December 5
IN THIS ISSUE / December 5, 2018
- USP update on access to buffered lidocaine
- Are you smarter than DataDerm™?
- What’s the latest on drug shortages?
- Identifying, treating rosacea in skin of color
- 2019 AAD Election ballot packet moved online
USP update on access to buffered lidocaine
The American Academy of Dermatology Association met with representatives from the United States Pharmacopeial Convention (USP), the FDA, and the CDC to discuss proposed revisions to Chapter 797 on compounded sterile preparations that, if finalized and adopted by state pharmacy boards, would create burdensome requirements for compounding sterile preparations.
The AADA — along with representatives from the American College of Mohs Surgery, the American Medical Association, the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery Association, and the American Society for Mohs Surgery — stressed the importance of access to buffered lidocaine for dermatology patients, and the need for physicians to prepare buffered lidocaine ahead of patient visits to facilitate access and avoid interruption of longer procedures such as Mohs surgery. Specifically, the groups requested USP to change the one-hour exemption to a 12-hour exemption.
Suzanne Olbricht, MD, Seemal R. Desai, MD, Allison Vidimos, RPh, MD, Jack Resneck Jr., MD, CDR Josephine Nguyen, MD, MHCDS, and Murad Alam, MD, attended the meeting. The organizations in attendance also signed on to the AADA’s comment letter on the issue. The USP Compounding Expert Committee will meet to discuss the comments received by the AADA and other organizations and will finalize revisions to chapter 797. Stay tuned to Dermatology World Weekly for updates.
Read more about compounding in Dermatology World.
Related Links:
- Essentials of in-office compounding – Dermatology World (June 2018)
- Dos and don'ts of in-office compounding – Dermatology World (August 2017)
- AAD/A Position Statement on Pharmaceutical Compounding
Are you smarter than DataDerm™?
As psoriasis treatment continues to evolve, some old standbys remain in practice (Hello, Goeckerman). What percentage of patients received light-based therapy for their psoriasis? Test your knowledge against DataDerm’s.
Related Links:
- DataDerm participants earned MIPS bonuses in 2017 – Dermatology World (November 2018)
- When dealing with payers, the data can speak for itself – Dermatology World Weekly (Oct. 24, 2018)
- AADA web: MACRA Resource Center
What’s the latest on drug shortages?
The AADA recently attended an FDA public hearing about the impact of drug shortages on dermatologists and their patients. Speakers at the hearing — including manufacturers, suppliers, and physicians — highlighted the need to address and prevent drug shortages. Additionally, many speakers discussed challenges getting access to sterile injectables — an issue facing many dermatologists, particularly with the shortages of lidocaine with and without epinephrine and sodium bicarbonate, as well as bacteriostatic saline.
The FDA has been soliciting information and feedback from physicians, patients, and consumers alike recently about a number of issues related to drug access, including drug shortages. As a result, the AADA is conducting a survey of Academy members about the effects of drug shortages on dermatology patients. The AADA will share the results with the FDA and other policymakers. Take the survey here.
What’s happening with drug shortages and what’s being done to resolve the issue? Read more in Dermatology World.
Related Links:
- Addressing adversity – Dermatology World (July 2015)
- Safety first – Dermatology World (September 2014)
- AAD public education resource: Why see a board-certified dermatologist?
Identifying, treating rosacea in skin of color
According to a paper in press in JAAD, rosacea is often under-reported for skin of color patients worldwide, causing potential delays in diagnosis and management. The paper provides strategies for identifying rosacea such as taking a thorough patient history and recognizing characteristics of rosacea in a patient with skin of color — a dry appearance, edema, and hyperpigmentation. The authors also offer strategies for treating rosacea in skin of color, stating that while the treatment approach is similar to that in lighter skin types, “patients with skin of color might have unique clinical features that need to be addressed during rosacea treatment, such as post-inflammatory pigment alteration and the risk of developing this complication on administration of laser and light-based therapies.”
What’s new with rosacea? Read about the updated rosacea classification system in this month’s issue of DW.
- The many uses of microneedling – Dermatology World (September 2018)
- Connections found between rosacea and dementia, glioma, and Parkinson’s – Dermatology World (August 2016)
- Unlocking the mysteries of rosacea – Dermatology World (August 2013)
- Academy Learning Module: Acne and rosacea
- Academy product: Rosacea pamphlets
2019 AAD Election ballot packet moved online
Beginning in 2019, eligible voting members will receive an email with an embedded link to view the ballot book and vote online. Voting members with email on file with the Academy will no longer receive an election ballot packet by mail.
- Members who wish to receive a PDF ballot book by email may request it at candidates@aad.org
- Members who wish to vote by mail may print their online secure voting ballot beginning March 2. NOTE: All ballots must be received by March 16 at 11:59 PM (ET)
