2020, Issue 8 of 12 October 7, 2020 ncpharmacists.org
E-News ENews Advancing Pharmacy. Improving Health.
General News NCAP Launches New Website, Member Access Changes The long-awaited new website, Learning Management and Association Management systems are operational. All member data has been migrated over from our previous system. Members were emailed a message, welcoming you to the new website, and providing you with a link to create your new password. Once you use the link, that was emailed to you, to create your password, you will then use your new user name and password to log onto the website. This will take you to the member landing page, where you can update your profile. Our Association Management System and website are fully integrated, which enables us to finally be able to implement modern-day conveniences, such as automatic renewal of annual dues, polling, electronic forms for submitting nominations, and much more. In addition, all of our learning content will be housed on our new Learning Management System, which provides a much better user interface, and allows us to organize both live and on-demand content, including evaluations and assess-
ments for participants, all in one location. If you need help logging in, please call Teressa Reavis at the NCAP office at 984-439-1646.
Event News NCAP Annual Convention October 29-November 6 The NCAP staff and Convention Planning Committee members are excited to bring to you an all virtual convention. The event will have all the features of our past convention-center-hosted conferences, including general plenary sessions, roundtable discussions, scientific posters, workshops, and residency conference. In addition, the virtual format allows us to spread convention out over more days, enabling greater flexibility for pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and student pharmacists to attend, while providing a greater number of sessions and continuing education hours for your interests and professional development needs. Although, attendees will be able to earn as much as 30+ ACPEaccredited, continuing education hours from the convenience of their home or office, this year is about
more than just CE. COVID-19 has disrupted pretty much everything, and we are all feeling a loss of connection with our friends and colleagues. That’s why we have built in a number of virtual social events as part of this year’s event, from ‘share your favorite’ gatherings, to wine and beer tastings, to even a virtual costume party. Expect to be wowed as we address our “Prescription for Public Health” theme and topics that prepare us to advance the roles of pharmacists in improving NC public health. We’ll be tackling such topics as expanded immunizations, hormonal contraception, disease management in an era of COVID-19, tobacco cessation, and telehealth practices, just to name a few. Registration is now open! Paid registrants will have access to all live programming between October 29 and November 6. You can pick and choose what you wish to attend. In addition, your registration will give you access to the recordings of sessions you missed until early December. For information that will be updated daily regarding our annual meeting visit our Convention Website at https://ncapatwork. wixsite.com/website or to register for the event you can click here for the direct link.
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Election News NCAP Elections Are In Process Members were emailed a link to the candidates bio and a ballot for election on September 24th. If you have not yet voted, please look for this email. If you cannot find the email and would like to vote please contact us at (984) 439-1646. Voting will remain open through Thursday, October 15th.
Practice Advancement News Practice Advancement NCAP Continues Facilitating Community-Based Opioid Harm Reduction Services On September 3rd, NCAP submitted our final report to the Governor’s Institute for their grant funds in which NCAP worked to help community pharmacies expand opioid harm reduction services in North Carolina. This was a difficult grant year given the disruptive nature of COVID-19 and the impact that it produced on community pharmacies. However, despite the pandemic’s challenges, we still managed to generate some positive outcomes. During the year NCAP provided outreach to 67 pharmacies and training for teams in 25 of these pharmacies. Twentyone of the pharmacies stayed with us in various capacities through the grant year. Six of the participating pharmacies worked to expand their harm reduction services that they had started during the previous year’s grant; and 15 pharmacies
