PHARMACOTHERAPY UPDATE: 2023

Sponsored by the Pharmacists Section and the Polypharmacy and Deprescribing Special Interest Group
Moderator: Carla J. Bouwmeester, MS, PharmD, BCPS, BCGP
Each year, new medications are approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Newly approved medications have an impact on decisions made by health care professionals caring for older adults. They can also lead to adverse events which may be misinterpreted as new signs or symptoms of another medical condition that can lead to prescribing of additional medication(s). The purpose of this symposium is to educate the audience managing prescribing cascades and summarize the changes over the past year in pharmacotherapy. Learning Objectives: (1) communicate the indication for use, mechanism of action, pharmacokinetics, dosing, safety, and drug interactions for newly approved medications; (2) describe the average co-pay of these medications and decide whether these newer agents are better than more cost-effective alternatives for the patients they serve in their clinical practice; (3) explain what prescribing cascades are, why they matter, how and why they occur, and the need for additional research focused on health equity; and (4) apply tools for recognizing and investigating prescribing cascades as part of pharmacotherapy assessments for older adults.