Health Canada recently issued a warning regarding the dangers of psychoactive drugs, in particular synthetic blends that replicate the effects of controlled substances. The development and distribution of synthetics falls within a legal grey area, and has sparked new debate about how the government should regulate this new “market.” Without the safety measures associated with pharmaceutical quality control, synthetic psychoactive drugs like Acetyl Fentanyl are developed and sold with little knowledge regarding their safety or effects on users. Psychoactive drugs impact brain functioning, and cause changes in mood and behavior; they are usually prescribed to treat physical and psychological disorders… READ MORE »
November 12, 2013
This month, after years of discussion, Canada signed a Canada-EU Free Trade deal. The Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) is testing the waters for dropping import tariffs on everything from cars to food in trade between Canada and the European Union’s member states. Part of the agreement includes pharmaceutical imports, which is, understandably, a game changer for the industry. At this stage in negotiations, this includes establishing working groups to resolve differences in Canadian and European standards, not necessarily topics such as pharmaceutical quality assurance, which is already more or less in sync, but to help facilitate negotiations of the.. READ MORE »
November 9, 2013
At AAPS, we’re always interested in the changing way that medical services are provided. We touched on phenomena of full service pharmacies before, and this looks like a trend that’s not going away. While the basic role of a pharmacist is to dispense prescribed and over the counter medications, as well as provide oversight of patient health by watching for conflicting medication, providing additional pharmaceutical quality control when it comes to dose levels and making sure that customers are educated about the hows and whys of the medications they take, full service pharmacies offer everything from smoking cessation and weight.. READ MORE »
November 7, 2013
It was once believed that a university degree was all Canadians needed to secure relatively stable and desirable employment. But these days, students are graduating at the top of their class only to find themselves at the end of an unemployment line. A rocky economy and the changing landscape of post-secondary education have made choosing a program of study more confusing than ever. In June of 2013, CBC News reported that unemployment rates for recent grads were at 14.5% and rising. Conditions are no better across the border, where the Wall Street Journal reported that last year 284,000 American college.. READ MORE »
November 5, 2013
Last year in October, the province of BC defunded the Therapeutics Initiative program, an independent institution to monitor the effects of prescription pharmaceutical drugs. TI is also attached to the University of British Columbia’s Department of Family Practice, and had been working in this capacity since 1994. Defunding from the province did not kill the program. Instead, UBC picked up the shortfall, but TI garnered itself international attention as they campaigned for recognition, nationally and internationally, earning a mention in the prestigious British Medical Journal, as well as an open letter from doctors and research scientists from around the world,.. READ MORE »
November 3, 2013
This week, we’re taking a look at some of the promising discoveries that have appeared over the last few months. They all share something in common: they all have roots in our ongoing efforts to understand the human genetic code and the biological processes surrounding it, part of a trend that’s opening up a whole range of new cures and treatments. Pharmaceutical discoveries and possible new treatments Messenger RNA (mRNA) normally serves an important role in copying DNA, as part of its transmission. Clinical research-oriented company, CureVac has partnered with pharmaceutical giant Janssen to build on existing, promising research. The.. READ MORE »
November 1, 2013
Since the Nobel Prize was awarded to Banting and Macleod in 1923 for their discovery of Insulin, Canada has held a place as one of the top countries for pharmaceutical research in the world. Canadian scientists are still being credited with breakthrough discoveries every year, and there is an explicit need for young talent to enter the industry. It is recognized that historically, young researchers are statistically more likely to conduct breakthrough research. Universities and corporate labs know this, and many commit themselves to finding fresh talent. CIHR, the Canadian Institute of Health Research specifically targets young scientists, offering numerous.. READ MORE »
October 24, 2013
As a student of pharmaceutical or life sciences (or anyone interested in how science is bettering our world), you will inevitably learn about the latest High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) techniques and how they fit into different industries. At this point, HPLC is an established technique dating back to the early twentieth century, but over the decades, the process has been refined and simplified. It has evolved from a multi-unit process to a standardized procedure with a single piece of laboratory equipment. HPLC works differently that traditional liquid chromatography because it uses a man-made high-pressure process instead of gravity to.. READ MORE »
October 19, 2013
We’ve talked extensively about pharmaceutical careers, but it’s important not to forget one of the other job paths at AAPS: Food safety training for food preparation and manufacturing. Every living person eats. As a result, food safety is a concern for everyone, at every level of the process, from first production to kitchen and all the way to the plate. It is unlikely that you would find a restaurant without food safety certification. In Canada, federal level regulation comes from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, while individual provinces and municipalities prefer to add their own oversight. Food quality assurance and.. READ MORE »
October 12, 2013
We’ve talked a lot about what’s going on in the pharmaceutical industry, in Canada and in the world, but now we’re going to take it back to you, and look at some of the tips that will help you launch and grow your pharmaceutical career. Defining Your Goal– While it’s possible to launch a career with no clear direction plan; you’ll spend your time and effort more efficiently if you have an idea where to go. At AAPS, we pride ourselves on our industry experience, so our faculty can help you get started. But, asides from that, you need to.. READ MORE »
October 7, 2013
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