worked to establish harm reduction services, ranging from proactive naloxone dispensing, non-discriminatory syringe sales and routine use of the CSRS for risk of opioid misuse and overdose, and risk reduction care planning. Our participating pharmacies were located within 15 different counties, ranging from the coast to the mountains, and including both rural and urban communities. We also used grant funds to support the development of harm reduction resource flyers for pharmacists in 18 rural counties. Plus this year we developed three video vignettes (soon to be released): 1) Know your Patients—Screening for Risk of Overdose and OUD in the Pharmacy; 2) Naloxone Facts for Pharmacists; and 3) CSRS Best Practices for Pharmacists. NCAP was honored to have received the 2019-2020 grant that supported the above work; and we are pleased to announce, to our members, that the Governor’s Institute has just awarded NCAP a 2020-2021 grant to continue to support our opioid prevention and harm reduction work with community pharmacies. There will be more to come on this in the coming weeks. New Practice Advancement Resources In Development Be on the lookout for …. A new and improved Immunization Toolkit, bringing the resources you need as a certified immunizer front and center with just the click of a button. • A Virtual Toolkit for Establishing Clinical Pharmacy •
Services loaded with practical and reasonable step-by-step processes and materials to help any pharmacy establish clinical services regardless of their practice setting. • Advanced Training in Tobacco Cessation as we work to improve and expand pharmacists led tobacco cessation services in North Carolina community practice. • A Pharmacists Opioid Stewardship Virtual Learning Modules enhancing pharmacists’ roles in preventative and patient care services related to Opioid Misuse
Partner News Partner of the Month NCAP is pleased to recognize “Your Community Health Plan” as our October partner of the month. Your Community Health Plan is a level-funded, self-insured solution powered by local primary care providers, community-based pharmacists and trusted NC vendors. These plans allow employers with as few as 5 employees to better manage their health insurance costs and spend up to 40% less than traditional employee benefits. In the past, smaller employers had difficulties taking advantage of selffunding’s cost saving capabilities over traditional health insurance. Not any longer. Your Community Health Plan is a form of partial self-funding that reduces healthcare costs for employers by combining the advantages of a traditional, fully insured health
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plan with a self-funded benefit program. Our unique value based contracts for primary care and pharmacy puts them in a fiduciary position to the employee and the plan, saving them both money. This hybrid plan allows employers with 5 to 100 employees to pay a set monthly amount towards claims, similar to traditional insurance plan premiums. The difference? With level funding, the employer receives a refund of 75% unused claims on the plan anniversary date. Transparency into your plans spending helps to improve your benefits and keep insurance costs low. With Your Community Health Plan employers can now enjoy financial predictability, control of their plan and the opportunity to benefit from favorable claims years. For more information go to https:// yourcommunityhealthplan.com/.
Forum News Student Pharmacist Forum The Student Pharmacist Forum will host an NCAP informational webinar on Tuesday October 13th at noon. The webinar will be presented by Anita Yang, SPF Chair and Dr. Penny Shelton, NCAP Executive Director. Topics planned for the session include student membership benefits, what to expect for students in the upcoming NCAP convention, ways students can become more involved in NCAP, and sounding board for students to share what they are looking for
from their state pharmacy association. There is no cost for the webinar, and student pharmacists can join the event at the following zoom webinar access: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8122783 2635?pwd=MFMwREgycUROWH hYaDhmOGlyVmRwUT09 Passcode: 863303. New Practitioner Forum The New Practitioner Forum will host our first-ever leadership book club (The Leadership Buzz) for individuals in residency or the first two years of their career. It is an opportunity to learn and connect, while developing knowledge to help transform your future. This is a great way to build your network, too. There will be a series of six books facilitated by six different leaders in pharmacy. Individuals interested in participating are encouraged to register here. The event will include the following schedule: • The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team with Positive Energy Book - Jon Gordon Facilitated by: Dr. Udobi Campbell (UNC Medical Center) Monday, November 30, 2020 • Radical Candor: Be a Kick-ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity—Kim Scott Facilitated by: Dr. Matthew Kelm (Duke Medical Center) Thursday, January 28, 2021 • Leadership in Turbulent Times—Doris Kearns Goodwin Facilitated by: Dr. Michael Ad-
