Pharmaceutical Training

AAPS’ Pharmaceutical Students Complete their Third Term with Final Exams

Congratulations go out to AAPS’ Pharmaceutical Students who recently wrote exams on . The exam was made of two parts: written and practical tests. Students were asked to answer questions on analytic chemistry and later asked to demonstrate their learnings in AAPS’ state-of-the-art laboratory. “This is the first time we’ve asked students to demonstrate their knowledge in person” says instructor, Jason Chu. “This form of evaluation benefits the students in developing their practical skills for the pharmaceutical industry.” Chu is newly welcomed to the AAPS Faculty and joins AAPS with 5 years of experience as a Quality Control Research and.. READ MORE »

Good Production Practices for Medical Marihuana

Working in quality assurance for medical marihuana production facilities requires an in-depth knowledge of Health Canada’s guidelines for good production practices. As medical marihuana continues to expand as an industry, there is more and more need for professionals who have taken quality assurance courses, specializing in medical marihuana production. Read on to discover today’s standards for producing medical marihuana, and how a quality assurance department helps maintain these standards. Premises Every medical marihuana production facility in Canada must be licensed by Health Canada in order to legally grow medical marihuana under Marihuana for Medicinal Purposes Regulations (MMPR). The sizes of.. READ MORE »

Understanding Cleaning Techniques as a Plant Sanitation Worker

Graduates of food safety training programs will often move on to pursue careers in quality assurance, regulatory affairs, or perhaps even plant sanitation. Professionals working in plant sanitation recognize that cleaning and disinfecting are some of the most important activities that can be performed in a food production plant. Many of us have been exposed to the consequences of an unsanitary food plant – whether it was by personally consuming bacteria-ridden food or hearing about someone else’s unfortunate experience. Failure to produce food items in a hygienic environment can result in the spread of food-borne illnesses as well as food.. READ MORE »

Sleepless in the 21st Century: Why is Reliance on Sleep-Aids Growing?

“It’s been a hard day’s night and I’ve been working like a dog/It’s been a hard day’s night – I should be sleeping like a log.” The Beatles could not have possibly known that one of their hit singles would grow ever more relevant for today’s sleep-deprived masses. These days it seems as though everyone has work on their minds – and when you consider that life has become much more complex and stressful over the past decade or so, it’s no wonder we’re so restless. So where has all our sleep gone? (And how can we get it back!).. READ MORE »

How to Avoid the Flu During Holiday Travelling

Taking a plane to visit grandparents in Florida, or a sibling living overseas can be a fun way to spend your holidays. However, be aware that travelling during the winter makes us particularly vulnerable to the flu. With so many people sick during the winter season, germs can collect quickly in enclosed areas like trains, buses or planes. So what’s your everyday traveller supposed to do to keep their immune system on lock-down while travelling, and avoid arriving sick at their destination? We’ve got everything you need to know about staying healthy while on the go. Bring Hand Sanitizer Even.. READ MORE »

Food Safety and the Regulation of Energy Drinks

As the go-to caffeine buzz for college students and high schoolers, health officials have long been skeptical about the effects of energy drinks. With their lack of nutritional labelling, energy drinks are a huge concern for the health of young people. Packed with sugar, high caffeine levels, taurine (increases energy levels) and ginseng, energy drinks have long been claimed as a health product—something which is now changing. After several deaths related to the consumption of energy drinks, and many others who claim energy drink companies use false advertising, government regulatory affairs has stepped in to change the way energy drinks.. READ MORE »

The Process of Bringing Drugs to the Market

Pharmaceutical drugs are chemical substances formulated to cure, treat or prevent an illness. They can be classified as oral contraceptives, painkillers, antimalarial, antibiotics, stimulants and antiseptics to name a few, and can be administered in various forms including vaccination, tablet, topical cream or capsule. Drugs are crucial to preventing sicknesses from spreading, and also help us live daily life with less interference from pain and sickness. While it may seem like new drugs are appearing on the market every day, you can be assured that all drugs must undergo a standard procedure of research, trials and FDA approval before they.. READ MORE »

New Research Concludes Aspirin Can Prevent Cancer

It’s quite widely accepted that an aspirin a day can keep heart attack and stroke at bay. But how does it work? Aspirin interferes with your blood’s clotting action. When you bleed, your blood’s clotting cells, called platelets, build up at the site of your wound. The platelets help form a plug that seals the opening in your blood vessel to stop bleeding. But when clotting happens where it shouldn’t – like in the vessels that supply your heart with blood – an artery could get blocked, which would result in a heart attack. A daily aspirin can help keep.. READ MORE »

Novartis Faces Criminal Charges in Japan Diovan Scandal

Last year, Japanese whistleblowers exposed the falsification of trial data for Diovan – Novartis’ blockbuster blood pressure drug. Ultimately, the ensuing investigation led to the arrest of one man, Nobuo Shirahashi, who was accused of manipulating the Diovan data and skewing the clinical research published by two Japanese universities. Last month, Shirahashi was detained for questioning and then recently re-arrested only days ago as more evidence emerged to link him to the falsified test results. Now, it seems both Novartis and its ex-employee with face criminal charges for misleading consumers about the range of Diovan’s therapeutic powers. Exaggerated Claims Novartis’.. READ MORE »

Prescription Painkillers Pose Major Threat

Thousands of patients in Canada and the US die from prescription painkillers every year. More people die from opioid overdoses than they do from heroin and cocaine use combined. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, enough prescription painkillers were prescribed in 2010 to medicate every American adult around-the-clock for one month. Health care professionals acknowledge that the problem of painkiller-related deaths has reached epidemic proportions – and a McGill University research team wants to know why. They’ve compiled an unprecedented review of clinical research in order to understand what’s driving this destructive trend. Media misrepresentation Mainstream media.. READ MORE »

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