Pharmacy Podcast Network

Guest Interview with George Sellhorn of Flourish Labs (OR) | Neural Pharm Podcast

Join us for a special guest interview this week with molecular plant scientist George Sellhorn, on a wide ranging interview around psilocybin and functional mushroom testing
George Sellhorn Ph.D, is the founder, owner and Principal Scientist of Flourish Labs in Portland Oregon and earned his Ph.D. in Molecular Plant Sciences from Washington State University (2006) and his B.S. in Biology from Indiana University (1999). George has worked in both academia and the biotechnology industries from 2006-2021 working on projects such as HIV vaccine development, production, characterization and pre-clinical evaluation as well as bioconjugate-based therapeutics including pegylated interferon for multiple sclerosis, bifunctional antibodies and antibody drug conjugates for breast cancer and poly(carboxybetaine) L-asparaginase bioconjugates for acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
George has 23 years of extensive experience with liquid chromatography using both High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and Fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC) and these techniques are one of his primary expertise. Some of the leadership roles he has held in the laboratory include Senior Scientist, Laboratory Director and Principal Investigator. George has also worked in the medical and recreational Cannabis industries from 2009-2021 which included cultivation, processing and consulting in Washington, Oregon and Colorado. Flourish Labs, LLC was founded in August 2021 and opened its services to customers on January 1st , 2022.
Link to George’s business here at Flourish Labs (OR):
https://flourishlabsoregon.com/
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Glossary of terms
APE—Albino Penis Envy, considered one of the most potent strains of psilocybin cubensis in terms
4-ACO: Or O-acetylpsilocybin or 4-Aco-DMT: semi synthetic derivatives of psilocybin often used in pharmacologic studies
BOL or 2-Br-LSD. Non hallucinogenic LSD derivative synthesized by Albert Hofman (who also synthesized LSD).
CLIA and CAP: College of American pathologists and Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments—regulatory bodies for clinical laboratories.
COA-certificate of analysis, offered by third party product testing labs.
CRM: Certified Reference Materials (not Customer Relationship Management in this context)
Entourage effect: hypothesis that compounds in cannabis other than CBD and THC act in synergy to exhibit pharmacologic effect (pretty good evidence to support this).
GPCR: G protein coupled receptor: largest family of membrane proteins
LOQ—Limit of quantification LOD—Level of detection. Level of detection is smallest concentration of a sample that can be consistently analyzed with 95% probability, LOQ is smallest concentration that can be measured with less than 10 to 20% variation.
PSK (Krestin): Also known as Polysaccharide K, derived from Coriolus versicolor mushroom, widely used as folk remedy and adjuvant therapy for cancer treatment in some cultures.
Terpenoids: Broad class of naturally occurring 5 Carbon molecules that show wide range of pharmacologic activities.
5-ME-O-DMT: Psychoactive drug derived from toad venom of glands of the Sonoran Desert toad (lots more to come on this).

If At first you don’t succeed with Dr. Thu Nguyen | Road 2 Match Day

Today's episode focuses on one pharmacists determination to push forward onto to phase II after not matching in phase I. Listen to hear her amazing story of resilience

Pediatric Obesity | Pediatric Pharmacist Review

Claudia Fox, MD, MPH, is a pediatrician and weight management specialist who specializes in pediatric preventive cardiology and family weight management. She sees patients at University of Minnesota Health Masonic Children's Hospital Pediatric Specialty Care Discovery Clinic, University of Minnesota Health Maple Grove Clinics and the Specialty Clinic for Children in Burnsville. Dr. Fox is also an associate professor as well as fellowship program director and faculty member in the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Minnesota Medical School.https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/151/2/e2022060640/190443/Clinical-Practice-Guideline-for-the-Evaluation-and?autologincheck=redirected

FDA takes steps to decrease barriers for overdose reversal agents with Dr. Marta Sokolowska | Q&A with FDA

In this episode of Q&A with FDA, we hear from Dr. Marta Sokolowska, Deputy Center Director for Substance Use and Behavioral Health in FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, discuss the Agency’s vision as it relates to encouraging harm reduction, including expanding availability and access to lifesaving overdose reversal products. Dr. Sokolowska delves into the impacts of the recent approvals of nonprescription naloxone nasal spray as well as prescription nalmefene nasal spray, another medication for opioid overdose. 

