U.S. Pharmacist Weekly News

July 24, 2024

Longer Term Cardiovascular Considerations in Hypertension Therapy

If only current 10-year risk thresholds are applied, fewer adults might be recommended for hypertensive medication than actually need it, according to a new study. Researchers point out that some of the people who did not qualify for hypertension medication with the initial calculation had a high risk for heart attack, stroke, and heart failure over the next 30 years. Read more.

Factors Linked to Lower Chance of Long COVID

New research is uncovering some clues about what puts COVID-19 patients at less or greater risk of developing longer term symptoms. Find out how vaccination appears to play an important role in some cases of long COVID and why researchers generally believe the risk varies most significantly based on what viral strain is circulating.

Extended Sulfonylurea Use Strongly Associated With Hypoglycemia

The use of sulfonylureas in the United States has decreased significantly over the years, but a meaningful percentage of diabetes patients—especially older ones—are still prescribed the second generation of that drug class. A new Taiwanese study has raised an alarm that the prevalence of hypoglycemia appears to increase with the duration of sulfonylurea use. Read more.

Study Connects Optic Neuropathy Condition and Semaglutide

Anecdotal evidence about the incidence of nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy prompted Harvard researchers to compare patients taking semaglutide with similar people not using the glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist for type 2 diabetes or weight loss. Their observational study identified a link between semaglutide prescriptions and the eye condition, which can cause blindness. Read more.