Pharmacy Industry News: Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences to Offer New Bachelor’s Degree Program in Chemistry
Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences to Offer New Bachelor’s Degree Program in Chemistry
Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences will offer a new bachelor’s degree program in chemistry beginning in fall 2012. The program is ideal for students with interests in both health and physical science.
All students in the Chemistry program at ACPHS will complete coursework that spans the five traditional areas of chemistry: analytical, organic, physical, inorganic, and biochemistry. Students may choose to focus their studies in the area of medicinal chemistry, where they will learn how to apply chemical concepts to the design, synthesis, and development of drugs. It is this ability to specialize in medicinal chemistry combined with the health oriented environment at the College that distinguishes the ACPHS chemistry program from those of most other institutions.
The Bureau of Labor (BLS) statistics reports that there are currently 84,000 chemists employed in the workforce with a significant number working in either scientific research/development or pharmaceutical/medicine manufacturing. According to the BLS, median annual wages of chemists as of 2008 were $66,230.
Students graduating from the ACPHS chemistry program will compete favorably for these positions with students from more traditional biology and chemistry programs because (1) their area of study is directly relevant to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries and (2) the interdisciplinary nature of the training that is part of this program.
For those not seeking employment in the pharmaceutical industry, additional options may include attending graduate school in the biological, chemical or pharmaceutical sciences; pursuing a professional program in an allied health field (e.g., medical school, pharmacy school, et al); or entering a teacher preparation program.
“Chemistry plays an integral role in the field of pharmacy, and so the expertise and resources required to offer this program have existed at the College for many years. As a result, we are well positioned to offer a program of exceptional quality that aligns with the College’s longstanding commitment to the advancement of health care,” said David Clarke, Ph.D., the Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, which will oversee the program.
In addition to its Doctor of Pharmacy program, ACPHS now offers four bachelor’s programs and six graduate programs.
CVS Caremark today announced the promotion of three senior executives within its retail pharmacy organization. With more than 7,200 stores in 41 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, CVS/pharmacy is the leading retail pharmacy in the United States.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090226/NE75914LOGO )
Judith Strauss Sansone has been named Senior Vice President of Merchandising for CVS/pharmacy. A seasoned merchant who has worked more than 30 years for the Company, Sansone brings deep industry knowledge to her new role. Most recently, she served as Vice President Merchandising and Pricing, responsible for general merchandise, consumables and front store pricing. During her career with CVS/pharmacy, she has served several roles including Vice President Healthcare Merchandising and Vice President Retail Innovation and Store Design. In addition, Sansone was part of the core team involved in the integration of the former Eckerd, Osco, Sav-on and Longs Drug as part of the acquisition of these chains by CVS/pharmacy.
Robert Price, Chief Marketing Officer of CVS/pharmacy, takes on an expanded role in the company with the addition of retail innovation and store design to his responsibilities. With more than 20 years of retail, strategy and marketing experience, Price will more tightly integrate the store and digital environments to create a more personalized experience for shoppers and patients. At the center of this effort are the proprietary insights drawn from CVS/pharmacy’s ExtraCare loyalty program, the largest of its kind.
Scott Baker, RPh, Executive Vice President, Internal Operations, Real Estate and Supply Chain, adds inventory management and logistics to his responsibilities. In his expanded role, Baker will provide senior level support for inventory management and product flow in partnership with the merchandising and pharmacy teams. Baker also has oversight of real estate, construction and facilities, and front store operations.
“These appointments tap the deep bench strength and diverse talents of our CVS/pharmacy team,” said Mark S. Cosby, President of CVS/pharmacy. “Through the focus of these leaders and their teams, we’re in the unique position to improve the lives of millions of Americans by providing easy, innovative solutions and personalized pharmacy health care at their neighborhood drug store, CVS/pharmacy.”
About CVS Caremark
CVS Caremark (NYSE: CVS) is the largest pharmacy health care provider in the United States with integrated offerings across the entire spectrum of pharmacy care. We are uniquely positioned to engage plan members in behaviors that improve their health and to lower overall health care costs for health plans, plan sponsors and their members. CVS Caremark is a market leader in mail order pharmacy, retail pharmacy, specialty pharmacy, and retail clinics, and is a leading provider of Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plans. As one of the country’s largest pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs), we provide access to a network of approximately 65,000 pharmacies, including more than 7,200 CVS/pharmacy® stores that provide unparalleled service and capabilities. Our clinical offerings include our signature Pharmacy Advisor™ program as well as innovative generic step therapy and genetic benefit management programs that promote more cost effective and healthier behaviors and improve health care outcomes.
Jeff Gelles: Probing the mystery of drug-supply disruption
Rheumatoid arthritis can be a painful, debilitating disease. But like some of its victims, Fred LeStourgeon was lucky enough to find long-term relief through drug therapy – in his case, with a combination of two widely available generic drugs.
Then something odd happened, and LeStourgeon has been asking questions ever since. Last fall, one of the medications he relied on, leflunomide, nearly vanished from the market – only a much higher-priced brand version, Arava, remained available. And when leflunomide returned, the price had jumped more than tenfold – from about $70 for a three-month supply at his Acme Markets pharmacy to $942.
Primary Care Pharmacies
Over the 20 years Mark Taylor has been a pharmacist, he’s seen customers come into his store and pull their pants down or yank their shoes off to see if he could identify a swelling or a rash.
That sort of behavior is likely on the rise: While the economy remains in a slump and people continue to lose health benefits, it’s becoming more common for them to turn to their pharmacists rather than their doctors to address minor health problems.
