Staying #Up2Date 🚨

1: Using Mobile Health to Address Cardiovascular Risk in Psoriasis

An RCT of 111 adults with psoriasis assessed whether lifestyle-focused text messaging improved how patients manage their disease-related cardiovascular risk. After 6 months of text messages discussing the impacts of tobacco, exercise, and diet on cardiovascular disease, patient activation was significantly higher compared to usual care — meaning individuals were more confident in their knowledge and ability to manage their own health. Improvements were also seen in medication adherence and adherence to a Mediterranean diet, showing that digital tools can help manage cardiovascular risk in dermatology care.

2: Celebrity Endorsement Linked to Rise in Off-Label Cancer Prescribing

A large US analysis of more than 68 million patients found that prescriptions for combination ivermectin-benzimidazole therapy (an anti-parasitic regimen with no proven efficacy in cancer treatment) nearly doubled after high-profile media figures promoted the regimen as a cancer treatment on a widely viewed podcast. Among patients with cancer, prescribing rates increased more than 2.5-fold compared to the same period the year prior. The largest increases were seen in younger adults, men, White patients, and individuals living in the US South. The concern isn’t just that patients are taking unproven drugs. It’s that they may be skipping the ones that actually work.

3: The Vitamin D Gap That May Cost Patients More Opioids

A prospective observational study of 184 women undergoing mastectomy found that those with vitamin D deficiency were 3 times more likely to experience moderate to severe pain in the first 24 hours after surgery, and used significantly more opioid medication to manage it. On average, patients with low vitamin D used 112mg more tramadol post-operatively than those with adequate levels. Researchers suggest the vitamin’s anti-inflammatory properties may play a role in how the body processes pain. The study was observational and conducted at a single centre, so causation cannot be confirmed.

Shelf Watch 🏥

Drug Shortages ⚠️

Taro-Warfarin (warfarin sodium), 1 mg

• Start: Jan. 13, 2026

• Updated: May 5, 2026

• Estimated end: July 7, 2026

• Remaining: ~7 weeks
  Additional details: Shortage of the 1 mg tablet, the key titration strength for INR management.

Taro-Pregabalin (pregabalin), 50 mg

• Start: March 2, 2026

• Updated: May 19, 2026

• Estimated end: July 24, 2026

• Remaining: ~9 weeks

• Additional details: Shortage due to a manufacturing disruption. The 50 mg capsule is a commonly used starting and maintenance dose for neuropathic pain and fibromyalgia.

Newly Approved Drugs ✨

Thyconvi (levothyroxine sodium oral solution)

• Approved: May 19, 2026.

• Additional details: The 1st levothyroxine oral solution available in Canada, indicated for the management of hypothyroidism and TSH suppression. Available as 20 mcg/mL, it offers a liquid alternative to tablets. Launch is expected in the coming months.

Beat the CIRCL Deadline ⏰

The CPBC June 1st CIRCL deadline is almost here. If you’re a BC pharmacy owner still stressing about the new mandatory requirements, Pharmapod has you covered.

While the CIRCL program is specific to BC, Pharmapod is Canada’s most trusted quality platform, used by 70% of pharmacies nationwide. It completely automates compliance by offering a built-in, CPBC-recognized Safety Self-Assessment (PSSA), one-click anonymous sync to the National Repository (NIDR), and auto-generated tools for your annual safety huddles.

It handles the paperwork so you can handle your patients.

Don’t wait until the clock runs out. Catch a final live demo on May 25 or May 29 to see how easy it is to get audit-ready.

The Unlinkable Link 🔗

Guess where the data landed on RFK Jr.’s autism claims.

What happened: A new large study found no evidence linking antidepressant use during pregnancy to autism.

Why it matters: A meta-analysis of more than 25 million pregnancies contradicts theories promoted by the US Health Secretary (the same one who petitioned the FDA to revoke all COVID vaccines) namely, that antidepressants increase the risk of autism. 

Researchers analyzed data from 37 earlier studies, including nearly 650,000 pregnancies involving antidepressant use and nearly 25 million without exposure. At first, the data did suggest a connection between prenatal antidepressant exposure and  autism, as well as ADHD. But when they took other variables into account, like family history, mental health, and genetics, all of which impact the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders, the association significantly weakened. 

