Objective. To assess the doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students' desire to obtain additional degrees after graduation. Methods. During the spring 2011 semester, an anonymous 14-question survey instrument was administered to students across all 6 years of the PharmD program to evaluate their interest in obtaining an additional degree after graduation. Demographic data was also collected and analyzed from this convenience sample.Results. Approximately 34% of the respondents (n51,239) indicated a desire to seek an additional degree. Of the additional degrees offered in the survey instrument, more than one-third of the students expressed interest in the master of business administration (MBA). Also, 79% of those respondents were willing to take summer courses to achieve a dual or additional degree. Conclusion. Pharmacy students are interested in obtaining an additional degree(s) after graduation and are willing to complete summer courses to achieve their career goals.

Introduction: With medical cannabis (MC) remaining illegal at the federal level, hospice programs are unsure how to handle requests for MC, particularly since hospice is largely funded with federal dollars. The purpose of this survey was to determine respondents' comfort level with MC use in hospice, what processes and logistics hospice programs are employing when dealing with MC, and to determine what, if any, education hospice programs are providing to their staff. Methods: An anonymous online survey assessed a variety of factors surrounding hospice staff practice, experience, and opinions regarding MC. The survey was disseminated to employees of clients of a large hospice benefit manager as well as through a national hospice and palliative medicine professional organization. Results: Three hundred ten hospice professionals responded to the survey. More than half of the respondents were nurses followed by administrators and physicians. Regardless of legal status, hospice staff members were overwhelmingly in agreement that MC is appropriate for hospice patients to have access to and use. Several barriers to use were identified including discordant legal status between state and federal governments, concerns about clinical efficacy and safety, and a myriad of other societal factors. Wide variations in MC documentation and education practices between hospices were noted. Discussion: The data suggest overwhelming support for MC use in the hospice setting. Our findings highlight important opportunities to support hospice providers and their patients through education and the development of policies around MC.

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The U.S. capacity to manufacture key essential medications has diminished. The U.S. pharmaceutical supply chain (USPSC) has diversified and now relies on international sources of active pharmaceutical ingredients and finished drug products (FDPs). Despite years of effort raising concerns about the USPSC, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians continue to spend a substantial amount of time and energy responding to, and mitigating the impact of, medication shortages, drug recalls, and the adverse outcomes related to low-quality medications. The extent of U.S. reliance on foreign sources of medications is largely unknown. Pharmacists do not have a reliable way to determine the country of origin (i.e., source), capacity, or geographic location of pharmaceutical manufacturers, limiting our ability to anticipate challenges or mitigate risks to our Nation’s drug supply. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s task of regulating quality and safety is challenging and will likely require additional safeguards and resources. In addition to pharmacists’ engagement, solutions will likely need to leverage a mix of policy, economic incentives, and expanded objective surveillance testing. The U.S. pharmaceutical supply chain is complex, global, and goes beyond FDPs. The 2020 American Pharmacists Association House of Delegates has rightly asserted that “The quality and safety of pharmaceutical and other medical products and the global pharmaceutical and medical product supply chain are essential to the United States national security and public health.” Pharmacy professionals on the front line engage with patients, identify medication-related issues, and engage in drug-procurement decisions. Pharmacists are essential to our nation’s overall health and must be engaged in the development and implementation of strategies to safeguard the USPSC.

Recent reports of metformin drug products contaminated with unacceptable levels of the probable human carcinogen N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) prompted a national sampling of post-market metformin drug products. To most broadly sample the market and minimize supply chain bias, metformin medication samples were crowdsourced directly from individuals across many states in the United States. 128 samples were received, and liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry tests for a panel of nitrosamines revealed significant levels of NDMA that trend with labeling company. 42% of all medication samples contained detectable levels of NDMA and, when scaled to maximum daily tablet dose, 36% of all medication samples contained NDMA levels exceeding the FDA daily acceptable intake limit. The highest NDMA detection from the tested samples was 1565 ng per tablet, which, when commonly taken four times a day, is 65 times the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) acceptable daily intake limit. Results underscore the need for immediate product recalls of tainted medications and an overall investigation of metformin manufacturing practices.