Naloxone for Opioid Overdose and the Role of the Pharmacist.

With the rise of the opioid epidemic in the United States and increased mortality as a result of opioid overdoses, there have been many national and statewide initiatives to combat this health crisis. Many states have expanded accessibility to naloxone, an opioid-reversal agent. Naloxone is safe, cost-effective, and nonaddictive.

Rapid reduction in HIV viral load in late pregnancy with raltegravir: a case report.

The use of raltegravir (RAL) is not preferred to prevent perinatal transmission in pregnancy due to lack of safety and pharmacokinetic data in this population. Data have been limited to few case reports of patients who present for treatment late in pregnancy, have multidrug resistance, or have poor adherence, requiring an additional class such as an integrase inhibitor to further lower viral load. This case report describes and supports the initiation of RAL in very late pregnancy (week 33) to rapidly decrease viral load and successfully prevent perinatal transmission.