Nasal congestion

• When colds, flus and allergies hit, many people automatically turn to over-the-counter medications to push through and treat their symptoms.
• Nearly 70% of adults in the U.S. use over-the-counter medications as a first-line response for treating cold and flu symptoms.
• We are a pharmacoepidemiologist and pharmacist team and we investigate adherence to medications and potential harms of medications associated with drug-drug interactions.
• Another study estimated that every year, 26,735 people went to the emergency room for adverse events related to over-the-counter cold and cough medications.

The dangers of mixing medications

• Pharmacists and physicians are typically knowledgeable about potential drug interactions, so it is very important for patients to ask their health care providers which over-the-counter medications are safe for them to use.
• It is important to read the package ingredients of over-the-counter medications closely to avoid duplication of doses.
• Cold medications are typically made up of multiple ingredients, including pain relievers, nasal decongestants and cough suppressants or expectorants.
• Combining these decongestants with monoaminooxidase inhibitors or tricyclic antidepressants could lead to very high blood pressure and heart rhythm problems.

Each person responds to drugs differently

• As we age, our bodies begin to lose the ability to efficiently clear drugs, which increases the risk of adverse events and unintentional overdoses.
• Some drugs can be dangerous for people who have particular health conditions.
• In addition, since these drugs are associated with increased blood pressure, patients with hypertension, hyperthyroidism or heart disease should be careful when using them, or avoid them altogether.

Alternatives for children

• The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention do not recommend giving cold medications to children under age 4.
• Because of a variety of factors, young children have a higher risk of accidental overdose and adverse events that could lead to death.
• Research has shown that honey can be helpful for reducing cold and flu symptoms in children older than age 1.

Pregnancy best practices

• Acetaminophen is the doctor-recommended over-the-counter medication for management of pain and fever at any stage of pregnancy.
• Any other pain relievers or anti-inflammatory medicine such as ibuprofen, ketoprofen, naproxen and aspirin should not be taken during pregnancy without a doctor’s approval.
• For symptoms such as nasal congestion during pregnancy, a decongestant called oxymetazoline in its intranasal form is the drug of choice.

• The new research presented at the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (ASCPT) annual meeting in Atlanta, Ga., showed that nasal congestion enhanced peak levels of epinephrine after intranasal administration of UTULY.
• The poster, “The Effect of Nasal Congestion on the Bioavailability of Intranasally Administered Epinephrine in Healthy Adult Subjects with Seasonal Allergies,” can be found here .
• UTULY is an investigational self-administered form of epinephrine being studied for the treatment of type 1 allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis.
• These data show that UTULY is absorbed as fast as with an autoinjector, but also offers a higher and more sustained exposure of epinephrine.

• Allermi , a direct-to-consumer telehealth service providing a customized approach to allergy relief, today announced a $3.5M seed round to continue its mission to deliver a personalized solution to allergy care.
• View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230316005335/en/
  World’s First Customized Multi-Ingredient Nasal Spray Secures Funding to Support Massive Expansion.
• Allermi launched in California last July with a $1.25M pre-seed round led by Lucas Venture Group and has been growing rapidly over 30% month-over-month.
• The seed funding will be used to continue national expansion; build and scale business, marketing and product operations; and enlarge marketing channels to meet the growing demand.

• Poor indoor air quality continues to act as a silent threat, and according to a recent survey from Blueair, Americans remain at odds with the conditions inside their own residence.
• In addition, 80% of Americans believe that clean indoor air results in a healthier home environment.
• This awareness gap means many consumers are not taking important steps like changing HVAC filters and using air purifiers to improve their air quality.
• Most Americans aren’t aware of the connection between skin health and air quality: Only 25% of survey respondents say they improved the air quality in their home to benefit their skin.