Staying #Up2Date 🚨

1: Rethinking Statins After 70

A randomized trial published in NEJM involving 1,880 adults aged 70 and older without known cardiovascular disease found that stopping statins met noninferiority criteria for cardiovascular events and death over two years. However, events occurred in 12.7% of those who stopped treatment versus 9.2% of those who continued. The open-label design, selected population, and limited follow-up warrant caution when interpreting the findings.

2: One Pill, Better Blood Pressure Control?

A cluster-randomized trial in JAMA involving 1,706 adults found that 69.5% receiving single-pill antihypertensive combinations alongside team-based care achieved blood pressure below 130/80 mm Hg, compared with 29.2% receiving standard care. However, the intervention also included monitoring and coaching, making it difficult to isolate the medication’s contribution to the improvement.

Shelf Watch 🏥

Drug Shortages ⚠️

Vitamin B12 Solution (SC, IM)

• Company: Sandoz

• Drug class: Vitamins

• DIN: 00521515

• Strength affected: 1,000 mcg

• Shortage status: Actual shortage

• Reason for shortage: Increased demand

• Start date: 2026-11-09

• Estimated end date: 2026-12-04

Tamsulosin HCl

• Company: Sandoz

• Drug class: Selective alpha blocker

• DIN: 02319217

• Strength affected: 0.4 mg

• Shortage status: Actual shortage

• Reason for shortage: Manufacturing disruption

• Start date: 2026-11-09

• Estimated end date: 2026-12-11

Newly Approved Drugs ✨

Skyrizi (risankizumab): Solution for subcutaneous injection.

• Treatment of pediatric patients aged 6–18 years with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis who are candidates for systemic therapy or phototherapy.

• Treatment of pediatric patients aged 6–18 years with active psoriatic arthritis.

• NOC date: 2026-10-16

• Submission type: Supplement to a New Drug Submission (new indication and addition of new strength)

• Submission class: Other

• Manufacturer: AbbVie

• Product type: Biologic

1 Shot, 2 Viruses 💉

Canada is the first country to approve both Moderna’s mRNA influenza vaccine and its combined flu/COVID-19 shot. On Nov. 5, Health Canada authorized mFLUSIVA and mCOFLU, introducing 2 new options for seasonal respiratory vaccination.

Who’s eligible? Both vaccines are authorized for adults aged 50 and older. mFLUSIVA targets influenza, while mCOFLU combines influenza and COVID-19 protection in a single injection.

What does the evidence show? In a Phase 3 trial involving approximately 40,800 adults, mFLUSIVA demonstrated 26.6% higher relative vaccine efficacy against laboratory-confirmed influenza-like illness than a standard-dose flu vaccine.

Meanwhile, a Phase 3 trial involving approximately 8,000 adults found that mCOFLU produced immune responses that met noninferiority criteria compared with separately administered flu and COVID-19 vaccines.

What does this mean for pharmacists? The combination vaccine could simplify seasonal vaccination appointments and reduce the number of injections needed. It also introduces another option for discussing respiratory virus protection with eligible patients.

But there’s a catch: The mCOFLU trial measured antibody responses, not whether the combination vaccine prevents more infections or hospitalizations than separate shots. Common adverse reactions included injection-site pain, fatigue, and muscle aches, generally mild to moderate.

And despite Health Canada’s approval, neither vaccine will be available in Canadian pharmacies for the 2026–27 respiratory virus season. Moderna has yet to confirm a Canadian launch date.

Bottom line: Canada’s first combined flu/COVID-19 vaccine could simplify seasonal immunization, but clinical protection data and real-world effectiveness remain important gaps. With no Canadian launch date confirmed, existing vaccines remain the option for this respiratory virus season.

Hot Off the Press 🗞️

1: 💰 Ottawa recently unveiled its 2026 federal budget, and healthcare is among the priorities. The budget includes $57.4 billion through the Canada Health Transfer for 2026–27, a 5% increase from the previous year, along with a $1.2-billion extension of funding for mental health, addictions, and home and community care. Meanwhile, the government is proposing $11.2 billion over 4 years and another $17.8 billion in future years to tackle homelessness, including $2 billion for community mental health and addictions facilities. With approximately 65,000 Canadians experiencing homelessness, Ottawa hopes these investments will help address the crisis over the next decade.

2: 🧠 A new Alzheimer’s treatment is one step closer to public coverage in Canada. On Nov. 3, Canada’s Drug Agency issued a final positive reimbursement recommendation for donanemab (Kisunla), a disease-modifying treatment for eligible patients with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease. Health Canada approved the drug in April 2026, but public reimbursement remains subject to specific conditions and provincial funding decisions. The recommendation could expand access to treatment, although concerns about cost, safety monitoring and which patients are eligible remain important considerations.

3: 🇨🇦 Saskatchewan is leading the country in pharmacist supply. According to new data from CIHI, the province has 14.3 pharmacists per 10,000 residents, the highest rate in Canada. Its pharmacist workforce has grown 17.6% since 2016, while expanded scope of practice has enabled more than 12,000 strep throat and ear infection assessments. The province plans to expand these services to more than 100 pharmacies by January 2027. But a larger workforce doesn’t necessarily mean workloads are manageable or access is equal across communities.

4: 🫁 What if the next upgrade in asthma management wasn’t inside an inhaler, but in the kitchen? In a small US study, 85 people with poorly controlled asthma reported substantial improvements in symptoms after swapping their gas stoves for electric ones, with improvements reportedly 2-3 times greater than those typically seen with asthma medications. Participants also reported fewer ER visits and fewer missed days of work or school. Gas stoves release nitrogen dioxide, a pollutant that can aggravate asthma symptoms. However, the study lacked a control group, making it difficult to determine how much of the improvement was directly attributable to the switch.

RxBriefly Picks 💊

🍳 Make: French onion soup meets the humble baked potato. Think caramelized onions, rich broth, and melted Gruyère piled onto a fluffy potato. It’s the ultimate cozy comfort-food mashup for a chilly November evening.

🎧 Listen: Four patients, routine joint replacements, and a series of pharmacy errors with devastating consequences. The Medical Safety Podcast takes a closer look at the Tennessee Spinal Medication Incident, exploring what went wrong and the lessons for preventing similar errors in healthcare.

✈️ Travel: Some trips are worth planning well ahead. From gorilla trekking in Rwanda to Antarctic cruises and luxury train journeys through Europe, Condé Nast Traveler rounds up 17 bucket-list adventures you should consider booking a year in advance. 

💰 Save: Getting a head start on holiday shopping? Best Buy Canada’s early Black Friday roundup includes discounts on everything from Philips espresso machines and Garmin smartwatches to LG OLED TVs and robot vacuums. Worth a look if you’ve had your eye on a new gadget.

📖 Read: Did you know a Canadian doctor helped revolutionize blood transfusions during WWI? This Remembrance Day, discover the remarkable story of Dr. Lawrence Bruce Robertson and how his pioneering work helped change modern medicine. Read the full story.

🎬 Watch: What does chemotherapy actually do to the body? In How I Survived Late-Stage Cancer (A Fun Story), Kurzgesagt founder Philipp Dettmer shares his experience with stage IIIB testicular cancer and explains the science behind cisplatin, the chemotherapy drug that helped save his life.

Relax 🧩

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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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