Antimicrobial Stewardship | LTC Pharmacy Podcast

Dr. Deborah Milito:  linkedin.com/in/deborah-milito-32a28156
 
Dr. Scott Stewart:  linkedin.com/in/scott-stewart-34973870
 
Dr. Tamara Ruggles:  linkedin.com/in/tamara-ruggles-491882251
 
CDC Core Elements of Antibiotic Stewardship for Nursing Homes:  https://www.cdc.gov/antibiotic-use/core-elements/nursing-homes.html
 
ASCP Antimicrobial Stewardship Toolkit:  https://www.med-pass.com/antimicrobial-stewardship-toolkit-for-long-term-care-with-usb-flash-drive.html
 
 
FDA Advisory Committee Calendar:  https://www.fda.gov/advisory-committees/advisory-committee-calendar
 
 
 
ACIP meeting information:  https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/meetings/index.html
 
Candida auris:  https://www.fda.gov/media/141083/download
 
Updated guidelines for Asymptomatic Bacteriuria:  https://www.idsociety.org/practice-guideline/asymptomatic-bacteriuria/
 
Clostridiodes difficile clinical practice guidelines:  https://www.idsociety.org/practice-guideline/clostridioides-difficile-2021-focused-update/
 
Community-Aquired Pneumonia guidelines:  https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/full/10.1164/rccm.201908-1581ST?role=tab
 
 
 
Please e-mail questions, comments, and funny pharmacy jokes to ltcpharmacypodcast@gmail.com.  We would love to hear from you!

DrugStore2Door with AJ Asgari | Sports Pharmacy Podcast

AJ Asgari, the CEO of Drugstore2Door, joined the Sports Pharmacy Podcast for a second round of discussion. We talked about their fitness journeys.  AJ shared his background, growing up in Oklahoma and initially planning to become a doctor before pivoting to pharmacy. He became an entrepreneur and currently owns nine pharmacies. AJ founded Drugstore2Door to address the challenges faced by independent pharmacies. The platform aims to digitize the entire pharmacy experience and provide a seamless online presence. They offer personalized website design, e-commerce capabilities, and services to help pharmacies generate additional revenue outside of PBMs. AJ emphasized the importance of customer feedback and continuous improvement in refining their product. Drugstore2Door's goal is to get as many independent pharmacies online as possible, allowing customers to access and pay for various pharmacy services. The platform covers prescription services, e-commerce, and other offerings, providing a turnkey solution for pharmacies. They are constantly developing new features and enhancements to make the integration seamless and user-friendly for pharmacies.

Politics, PBM Roadblocks, and Accomplishing Real Reform | PUTTcast

With more than 30 bills in progress this session at the federal level alone, PBM reform is barreling down the legislative tracks - but what's the best way to get legislation and enforcement across the finish line? Listen in as PUTT Executive Director, Monique Whitney, and Board Vice President, Lauren Young dive into the past, present, and (possible) future of PBM reform, who's getting it done, and why continuing to educate and follow through with legislation enforcement is such a critical component.

Live From The IPC Booth At The McKesson IdeaShare Booth | Pharmacy Crossroads

Bruce Kneeland attended the McKesson IdeaShare show and was able to interview several show attendees and learn from them some of what they saw, heard and learned at this show. Tips for making show attendance a success, examples of the benefits of networking and other ideas your peers will take home and implement are shared. If you did, or did not, attend this show you'll benefit from the comments on this podcast

Psilocybin for mental health | Neural Pharm Podcast

A review of current literature around magic mushrooms for nicotine and alcohol dependency, end of life therapy, and more.
Notes: Per Christopher Toney, a reminder that psilocybin dosing is based on dry weight of the whole mushrooms, for those curious about how dosing is calculated. How well does this approximate actual psilocybin content? This will be a good future topic for discussion.
References:
Link to FDA’s Considerations for Clinical Investigations of Psychedelic Drugs (Accessed 11 July 2023): https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents/psychedelic-drugs-considerations-clinical-investigations.
 
