Qato Awarded Grant from the Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts

December 9, 2023 Dima M. Qato, Hygeia Centennial Chair at USC Mann, was awarded a $437,920 grant from the Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE). The grant supports research assessing trends and impact of the availability of the medication buprenorphine for opioid-use disorder at pharmacies in communities across the U.S. Read more here…Continue Reading Qato Awarded Grant from the Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts

Qato Awarded $1.65M NIH Grant

USC Mann, March 22, 2023 Funding will support research to advance policies within Medicare Part D to prevent pharmacy closures and advance equitable access to medicines. Dima M. Qato, associate professor of pharmacy at the USC Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Director of the Program on Medicines and Public Health, was awarded…Continue Reading Qato Awarded $1.65M NIH Grant

High-tech map promotes access to medicine and pharmacy services

USC News, November 2, 2022, Leigh Hopper A USC-developed interactive mapping tool shows the location of every pharmacy in the United States — and which neighborhoods are “pharmacy deserts.” Designing a map that identified ‘pharmacy deserts’ Her latest project is an interactive, nationwide mapping tool showing the location of every pharmacy in the United States…Continue Reading High-tech map promotes access to medicine and pharmacy services

NCPA Collaborates with USC on Groundbreaking Pharmacy Mapping Project

NCPA, October 24, 2022 ALEXANDRIA, Va. (Oct. 24, 2022) – A collaboration between the National Community Pharmacists Association and University of Southern California has resulted in a new interactive mapping tool that could promote health equity by identifying pharmacy shortage areas in the United States. It can also help policymakers see the consequences of unfair…Continue Reading NCPA Collaborates with USC on Groundbreaking Pharmacy Mapping Project

Risk for Heart Attack, Stroke or Death Can Double or Triple in Older Adults Concurrently Taking Multiple Medications with Cardiovascular Side Effects

USC Schaeffer Center, July 27, 2022 Using multiple medications with known cardiovascular adverse effects at the same time doubled, and sometimes tripled, the risk for a heart attack, stroke or death among older adults with no prior cardiovascular disease, according to new research published in Pharmacoepidemiology & Drug Safety.   “Although the cardiovascular risks of…Continue Reading Risk for Heart Attack, Stroke or Death Can Double or Triple in Older Adults Concurrently Taking Multiple Medications with Cardiovascular Side Effects

FTC Launches Inquiry Into Prescription Drug Middlemen Industry

FTC, June 7, 2022 Agency to Scrutinize the Impact of Vertically Integrated Pharmacy Benefit Managers on the Access and Affordability of Medicine The Federal Trade Commission announced today that it will launch an inquiry into the prescription drug middleman industry, requiring the six largest pharmacy benefit managers to provide information and records regarding their business…Continue Reading FTC Launches Inquiry Into Prescription Drug Middlemen Industry

NCPA partners with USC School of Pharmacy on access efforts

NCPA. September 9, 2021. The National Community Pharmacists Association is working with the University of Southern California School of Pharmacy and Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics to tackle barriers to pharmacy access, including closures. The organizations’ Pharmacy Access Initiative will generate real-time information for various officials, academics and industry leaders to…Continue Reading NCPA partners with USC School of Pharmacy on access efforts

‘Pharmacy deserts’ disproportionately affect Black and Latino residents in largest U.S cities

USC Press Release, May 3, 2021.  Lack of easy access to prescription medications and other pharmacy-based services may contribute to health disparities “One in three neighborhoods throughout these cities were pharmacy deserts, affecting nearly 15 million people,” said Jenny S. Guadamuz, the study’s first author and postdoctoral fellow at the USC Schaeffer Center and the Program…Continue Reading ‘Pharmacy deserts’ disproportionately affect Black and Latino residents in largest U.S cities