Buzz Newsletter 2/12/2026

Welcome to the February 12 edition of the GPhA Buzz Newsletter.

 

This weekly round up of pharmacy news and information is a member benefit, so if you haven't renewed your membership, please do so now. The grace period for your 2026 GPhA Membership ends February 28, so if you have not renewed by then, your membership will not be active. As a reminder, if you have been on auto renewal, you'll still need to renew your membership in our new software system, just this one time. 

 

Don't miss out on this newsletter, the Legislative Update, and yourFREE CEimpact Pharmacist or Technician By Design CPE plans.

 

Last week, we alerted our members to the passage of a spending bill that includes key PBM reform language developed by GPhA member, Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Savannah). The bill easily passed both the Senate and the House and was signed into law by the President. Those PBM reform measures only impact Medicare Part D payments, but is an important first step toward national PBM reform.  

 

This week, Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) and Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) introduced legislation they call the "Break Up Big Medicine Act," which includes federal PBM reform measures. The Act would prohibit parent companies of any kind from owning a medical provider and a PBM or insurer. 

 

In their press release, Sen. Hawley said “Working Americans deserve better. This bipartisan legislation is a massive step towards making healthcare affordable for every American," and Sen. Warren said "The only way to make health care more affordable is to break up these health care conglomerates."

 

GPhA will follow this and all pharmacy-related legislation throughout the year.

The FDA has been busy, as usual, this week. 

 

The FDA refused an application from Moderna for a new mRNA flu vaccine, objecting to how the pharmaceutical company ran a 40,000 person clinical trial. The agency said it didn't consider the application to have an "adequate and well-controlled trial." Moderna has asked for a meeting with the agency ASAP. 

 

It looks like the battle between companies selling compounded GLP-1s, like Hims & Hers and Ro.co, is heating up again. The FDA issued a press release last week that states its intention to further restrict the non-FDA approved compounded medication sold mostly over the internet, as well as restricting the ability to advertise those medications.  

 

It wasn't all "no" at the FDA. Reproductive-aged women can now use an at-home pregnancy test before being prescribed acne medication isotretinoin, with prescriber approval. Prior to this announcement, the negative pregnancy test had to come from a medical provider. 

Birth rates in the U.S. were down in 2025, with just over 3.6 million births reported (through birth certificates). Statistically, it's not a huge number at just 24,000 fewer than 2024, but it does point to a trend. There are a number of factors at play here: we're getting married later (or not at all), worrying about fertility or financial issues, or just uninterested in having children. 

Two studies are confirming the continued non-medical use of gabapentin, mostly in combination with other drugs like opioids. In fact, non-prescribed use is more than double prescribed use. 

 

It's important to note the latest study focused on patients with substance use disorders (SUDs) in treatment centers, where gabapentin is sometimes used to mitigate side effects from withdrawal. 

A quick note for you coffee lovers -- a couple cups a day is linked with a lower risk of dementia. It has to be caffeinated though, so apologies to you decaf drinkers. 

 

And for you tea drinkers (we are in the South, after all) there's good news as well. High tea consumption is tied to better cognitive functioning, but only up to around 2-3 cups. 

 

We are rolling out a new membership referral contest this year, and we need you! It’s an easy contest and everyone can participate. Just bring in the most referrals of new members between now and May 31 and win prizes at the 2026 Georgia Pharmacy Convention.

 

The rules are simple: 

•  Member must be listed as the referral on new member application. 

•  New members must be registered between January 1 and May 31, 2026. 

•  Membership must be paid by the new member (100% Club members are excluded).

•  Referral program is open to pharmacists and technician members alike, and referrals are judged strictly by number of referrals, not by membership tier. 

 

Check out the Build the Bench webpage for more details and a link to our membership application.