We’ve officially joined Reddit. r/RxBriefly is a new space for Canadian pharmacists to swap opinions, debate what’s happening in pharmacy, answer polls, share the weird stuff that happens behind the counter and talk about the stories we cover here each week.

We’ve already got the conversation started. Come join us, weigh in and help us build a community for pharmacists who have a lot to say once the dispensary finally gets quiet.

AI may make pharmacists more accurate, but there’s a catch. In a new randomized simulation study, 77 pharmacists and pharmacy trainees completed medication-order verification scenarios with or without AI assistance. Overall, AI improved accuracy, but when the AI recommendation was wrong, user accuracy plunged to 26.1%. Participants also accepted nearly three-quarters of incorrect AI recommendations, raising concerns about automation bias. The takeaway? AI may be a useful second set of eyes, but pharmacists still need to question what it tells them.

Sometimes the treatment for a new symptom is actually treating the side effect of another drug. A new Ontario-wide study identified potentially inappropriate prescribing cascades among older adults, where a medication side effect is mistaken for a new condition and another drug is added to treat it. Researchers found common medications, including statins and iron supplements, among those potentially involved. For pharmacists reviewing a growing medication list, it’s another reason to ask a deceptively simple question: did this symptom start after another medication did?

Polypharmacy isn't getting any simpler. A new JAMA study using nationally representative US data found that medication and supplement use among older adults has continued to rise. While potentially major drug-drug interactions declined somewhat compared with earlier years, more than 1 in 5 older adults remained potentially at risk. The study included prescription drugs, OTC medications and dietary supplements, making the findings particularly relevant at the pharmacy counter, where the medication list patients provide may not tell the whole story.

Drug Shortages ⚠️

Vitamin B12 

Newly Approved Drugs ✨

Testosterone 

If pharmacy ownership is on your horizon, the hard part is usually not financing. It’s finding out what is actually available.

Most pharmacies in Canada change hands quietly. An owner mentions it to one or two people, a buyer is found, and it never appears anywhere public. At any given time we have a handful of published listings and considerably more confidential sales that are never advertised.

If you are thinking about buying in the next year or two, you don’t have to wait until you’re ready to make an offer to start looking. Tell us the province, the size, and the budget you have in mind, and we’ll tell you what may be available, including the ones that are not listed.

PharmacyBroker.ca is run by two practising Pharm.D. pharmacists. Your inquiry stays confidential and nothing is shared without your consent.

Flu season is coming. These everyday surfaces deserve a little extra side-eye.

We touch hundreds of shared surfaces without thinking twice about it. And while respiratory viruses such as influenza primarily spread through the air, contaminated hands and surfaces can still play a role in transmitting some infections. So, what deserves a warning this cold-and-flu season?

Here are a few of the big ones:

The pharmacy takeaway: No need to scare patients away from the debit machine. Remind them that surface contamination doesn't automatically equal infection, and for flu, respiratory spread is the bigger concern. But regular handwashing, avoiding touching the face with unwashed hands and cleaning frequently handled personal items are still simple habits worth reinforcing.

Bottom line: Wash your hands, clean your phone and maybe don't eat your airport snack immediately after the security line.

1: 😴 After an all-nighter, there’s feeling sharper, and then there’s being sharper. In a new McGill-led study, after 30 hours awake, 20 minutes of cycling protected memory about as well as a 90-minute nap, with both groups performing roughly 22% better than those who did neither. Only the nap made people feel less tired, but the sleepy exercisers still remembered more than controls. Researchers think exercise may help the brain use its remaining resources more efficiently — potentially useful when sleep isn’t possible mid-shift.

2: 🥜 A little nut intake went a surprisingly long way in a new cognition study. Among 1,742 stroke-free adults, higher nut intake was associated with better global cognition, with the strongest links in people with poorer diets or lower physical activity. Median intake was only 1.3 g a day — about one almond or a couple of pistachios. Before anyone starts prescribing trail mix: the study was observational and found no drop in dementia or stroke risk over 10 years.

3: 🫀 There’s jet lag, social jet lag, and now “eating jetlag.” In a study of 104,806 French adults, researchers compared weekday and weekend eating schedules and found that each extra hour of difference between the two was associated with a 14% higher risk of cardiovascular disease and 21% higher risk of coronary heart disease in men. No significant link showed up in women, and the association held after accounting for diet quality and sleep. The study can’t prove the schedule caused the risk, but it suggests your body clock may care when you eat, not just what.

🍎 Make: the most colourful soup of fall. This apple-beet soup blends sweet apples and beets with a splash of cider vinegar, then tops the whole thing with creamy feta. Cozy, colourful and simple.

🎧 Save: on headphones built for the pool. These bone-conduction headphones are on sale at Costco, with a waterproof design and built-in storage so you can swim without keeping your phone nearby. One for the swimmers, runners and chronically tangled-earbud crowd.

📖 Read: why birth control is still largely a women’s responsibility. Male contraceptives have been “on the way” for decades, from hormonal gels to pills, yet none has made it to pharmacy shelves. So what’s taking so long?

🍰 Watch: your next cozy Sunday obsession. The Great Canadian Baking Show returns Oct. 4, bringing impressive cakes, ambitious bakes and at least one inevitable baking disaster.

First clue: A known carcinogen

Need a rematch? We’ve got you covered. Check out our Crossword Archive to find every puzzle we’ve ever made, all in one place.

Think you crushed it? Challenge your pharmacist friends to beat your time.

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