» GPhA Buzz from the Georgia Pharmacy Association GPhA Buzz from the Georgia Pharmacy Association

Good-bye, farewell, and … amen?

Well, it’s time to say good-bye to all you wonderful readers. After today, GPhA’s astounding Holly Hanchey will take over GPhA Buzz, which will continue on its weekly schedule. It’s been great fun writing these the past … yikes, almost 8 years.

Does pot beat benzos?

Where marijuana is legal, patients fill fewer prescriptions for benzodiazepines. They also fill slightly more prescriptions for antipsychotics and antidepressants, while neither barbiturates nor sleep meds are affected. All this comes out of research from Georgia Tech policy wonks based on prescription data.

Now do we worry?

The CDC has reported the first severe case of H5N1 bird flu in a human — a hospitalized Louisiana patient who had contact with backyard, not commercial, poultry. This is the 61st human case reported in the US, although there are probably a lot more going unreported. Our friends up north have already seen at least one severe case — a teenager who was hospitalized* in critical condition in British Columbia last month.

Driving away Alzheimer’s?

Taxi and ambulance drivers seem to have lower rates of Alzheimer’s, although it’s unclear why this might be the case.

What’s with all the food recalls?

You might have noticed that there seem to have been a lot of food-borne disease outbreaks and recalls.