Introduction For decades, the field of hepatology faced a glaring therapeutic void. Metabolically-dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), formerly and still widely known as Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH), affects millions globally, driving a rising tide of cirrhosis, liver failure, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Despite its prevalence, affecting an estimated 5.3% of the global adult population, it has earned a reputation as a "graveyard" for pharmaceutical develop

You've just had a check-up with your doctor and the decision was made to start you on a new medication. Or maybe you've been discharged from the hospital and have been given a whole LIST of new medications to take. All you want to do is go home. The instructions are on the bottle. You don't need to know anything else...right? WRONG! Your doctor or pharmacist should be telling you all the nitty-gritty details about your new medication. If not, make sure to ask these questions!

Introduction Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) is one of the most aggressive and difficult-to-treat forms of cancer, characterized by rapid growth and early metastasis. For decades, patients who progressed after initial platinum-based chemotherapy faced poor prognoses and limited treatment options, often relying on older chemotherapy agents with modest efficacy and high toxicity. This landscape shifted significantly on November 19, 2025, when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Introduction Obesity is a chronic disease associated with reduced quality of life and increased mortality, yet effective treatment options remain logistically challenging for many patients. While Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) have revolutionized the management of obesity and Type 2 diabetes, they are predominantly peptide-based drugs administered via subcutaneous injection. The production complexities and administration discomfort associated with injec

By Vanessa Muller, PharmD Introduction When public-health rules shift, pharmacies often become the steady, familiar places people turn for timely guidance. Over the past several years, from COVID-19 surges to mpox outbreaks to shifting preventive-service coverage, communities have navigated rapid uncertainty. Through all of it, one quietly powerful tool has helped keep care accessible: State Standing Orders. Standing Orders are statewide clinical protocols that allow pharmaci

by Benjamin Levinson, MD Drug discovery is a long and complicated process that entails the search for, and development of, an agent (chemical or biological) that will offer treatment of a human malady. A drug company invests extensive time and resources into this search. As one professional has said, ‘We find a chemical or biological substance and then wrap in scientific data to treat a disease of interest.’ This process of discovery begins in the laboratory and only after a

Introduction For over half a century, the pharmacotherapy of schizophrenia has relied almost exclusively on a single mechanism of action: the modulation of dopamine receptors, specifically the blockade of D2 receptors. While effective for positive symptoms like hallucinations, these "dopaminergic" agents often fail to adequately address negative symptoms (such as apathy) and cognitive impairment. Furthermore, they are burdened by significant side effects, including weight gai

Introduction For decades, the pharmacological management of acute pain has been caught in a difficult dichotomy: the high efficacy but dangerous addiction potential of opioids versus the safer but often less potent profile of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and acetaminophen. With the opioid crisis claiming over 100,000 lives annually in the United States alone, the search for a powerful, non-addictive alternative has been a public health priority. Enter suzetr

NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) are a class of medications that reduce pain, fever, and inflammation. Common examples include over-the-counter options like ibuprofen and aspirin. These over-the-counter pain relievers can irritate and damage the lining of the stomach, esophagus, or small intestine, causing ulcers due to their mechanisms of action. An ulcer is an open sore on the surface of a bodily membrane, most commonly a peptic ulcer on the lining of the stoma

Camzyos (generic name Mavacamten ) is a medication that treats symptomatic obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (oHCM). What is Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy? Obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is an inherited disease that causes heart muscle cells to contract with too much force, like a tug-of-war with fifty people pulling on the rope instead of five. Over time, this contraction overworks the heart muscle, leading to abnormal thickness and stiffening of th

Acetaminophen (Tylenol) overdose is a severe risk (causing acute liver failure) because it’s hidden in over 600 cold/pain products. Never mix medications containing it, and stay below the 3g/24hr limit. If overdose is suspected, seek emergency medical care immediately, as early treatment (NAC) is critical.

Painkillers were never meant to destroy lives. They were created to help us breathe through broken bones, surgical recovery, migraines, or sudden injuries. But for millions of people, what begins as relief slowly becomes dependence; quietly, stealthily, and often unnoticed until it is too late. The most commonly abused pain medications (opioids like oxycodone, hydrocodone, fentanyl, and morphine) work by binding to the brain’s opioid receptors. They dampen pain signals and fl

Introduction When a new therapy is preparing to enter the market, policymakers and payers face two critical questions: Is the drug good value for money? and Can we afford it? Cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) addresses the first question, but budget impact analysis (BIA) is designed to answer the second. In modern market access strategies, BIA has become an indispensable complement to CEA, offering a practical view of the financial consequences of adopting a new medicine with

By Vanessa Muller, PharmD Most people don’t think about the technology behind medication safety. You pick up a prescription, read the instructions, and trust that if something important changes, your doctor will hear about it. But the amount of safety information that experts handle today is far greater than it used to be. Every year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reviews millions of safety reports, research findings, electronic health-record patterns, and globa

Lately, among the pharmacologists and life scientists, the concept of "drug repurposing" has increasingly become more common. As the expression suggests, drug repurposing consists of using an existing drug for a well-defined pathological condition, for a new treatment that was not indicated before. The condition for which the drug is repurposed can be even totally unrelated to the original disease for what the drug was developed and used. In this article, we are going to expl

Introdution In the past few years, few drugs have generated as much excitement in the world of medicine as tirzepatide, a once-weekly injectable therapy developed by Eli Lilly. Known by its brand names Mounjaro (for diabetes) and Zepbound (for obesity), tirzepatide is being recognized not only as a treatment for blood sugar control and weight loss, but also as a potential revolution in how we manage a wide range of metabolic diseases. This medicine represents a new generation

A lot has been said about artificial intelligence (AI) and pharmacovigilance (PV), but for seasoned professionals we should have seen this coming a long time ago. The traditional way PV activities have been conducted relied heavily on manual, resource‑intensive processes. Case processing involved receiving and validating adverse event reports, entering them into databases, and ensuring regulatory submissions were complete. Narrative writing required medical reviewers to craft

Antibiotics Antibiotics are groups of powerful, lifesaving medications used to treat bacterial infections. It is important to note that they do not work against viral infections like colds or flu. Antibiotics work by either killing the bacteria or preventing the multiplication of bacteria. Bacteria are tiny, single-celled living organisms. There are millions of different types of bacteria. Bacteria can be found in and on your body and are beneficial to you. Other bacteria

Steve Jobs was open about how using LSD shaped his worldview and enhanced his creativity. Spiritual leader Ram Das, who has millions of followers postmortem, attributed his spiritual awakening to psychedelics. Now pharmaceutical companies around the world are racing to bring these types of drugs to your medicine cabinet. In 2023, the FDA legitimized the potential therapeutic use of psychedelics by issuing “ first draft guidance ” for clinical trials. (1) And in 2024, the FDA

Abstract Stress has become a pervasive health concern, contributing to a range of psychological and physiological disorders. Meditation, a key component of many mind–body interventions, has been widely explored as a nonpharmacologic approach to mitigating stress and promoting overall well-being. This article synthesizes findings from recent clinical and observational research examining the effects of meditation on stress reduction. Evidence from randomized controlled trials a