But: Experts also looked at fathers who used antidepressants while the mother was pregnant. They also found higher rates of autism and ADHD in children whose father used antidepressants while the mother was pregnant. But because the medication can’t reach the baby in the womb, researchers say the link is more likely explained by shared family traits. 

One notable exception: for women with pre-existing mental health disorders, older antidepressants like amitriptyline and nortriptyline were linked with increased ADHD and autism risk in children. But these medications are typically only prescribed when others don’t work, meaning certain mental health conditions could correlate with autism. 

It should be said: neither amitriptyline nor nortriptyline was on the list of medications that RFK Jr. claims “give children autism.”

Bottom line: Withholding antidepressants during pregnancy can worsen maternal depression, carrying serious risks for both mother and child. The study isn’t saying these medications are uncomplicated, it’s just proving causation in neurodevelopmental disorders is far more complex than experts and “experts” make it seem.

Hot Off The Press 🗞️

1: 🥬 Kimchi might be the most unexpected weapon yet in the fight against microplastics. A new study out of South Korea found that a probiotic bacterium derived from kimchi can bind to nanoplastics in the gut and help the body excrete them. In lab conditions mimicking the human intestine, most other bacteria lost their grip almost entirely (binding dropped to 3%), while the kimchi strain held on at 57%. In germ-free mice, those given the probiotic excreted more than double the nanoplastics of untreated mice. This is early-stage research, but it adds a genuinely surprising dimension to the nanoplastics-as-public-health-threat conversation.

2: 🌿 Canada’s allergy season didn’t get worse this year… it got compressed. A new report from Aerobiology Research Laboratories says pollen levels across Canada have roughly doubled in recent years, with climate change extending warm seasons and giving pollen more runway. But 2026 has a bonus problem: a cooler spring delayed early-season trees like cedar and maple, meaning their pollen is now dropping at the same time as birch, oak, and poplar. On top of that: decades of municipal landscaping that favoured male trees to reduce fruiting debris, inadvertently loading cities with more pollen-producing trees than necessary.

3: 🦠 Canada has its 1st confirmed case of Andes hantavirus, and it arrived by cruise ship. A Yukon resident aboard an Antarctic expedition that has already killed 3 passengers tested positive over the weekend after developing fever and headache while isolating in BC — they and their partner were transferred to hospital in Victoria, where the partner has since tested negative. 9 high-risk Canadians across BC, Alberta, and Ontario are in isolation, closely monitored. Another 27, who shared flights with a confirmed case, are being watched for symptoms. The detail that matters clinically: the WHO has identified the strain as Andes hantavirus, known to spread person-to-person. Public risk remains low, but this is one to watch, especially if your patients are already asking about it.

4: 📡 A California jury just rejected Elon Musk’s $150B lawsuit against OpenAI, opening the door for one of the biggest stock market debuts in history. Musk had accused the AI titan of using its nonprofit origins to enrich itself through a for-profit company, now valued at $730B. The jury dismissed the suit, deciding Musk had waited too long to file, but his campaign isn’t over. He plans to appeal, continuing to accuse OpenAI of “stealing a charity” — ironic, given that he’d reportedly explored making them for-profit himself back in 2017.

RxBriefly Picks 💊

🥚 Make: these protein snack bombs: hard-boiled eggs, pressed cottage cheese, Dijon, and a roll in either bacon-cheddar or herb-nut coating — 4g of protein per ball, 25 minutes, no cooking required. 

📖 Read: the LA Times’ summer reading list: 12 picks across fiction and nonfiction, ranging from a darkly comic political satire about a reality-show president to a Montreal garbageman’s meditation on consumerism and class. 

🏞️ Visit: the Penticton River Channel — a 7-kilometre lazy river float between 2 Okanagan lakes opening June 27. Tubes, giant 12-person floating islands, and a shuttle back to the start — the most medically justifiable thing you can do with a day off.

💰 Save: on a Nintendo Switch 2. EB Games is offering 3x trade-in value on any Switch console toward a new Switch 2 until June 11. Price goes up $50 in September, so sooner is better.

📺 Watch: this breakdown of the science behind GLP-1 drugs and whether these drugs could change public health forever.

Relax 🧩

First clue: Substances that change the way a person’s body or mind works

Give it a go ➡️

Need a rematch? We’ve got you covered. Check out our Crossword Archive to find every puzzle we’ve ever made, all in one place.

Think you crushed it? Challenge your pharmacist friends to beat your time.

Meme Of The Week

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