ams (Dean, Campbell University College of Pharmacy) Thursday, February 25, 2021 • Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High—Kerry Patterson Facilitated by Dr. Riley Bowers (New Practitioner Forum Leadership Team) Wednesday March 31, 2021 • The Five Dysfunctions of a Team—Patrick Lencioni Facilitated by: Dr. Tyler Vest (New Practitioner Forum Leadership Team) Thursday, April 29, 2021 • Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts—Brene Brown Facilitated by: Drs. Carrie Baker and Briana Berish (New Practitioner Forum Leadership Team) Monday, May 31, 2021
FDA News Nucala Approved for Hypereosinophilic Syndrome The FDA has approved GlaxoSmithKline’s Nucala (mepolizumab) in the treatment of adults and children age 12 years and older with hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES). The approval was based on the treatment group having fewer and later occurring HES flare-ups as compared to placebo. Nucala is the first drug approved for HES in 14 years. Kalydeco Approved for Cystic Fibrosis in Infants
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The FDA has approved Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ Kalydeco (ivacaftor) to treat cystic fibrosis in children ages four months to less than six months old who have at least one mutation in their cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene that is responsive to the drug. Kalydeco was previously approved in the U.S. to treat cystic fibrosis in patients ages six months and older. Gilead Settles Letairis Kickback Allegations for $97 Million Gilead Sciences has agreed to pay $97 million to settle allegations by the Department of Justice (DOJ) that the company illegally used a foundation to pay Medicare copays for its arterial hypertension drug Letairis (ambrisentan). J&J Begins Largest Global Phase 3 COVID-19 Vaccine Trial to Date Johnson and Johnson (J&J) is the fourth pharmaceutical company to begin a large-scale phase 3 trial of a COVID-19 vaccine candidate. The ENSEMBLE trial, will be the largest late-stage trial to date, and will test the safety and efficacy of a single dose of Ad26.COV2.S against placebo in the prevention of COVID-19 for 60,000 volunteers in eight countries. CARB-X Awards GSK $7.5 Million to Develop UTI Treatment The Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (CARB-X) has granted GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) $7.5 million to develop a drug to treat and
prevent recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) caused by E. coli bacteria. The orally administered drug targets a protein on the surface of E.coli bacteria, preventing the pathogen from attaching to the bladder wall. Gilead Expands Immuno-Oncology Pipeline with $21 Billion Immunomedics Acquisition Gilead Sciences has announced that it will spend $21 billion to acquire New Jersey drugmaker Immunomedics as part of its ongoing expansion into immune-oncology treatments. FDA Expands Trelegy Ellipta Label to Include Asthma The FDA has approved GlaxoSmithKline’s (GSK) and Innoviva’s Trelegy Ellipta (fluticasone furoate /umeclidinium /vilanterol) as a maintenance treatment for asthma in patients ages 18 years and older whose asthma is uncontrolled with inhaled corticosteroids and longacting beta agonist therapy. The approval makes Trelegy the first single-inhaler, triple-therapy approved for maintenance treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Trelegy Ellipta was initially approved in September 2017 for the long-term, once-daily maintenance treatment of patients with COPD. Gavreto Approved for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer The FDA has approved Blueprint Medicines’ Gavreto (pralsetinib) for adults with metastatic rearranged
during transfection (RET), fusionpositive non-small cell lung cancer. Blueprint Medicines and Genentech will co-commercialize Gavreto in the U.S. Onureg Approved for Acute Myeloid Leukemia The FDA has approved Bristol Myers Squibb’s Onureg (azacitidine 300 mg tablets) for adults with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who achieved first complete remission (CR) or CR with incomplete blood count recovery (CRi) following chemotherapy and cannot complete intensive curative therapy. Onureg is the first FDA-approved continued treatment for AML patients in remission. Sogroya Approved for Adult Growth Hormone Deficiency The FDA has approved Novo Nordisk’s Sogroya (sompacitan) for adults with growth hormone deficiency. Sogroya is the first human growth hormone therapy that is only taken once a week by injection under the skin. Other approved therapies must be administered daily.
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