pharmacists have the opportunity to really address a large gap in contraceptive access,” she added. “Over 19 million females of reproductive age in the US reside in a contraceptive desert, which means that they are unable to easily access a health clinic that offers the full range of contraceptive methods.”

1. Contraceptive Use. Report. National Center for Health Statistics. December 15, 2023. Accessed March 17, 2025. 

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/contraceptive.htm

2. Barber JS, Ela E, Gatny H, et al. Contraceptive Desert? Black-White Differences in Characteristics of Nearby Pharmacies. 

. 2019 Aug;6(4):719-732. doi: 10.1007/s40615-019-00570-3. Epub 2019 Feb 20. PMID: 30788813; PMCID: PMC6660992.

3. Cieri-Hutcherson NE, Hutcherson TC, Bradley EM, et al. Mixed-methods systematic review of pharmacist-administered injectable contraception: Insights from patients, pharmacists, and other health care professionals. 

 (2003). 2025 Feb 15:102360. doi: 10.1016/j.japh.2025.102360. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39956291.

Join Shawn Bjorndal, PharmD, RPh, and Jesse McCullough, PharmD, for the first episode of Dispensing Leadership, a new podcast from Drug Topics and RPhAlly.

Dispensing Leadership: Defining Your Philosophy

In today’s complex health care landscape, having leadership skills is an integral part of being a pharmacist. Strong leadership skills allow pharmacists to improve workflows, successfully guide their teams, and improve health outcomes. Without them, the result is disjointed dispensing of medication, uncoordinated patient care, and stagnated innovation.

In Dispensing Leadership, a new podcast offering from Drug Topics® and RPhAlly, Shawn Bjorndal, PharmD, RPh, a visionary health care executive with over 16 years of experience and founder of PGxAlly, and Jesse McCullough, PharmD, a pharmacist-turned-entrepreneur with a passion for leadership development, will discuss essential leadership skills for pharmacists, how to develop them, and, ultimately, how to advance the pharmacy profession.

In the first episode, Shawn and Jesse discuss why defining a philosophy is key for pharmacists who want to excel in their career. Jesse outlines the key components of creating a philosophy, including taking an inventory, asking how it can serve you, and the importance of not being afraid to upgrade or change if there are better ways to think about it.

“My call to action would be, to begin by taking an inventory,” Jesse said. “What are some of those common phrases or what are some of those common beliefs that you have? Those are absolutely your philosophy. Take an inventory of that. As you make that list, you need to ask yourself, ‘How do those philosophies serve me?’ Are they beneficial or are they detrimental to the work that you are trying to do?”

Be sure to tune in every month on Drug Topics for important conversations that will help you develop your skills to become an effective pharmacy leader. All episodes of Dispensing Leadership will be available in a video format via 

, with an audio version available through Spotify.

1. Aman M, Arakawa N, Anderson C. Leadership competencies and behaviors in pharmacy: A qualitative content analysis. 2025. 

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sapharm.2025.02.001

Join Shawn Bjorndal, PharmD, RPh, and Jesse McCullough, PharmD, for the first episode of Dispensing Leadership, a new podcast from Drug Topics® and RPhAlly.

Practice Management

With ongoing concerns about a depleting pharmacy industry, the result of communities becoming pharmacy deserts has garnered increased attention in recent years. As overarching solutions are being considered, some industry experts have hit the ground running and are using expert data to bring the issue of pharmacy deserts to the forefront.

“Pharmacists are providing clinical advice, testing, immunizations, and many other necessary services to maintain good health. A pharmacy desert is really where patients don't have access to those services because there's not a pharmacy that's accessible in the market,” said Jennifer Zilka, Senior Vice President of Community and Specialty Pharmacy at Cencora, and President of Good Neighbor Pharmacy.

In the most recent episode of Over the Counter, Zilka was joined by her colleague Kyle Pudenz, DBA, Senior Vice President of Data & Analytics at Cencora.

“If we're able to provide our pharmacists better insights and information about the presence of communities and for them to proactively reach out and address these patients, maybe that changes the definition of pharmacy deserts altogether,” said Pudenz.

Zilka has expertise in overseeing a network of community pharmacies while Pudenz provides insights into patient populations and communities across the country. They sat down with 

 to discuss how their team is identifying and defining pharmacy deserts. They also explored what’s being done to stop the spread and what they hope the future of the pharmacy industry will look like.

“Currently, there are growing concerns in the United States over the limited access to pharmacies in certain areas,” according to Cencora. “There are 150 counties where there is no pharmacy, and nearly 4.8 million people who live in a county where there’s only one pharmacy for every 10,000 residents or more. In recent years, several factors, including reimbursement challenges, rising costs, changing consumer behavior, and staff shortages, have forced many pharmacies to close, further worsening access to pharmacy services.”

Stay tuned for weekly podcast episodes on 

 every Thursday afternoon. Check out our previous episode with 

, who discussed the myriad of emerging technologies being researched for the future of pain management.

Are you ready to elevate your pharmacy practice? Sign up today for our 

Insight into US pharmacy deserts. Cencora. August 7, 2024. Accessed March 10, 2025. 

https://view.ceros.com/amerisourcebergen/cencora-pharmacy-desert-map/p/1

Cencora representatives with expertise into pharmacy desert insights joined Drug Topics to discuss issues in pharmacy access and what is being done to address them.

Ryan Nolan, PharmD Candidate 2021

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