Category: Featured
Costs for Orally Administered Cancer Drugs Skyrocket
April 28, 2016New cancer drugs taken in pill form have become dramatically more expensive in their first year on the market compared with drugs launched 15 years ago, a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill study has found. The findings call into question the sustainability of a system that sets high prices at market entry in addition to rapidly increasing those prices over time. The researchers report April 28 in JAMA Oncology that a month of treatment with orally administered cancer drugs introduced in 2014 was, on average, six times more expensive at launch than cancer drugs introduced in 2000 after … Read more
K.H. Lee Receives Hong Kong Baptist University Award for Advancing Chinese Medicine
April 22, 2016Kuo-Hsiung Lee, Ph.D., was chosen to receive the Third Cheung On Tak International Award for Outstanding Contribution to Chinese Medicine from Hong Kong Baptist University’s School of Chinese Medicine. Lee is the Kenan Distinguished Professor of Medicinal Chemistry at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy and director of the Natural Products Research Laboratories in the School’s Division of Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The Cheung On Tak Award is given every two years to scientists and scholars with groundbreaking and internationally recognized achievements in advancing the internationalization of Chinese medicine or … Read more
Rodgers Updates Guide for Heart Failure Patients
April 20, 2016Jo Ellen Rodgers, Pharm.D., associate professor at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy and Carla A. Sueta, M.D., Ph.D., professor in the Division of Cardiology at UNC School of Medicine, have recently completed a fourth edition of their heart failure guide for patients, Learning to Live with Heart Failure. The book provides information and advice to patients with heart failure. For the first time, a Spanish-language version of the heart failure guide will also be made available. It includes contributions from UNC Health Care providers at UNC Medical Center and UNC Rex Healthcare, as well as the University of Maryland … Read more
Colmenares Selected for APhA and ASHP Student Leadership Awards
April 13, 2016Evan Colmenares, a third-year Doctor of Pharmacy student at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, was selected for the Student Leadership Awards of both the American Pharmacists Association-Academy of Student Pharmacists and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. “My commitment to participating in professional pharmacy associations stems from my interest in pharmacy policy and practice advancement efforts that both APhA and ASHP dedicate their resources to,” Colmenares said. Originally from Alabama, Colmenares earned his Bachelor of Science in chemistry from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, graduating with honors in science and technology. His professional interests include health-system pharmacy administration, … Read more
Older Women, Especially Blacks, Receive Targeted Breast Cancer Treatment at Low Rates
April 12, 2016The advent of targeted drugs for a specific type of breast cancer – HER2 positive – has dramatically improved survival rates for women with the disease. But a study led by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill reveals low rates of use of a targeted drug among older women with early-stage breast cancer of this type, and even lower rates for older black women. “This is significant because we know that there is a large number of women here who are not receiving a therapy that we know would give them a better chance of survival,” … Read more
School Celebrates Number One Ranking by U.S. News
April 5, 2016UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy held a press event on Wednesday, March 30, to celebrate its number one ranking by U.S. News & World Report in the 2017 edition of America’s Best Graduate Schools. Chancellor Carol L. Folt, Ph.D., hosted the event with Dean Bob Blouin, Pharm.D. and Fred Eshelman, Pharm.D., who spoke and gave interviews to the media. Eshelman is a 1972 graduate of the School, founder and former CEO of PPD, Inc. and founding chairman of Furiex Pharmaceuticals. He has contributed nearly $140 million to the School since 2003, including a historic $100 million gift in 2014 — … Read more
PY4 Levine Receives APhA Foundation Charles C. Thomas Scholarship
March 28, 2016The American Pharmacists Association Foundation has selected fourth-year Doctor of Pharmacy student Jennifer Levine as the 2016 recipient of the Charles C. Thomas scholarship. The APhA Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., received a record 92 applications from 62 schools and colleges of pharmacy. Of the applicants, eight students received scholarships this year. Scholarships are awarded to recognize exceptional demonstration of leadership skills and academics through active involvement in the APhA Academy of Student Pharmacists. Levine will graduate with a Doctor of Pharmacy from the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy in May 2016. She earned a Bachelor of … Read more
Inaugural Carolina Nanoformulation Workshop Shares Discoveries in Nanomedicine
March 24, 2016From March 14 to 18, scientists from industry and academia converged on the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy to learn about and to get hands-on experience with the latest advances in nanomedicine at the inaugural Carolina Nanoformulation Workshop. The workshop is a unique blend of classroom and hands-on training that stresses application and participation. It featured nearly two dozen speakers and two days of seminars for 17 participants followed by three days of practical experience in the laboratories of the School’s Center for Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery. The goal of the CNW is to provide safe and effective solutions for … Read more
New Kinase Inhibitor Effective against Drug-Resistant Leukemia, Preclinical Study Finds
March 21, 2016A novel compound developed at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has shown promise in preclinical studies as a treatment for acute myeloid leukemia, more than doubling median days of survival even in a drug-resistant form of the disease. Researchers at UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Aflac Cancer & Blood Disorders Center in Atlanta, Emory University School of Medicine and other institutions report that the investigational compound MRX-2843 blocked the growth of acute myeloid leukemia cells, led to a significant level of cancer cell death and more than doubled the median days … Read more
School Earns Number One U.S. News Ranking among Pharmacy Schools
March 16, 2016The UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy is number one in the latest rankings of the nation’s Doctor of Pharmacy programs by U.S. News & World Report in the 2017 edition of America’s Best Graduate Schools. The School placed second in the 2013 and 2009 U.S. News rankings, the last two times these ratings were compiled. For its rankings, U.S. News surveyed deans and faculty at more than 130 accredited pharmacy schools in the U.S. and asked them to rank the nation’s top schools and their Pharm.D. programs. “We are extremely gratified to receive this acknowledgment from our peers,” said Dean … Read more