“It’s definitely more prevalent now than ever before,” said Taylor, who owns Jersey Shore Pharmacy in Egg Harbor Township.
To meet the needs of their customers, pharmacists today provide services that were once the province of primary care physicians. Many offer a battery of vaccinations, from the more common, like those for influenza and pneumonia, to the more specialized, like tetanus, diphtheria, and meningitis. And some of the chain drugstores like Walgreens and CVS now have walk-in clinics staffed with nurse practitioners who can diagnose, treat and write prescriptions for common illnesses like strep throat, bladder infections, pink eye, and ear infections.
This trend isn’t just about health and healing, however.
“We’re always looking to offer more services,” Taylor said. “You’re always looking for ways to get people into your store.”
A Late State
New Jersey was actually one of the last states to allow pharmacists to offer vaccinations. The Pharmacy Practice Act was signed into law in 2005, but lobbyists for the physician community requested that any rules regarding immunization be approved by both the New Jersey Board of Pharmacists and the state Board of Medical Examiners, a process that took about four years.
Some drugstores began offering vaccinations seven or eight years ago by bringing in nursing agencies that were already licensed to give them, but it wasn’t until 2009 that pharmacists were authorized to offer them — for people over the age of 18. They are still prohibited from vaccinating minors.
“It was a concession [to the physicians’ lobby] that these protocols be approved by both boards,” said Laurie Clark, legislative counsel for the New Jersey Pharmacists Association, the industry’s trade group. “The intent wasn’t to take business away from physicians. The intent was to make immunizations more available.”
In fact, fears of a pandemic may be what prompted New Jersey to finally pass the legislation, according to Kristen Binaso, a spokeswoman for the American Pharmacists Association and a practicing pharmacist in New Jersey.
“If you traveled to the West Coast, pharmacies there have been immunizing for at least 10 years. For some reason, the East Coast lagged behind,” Binaso said. “It wasn’t until New York had a champion in the New York City health department, who warned about a pandemic if vaccines weren’t readily available, that New York got legislation passed.”
New Jersey followed suit shortly thereafter, she said.
On the Rise
Since pharmacies began offering immunizations, the number of people vaccinated in the state has gone up, and that’s a good thing, said Linda Gooen, president of the New Jersey Pharmacists Association.
That trend comes as no surprise to pharmacists, who argue that they have more contact with patients than doctors do, so it makes sense that they should be the ones to take care of inoculations.
“Because we see them more often than they would go to their doctor, we have a relationship with them, and we can provide them with immunizations more promptly than a physician would,” said Joseph Tarallo, who owns Park Plaza Pharmacy in Matawan. “But if we have patients who are compromised, we will refer the person back to their physician for a follow-up to the vaccination.”
But immunizations are just part of a pharmacy’s expanded role.
“Pharmacies are really changing from community drugstores to community health destinations,” said John Colaizzi Jr., chairman of the New Jersey Pharmacists Association and a manager at Walgreens, where four of its stores have walk-in clinics. “If there’s anything severe, we would refer you to a physician or emergency room, but most visits to the ER are for minor illnesses, and those are things that our nurse practitioners can treat.”
The pharmacists growing role is making some doctors take pause. While they acknowledge that making immunization more accessible is good for society at large, they also argue that people are doing themselves a disservice if they’re turning to a drug store for healthcare and are no longer seeing a doctor. At-risk patients, such as those with diabetes or other chronic illnesses, for instance, need to see a doctor on a regular basis for monitoring and preventative care, said Lawrence Downs, CEO and general counsel for the Medical Society of New Jersey, which represents the state’s physicians.
“Clearly there’s a public health benefit for getting the most people vaccinated. That’s not disputed. But for at risk people, people with chronic conditions, those folks can benefit from having their vaccinations in a doctor’s office because there are underlying conditions that can be treated at the same time,” Downs said. “We want to make sure those people aren’t forgoing their physician visit just because they can get their vaccine at Walmart.”
How many people getting their vaccinations at a drugstore rather than a doctor’s office? Figures for New Jersey aren’t available, but the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publishes statistics for the entire country — and they offer some guidance.
According to the CDC, “For adults overall, a doctor’s office was the most common place (39.8 percent) for receipt of the 2010-11 influenza vaccine, with stores (e.g., supermarkets or drugstores) (18.4 percent) and workplaces (17.4 percent) the next most common.”
The federal agency continues, “The proportion of adults vaccinated in stores (18.4%) during the 2010-11 season increased in each age group compared with the 1998-99 and 2006-07 influenza seasons, when 5% and 7% of adults, respectively, were vaccinated in stores. This increase likely resulted partly from changes in state laws allowing pharmacists to administer influenza vaccinations to adults.”
Cutting Corners
Dr. Martin Neilan, a primary care physician in Wayne, says getting your healthcare in a drugstore is cutting corners.
“There’s nothing more important than establishing a relationship with your primary care provider or doctor,” he said. “To run in and run out of a pharmacy and get your shots is not a proper way to obtain healthcare.”
Neilan says if patients no longer see their doctors for vaccinations or when they get sick, they may no longer go in for their wellness visits either, which is where they talk to the doctor about other health issues that may have come up and where the doctor may catch something before it gets worse.
” We haven’t discovered some rare disease in someone through a well visit, but they do give people an opportunity to raise other health issues for us to discuss,” he said.
If the new system is working properly, pharmacists should be encouraging their patients to go for their checkups, said Clark of the Pharmacists Association.