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Based on the success of our inaugural Pharmacoequity Conference in 2022, CP3 was proud to present the 2nd Annual Pharmacoequity Conference at the University of Pittsburgh on June 9. Nearly 400 registrants joined us in person and on Zoom to listen to Dr. Jacinda (JAM) Abdul-Mutakabbir’s rallying keynote address, “Exploring the Intersection of Racism, Antimicrobial Resistance, and Vaccine Equity.” Dr. JAM’s talk was followed by networking opportunities and an incredible slate of research, policy, and (new this year) payer expert speakers. We’re grateful for this year’s sponsors: Arnold Ventures, University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, Physician Inclusion Council of UPMC and Pitt (PICUP), IQVIA, and Explore the Space podcast. The full agenda and conference recording are hosted on our web page. Plans are underway for the 2024 conference, and we’re committed to keeping the conference free, hybrid, and open to all.
(Pictured below: panelists Dr. Michelle Gourdine, Dr. Darrell Gray II, & Dr. Utibe Essien)
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We have two new members of CP3 this summer. First, Pitt medical student Noah Feder is working on projects with Dr. Walid Gellad and Dr. Jing Luo. Before starting medical school, Noah was a Research Data Associate at Boston Medical Center’s Syndemics Lab. Look for Noah’s name on some papers in the future!
We are also excited to welcome Pitt Nursing faculty member Dr. Sarah Belcher to CP3! After earning her PhD in Nursing from Pitt in 2018, Dr. Belcher completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biobehavioral Oncology at Emory University, then returned to Pitt Nursing as an Assistant Professor. She is also faculty in UPMC Hillman Cancer Center’s Biobehavioral Cancer Control Program and Pitt Medicine’s Palliative Research Center. Dr. Belcher’s research focuses on improving outcomes for cancer patients, especially those from historically excluded and disadvantaged populations. Dr. Belcher’s experience in nursing will bring a new perspective to our work at CP3.
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New R01 Awarded
CP3 Faculty Affiliate Dr. Ravy Vajravelu was recently awarded an R01 grant by NIH/NIDDK. This project, “Determining medications associated with drug-induced pancreatic injury through novel pharmacoepidemiology techniques that assess causation,” is the first to examine which medications cause pancreatic injury. Currently, providers are unsure which medications cause unexpected side effects that lead to drug-induced pancreatic injury, leading to uncertainty about which essential medications are harmful and which are safe to continue. By using cutting edge data analysis techniques, this project will vastly improve post-pancreatitis medication management by resolving clinical uncertainty about which medications should be stopped after acute pancreatitis and which essential medications are safe.
HumAn-1 Trial
University of Pittsburgh members of the international HumAn-1 Trial have visited the Bangladesh study site several times and recently returned their collaborators’ hospitality by hosting them in Pittsburgh. Bangladesh PI Dr. Bedowra Zabeen, her husband Khaled, and study coordinator Kamrul Huda had a whirlwind visit to the Pitt campus organized by PI Dr. Jing Luo and Project Manager Dr. Abigail Foulds. The group met with other researchers and faculty at Pitt, took a tour of Fallingwater (pictured below), and enjoyed a picnic with collaborators and their families. Drs. Zabeen and Luo gave joint Grand Rounds about the project; you can view the recording here. The HumAn-1 project is also actively recruiting participants in Tanzania.
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Selected Recently Published Papers
Estimated Changes in Insulin Prices and Discounts After Entry of New Insulin Products, 2012-2019
Sean Dickson, JD, MPH; Nico Gabriel, MA; Walid F. Gellad, MD, MPH; Inmaculada Hernandez, PharmD, PhD
JAMA Health Forum, June 16, 2023
Evaluation of Out-of-Pocket Costs and Treatment Intensification With an SGLT2 Inhibitor or GLP-1 RA in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease
Jing Luo, MD; Robert Feldman, MS; Katherine Callaway Kim, MPH; Scott Rothenberger, PhD; Mary Korytkowski, MD; Inmaculada Hernandez, PharmD, PhD; Walid F. Gellad, MD
JAMA Network Open, June 14, 2023
Assessment of Commercial and Mandatory Discounts in the Gross-to-Net Bubble for the Top Insulin Products From 2012 to 2019
Sean R. Dickson, JD, MPH; Nico Gabriel, MA; Walid F. Gellad, MD, MPH; Inmaculada Hernandez, PharmD, PhD
JAMA Network Open, June 14, 2023
Time to Confirmatory Study Initiation After Accelerated Approval of Cancer and Noncancer Drugs in the US
Shelley A. Jazowski, PhD, MPH; Avi U. Vaidya, MPH; Julie M. Donohue, PhD; Stacie B. Dusetzina, PhD; Rachel E. Sachs, JD, MPH
JAMA Internal Medicine, May 22, 2023
Over-the-counter Hearing Aids
Lucas A. Berenbrok, PharmD, MS; Elaine Mormer, PhD
JAMA, April 11, 2023
Development and validation of an overdose risk prediction tool using prescription drug monitoring program data
Walid F. Gellad, Qingnan Yang, Kayleigh M. Adamson, Courtney C. Kuza, Jeanine M. Buchanich, Ashley L. Bolton, Stanley M. Murzynski, Carrie Thomas Goetz, Terri Washington, Michael F. Lann, Chung-Chou H. Chang, Katie J. Suda, Lu Tang
Drug and Alcohol Dependence, March 29, 2023
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When Paxlovid received FDA approval, Politico asked CP3 Director Dr. Walid Gellad his thoughts. He responded, “The price is going to influence how careful insurers are in determining who is going to get this drug. Almost no one is at high risk of progression — literally almost no one now that they’ve been quadruple and quintuple vaccinated.”
CP3 Director Dr. Walid Gellad also talked with the New York Times about lessons learned from the pandemic. "We didn’t have the infrastructure to collect data we needed to make decisions," he said.
CP3 Faculty Affiliate Dr. Coleman Drake joined NPR's Morning Edition to discuss how filing their taxes can help connect people to health insurance. "Uninsurance in general is extremely costly to society. So whatever we can do here to make signing up for health insurance easy, I think is an advantage," he said. Listen to the interview and read the transcript here.
The Adderall shortage affected patients everywhere. CP3 Associate Director and drug supply expert Dr. Katie Suda spoke with KDKA about what patients can do if they are unable to get their medication.
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CP3 was, once again, well represented at the AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting. The conference was also an opportunity to catch up with old and new colleagues (former CP3 postdoc Dr. Patience Moyo pictured below, right). Thomas Radomski, MD, MS presented “Prevalence and Facility-Level Variation in Low-Value Prescribing within the Veterans Health Administration.” In addition, CP3 posters included:
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“Mental Health, Cannabis Use, and Access to Medical Cannabis Dispensaries” (Presenter: Coleman Drake, PhD; pictured below, left)
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“Development of a Machine-Learning Algorithm to Predict Fatal Opioid Overdose Among Individuals Released from Jail” (Presenter: Courtney Kuza, PhD, MPH)
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“Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Incidence of Drug Shortages in the United States” (Presenter: Katherine Kim, MPH
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“Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Veterans’ Experiences with VA Community Care: 2016-2021” (Presenter: Eric Roberts, PhD)
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