According to a new survey from the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies (ASOP) Global Foundation, almost half of Americans gamble with their lives to buy medication from online sources—even though the overwhelming majority of them operate illegally. That’s just one of the alarming findings from the organization’s 2021 survey of American perceptions and use of online pharmacies, which was commissioned from Abacus Data.

After Pfizer announced in late June that it was halting worldwide distribution of varenicline (Chantix) after detecting elevated levels of nitrosamines in the drug, FDA came out to alert patients and health professionals about the voluntary recall.

FDA reminded health care professionals and the public that results from currently authorized COVID-19 antibody tests should not be used to assess a person’s level of immunity or protection from COVID-19 at any time, particularly after the person has received a COVID-19 vaccination.

On April 30, FDA announced the approval of a higher dosage of naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray (Kloxxado—Hikma Pharmaceuticals) to treat opioid overdose. The newly approved product delivers 8 mg of naloxone into the nasal cavity, compared with previously approved 2- and 4-mg naloxone nasal spray products.

Patients will be coming to pharmacists with questions and concerns as the recommendation to suspend use of the Janssen (Johnson & Johnson, J&J) vaccine remains in place.