Bogenschutz MP, et al. Percentage of heavy drinking days following psilocybin assisted psychotherapy vs placebo in the treatment of patients with alcohol use disorder: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Psychiatry. 2022; 79(10): 953-962 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2795625
Carhart-Harris R, et al. Trial of psilocybin versus escitalopram for depression. New England Journal of Medicine. 2021: 384: 1402-1411. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmoa2032994
Ebbesen-Jensen M, et al. Psilocybin assisted therapy for reducing alcohol intake in patients with alcohol use disorder: protocol for a randomized, double blinded, placebo controlled 12 week clinical trial (the QUANTUM trip trial). BMJ Open. 2022; 12(10). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9577917/
Ercolano, A. (2023) Johns Hopkins Center for psychedelic and Consciousness Research, Johns Hopkins Medicine. Available at: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/psychiatry/research/psychedelics-research.html
Fauber J and Fiore K. Slippery slope: Fen-Phen users recall a “miracle” turned nightmare. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel/Med Page Today. 19 April 2015. https://www.medpagetoday.com/special-reports/slipperyslope/51044
Goodwin GM, et al. Single dose psilocybin for treatment for a treatment resistant episode of major depression. New England Journal of Medicine. 2022; 387(18). https://www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJMoa2206443?articleTools=true
Griffiths RR, et al. Psilocybin produces substantial and sustained decreases in depression and anxiety in patients with life-threatening cancer: a randomized double blind trial. Journal of Psychopharmacology. 2016; 30(2): 1181-1197
Grob CS, et al. Pilot study of psilocybin for anxiety in patients with advanced stage cancer. JAMA Psychiatry. 2011; 68(1): 71-78. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/210962
Kenney A. What to know about Colorado’s psychedelic law. Colorado Public Radio. 21 June 2023. https://www.cpr.org/2023/06/21/colorado-psychedelic-law-for-psilocybin-mushrooms/
Rosenbaum D, et al. Psychedelics for existential distress in palliative and cancer care. Current Oncology. 2019; 26(4): 225-226. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6726261/
Ross S, et al. Acute and sustained reductions in loss of meaning and suicidal ideation following psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for psychiatric and existential distress in life threatening cancer. ACS Pharmacology and Translational Science. 2021; 4(2): 553-562. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33860185/
Rotz VR, et al. Single dose psilocybin assisted therapy in major depressive disorder: a placebo controlled, randomized double blind trial. The Lancet. 2023;56: 101809. https://www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf?pii=S2589-5370%2822%2900538-7
 
To read about “Mad Honey” that we referenced towards the end of the podcast: see here: https://bigthink.com/health/mad-honey/#:~:text=But%20what%20really%20distinguishes%20mad,%2C%20in%20rare%20cases%2C%20death.

Falling Back in Love with Pharmacy w/Alex Barker, The Happy PharmD | The Holistic Pharmacy Podcast

Hello everyone! I don’t know about you but this last week has been feeling a bit heavy for me. However, this episode is just the thing for you if you’re feeling the same weight, because I’m interviewing Alex Barker of The Happy PharmD. Alex’s mission is to transform the profession so every pharmacist can unlock their career’s potential. He strives for pharmacists to love pharmacy again.Alex Barker is the CEO and Founder of The Happy Pharm D, a nationwide coaching firm guiding pharmacists to inspiring careers and more fulfilling lives. Alex is an accomplished public speaker, a published author and teacher. Since 2017, his coaching program and career development seminars have guided over 2,000 pharmacists into new jobs and roles they love. His book “Indispensable: A prescription for a fulfilling pharmacy career,” has motivated countless pharmacists to love pharmacy again. Alex is a husband and the proud father of two daughters. He loves drinking coffee and eating good guacamole (though not at the same time). When he isn’t working, which happens occasionally, he plays Nintendo, Dungeon & Dragons, and reads comics.This episode is very near and dear to my heart because Alex’s blog has put me on the scene of pharmacy experts in the natural and holistic space, and I’m forever grateful. I can’t wait to share this next episode with you so here it is! Check out The Happy PharmD at:Website: Thehappypharmd.comLinkedIn: The Happy PharmDInstagram: @thehappypharmdFacebook: @The Happy PharmD