- Maryland: A group of Johns Hopkins University scientists and plastic surgeons have founded LifeSprout, a company that's developed an injectable synthetic material that aims to "revolutionize" the treatment for soft tissue damage by mimicking living tissue, the Baltimore Business Journal reports. CEO Sashank Reddy said, "The idea is that it looks and behaves like soft tissue ... But the substitute is degradable, so over time it is replaced by the body's own tissue." So far the company has raised $1 million in funding and is working to push its product through the FDA approval process (Eichensehr, Baltimore Business Journal, 3/27).
- Michigan: In a proposed settlement, the state of Michigan has agreed to invest $87 million to replace thousands of lead pipes throughout Flint, which is still grappling with the effects of its lead contamination crisis. The agreement, if approved, would settle a lawsuit brought last year by a coalition of national groups and Flint residents charging that city and state officials failed to protect residents from drinking lead-tainted water for more than a year (Bosman, New York Times, 3/27).
- Nevada: Members of the Assembly Health and Human Services Committee are working on a new bill to help address the state's opioid crisis. The measure, Assembly Bill 428, would require public and charter schools to keep at least two doses of naloxone or another anti-opioid drug on site. Such drugs would also be available without a prescription if the bill were enacted (Noon, AP/Sacramento Bee, 3/27).
How to integrate pharmacists into primary care
Drug-related morbidity and mortality cost nearly $200 billion annually in the U.S.
See how five organizations have integrated pharmacists into their primary care teams to improve patient outcomes and reduce avoidable spending—and explore six critical components of an integrated pharmacy program.