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College registrants must now include a minimum amount of accredited learning hours every year to maintain registration.

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and coronary stent insertion has become commonplace and is ubiquitous in the treatment of myocardial infarction. Use of dual antiplatelet therapy or “DAPT” (ASA plus clopidogrel, ASA plus prasugrel, ASA plus ticagrelor) is critical post PCI and coronary stent insertion to prevent stent thrombosis. The incidence of early stent thrombosis ranges around 1-2% while on DAPT while late stent thrombosis ranges from 0.2-0.6%.1 While the incidence may be low, acute stent thrombosis often presents as a STEMI and is associated with mortality rates of 20-45%. While several factors influences the rates of stent thrombosis, the most common cause of acute stent thrombosis is nonadherence to DAPT.2

Registration is now open for the BC Pharmacy Association Annual Conference 2016!

This year we’ll be celebrating our 125th birthday! We’re planning a big celebration in Kelowna in September - stay tuned for more details. I hope that you’ll be able to join us.

Drugs like gabapentin, pregabalin, duloxetine, venlafaxine, and tricyclic antidepressants are often used to treat neuropathic pain. In fact, in the last decade, use of these drugs has steadily increased in BC residents with total spending approximately >$50 million per year.

How often do these drugs provide meaningful reductions in pain and at what doses? How soon can you tell if the drugs are helping reduce pain? How often will patients suffer harm from these drugs? Is there a practical strategy for using these drugs in patients with neuropathic pain based on the best available evidence?