Dear

We are ready for London where ISOPP’s XVIII International Symposium on Oncology Pharmacy Practice (ISOPP 2019) is taking place next week. It is sold out and is set be one of ISOPP’s best attended. This is great news, and testament to the benefits of collaboration as ISOPP is co-hosting with the British Oncology Pharmacy Association (BOPA). BOPA has embraced the opportunity to welcome oncology practitioners from around the world and we look forward, with great anticipation, to comparing practices, sharing information and networking.

We shared an abundance of information in June’s Enewsletter about collaborative action involving the work of so many of ISOPP’s members: expanding ISOPP’s Regional Symposia , updating the Standards , sharing knowledge online with Sosido, developing online education, and drafting positions statements.

You may remember that Emma Foreman, Chair of the Biosimilars Task Force, released the results of the Biosimilars Implementation Practices Assessment survey in the June Enewsletter. These results and those of ISOPP’s Biosimilars Education Needs Assessment survey informed the development of ISOPP’s Biosimilars Position Paper (to be launched on the first day of the Symposium), as well as the content of the Biosimilars Workshop (taking place the day prior to the Symposium).

The Biosimilars Position Paper is not the only one to be discussed in London - so will the draft of ISOPP’s Position Paper on the Role of the Oncology Pharmacy Team in Cancer Patient Care. Barry Goldspiel, Chair of the Credentialing / Specialization / Scope of Practice Task Force, will lead the review of the draft during one of ISOPP 2019’s concurrent sessions. Shaun O’Connor, Chair of the Standards Review Task Force, will also lead a concurrent session to give an update on the ISOPP Standards.

The above gives a taste of what is to come during our time in London. If you are not able to be there in person, join us virtually by engaging through Twitter and through the Symposium App (read below for more details). Be sure to familiarize yourself with the schedule, session details and speakers as well as the exhibitors and posters to decide now which video recordings to watch in ISOPP’s Virtual Library once they are posted immediately after the Symposium. Looking for more online education in the meantime? Watch the recording of ISOPP’s first ever webinar on Best Practices: International Medication Safety Network (IMSN) .

Thank you for being a part of the ISOPP community and we look forward to seeing you in London, just days away, to keep up the collaborative action!

American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting 2019

By Hisanaga Nomura, National Cancer Center Hospital East and Yoshikazu Tazaki, Asahikawa Medical University

In the presentations this year, the topics of genome-related study, the development of molecular targeted therapies, and gene therapy such as CAR-T therapy was attracting much attention. I would like to focus on two studies of interest to Oncology Pharmacists.

 

The first study to be covered is a nausea and vomiting study. Current evidence supports a four-drug combined therapy for High emetic risk regimens. Navari RM et al. suggested an olanzapine (OLZ) dose of 10mg in a phase III study1. However, in clinical practice, patients sometimes become drowsy due to taking the olanzapine 10mg. This study is the first study comparing 5mg or placebo.

Read the full article...

Canadian Association of Pharmacy in Oncology Conference 2019 (CAPhO19)

By Tom McFarlane, Board of Directors member and Research Chair, CAPhO

This past April, the 24th annual conference of the Canadian Association of Pharmacy in Oncology (CAPhO) was convened on Canada’s east coast in beautiful Halifax, Nova Scotia. This is a meeting that has grown tremendously in size and scope since its inception in 1996, and now welcomes several hundred delegates each year. In addition to the main program running Friday and Saturday, the conference also includes many ancillary educational events running on Thursday and Friday. This year’s conference theme was “Personalized Medicine”, and several expert speakers presented on a plethora of topics relevant to the changing landscape of oncology pharmacy.

Read the full article..

A staff member in the oncology reconstitution room

Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH) Oncology Pharmacy Unit

By Ramat Masud Alabelewe, The Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH)

The Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH) is located in a town known as Shika along Zaria-Sokoto road in Zaria, Giwa Local Government Area of Kaduna State, North West Nigeria.

 

It is a tertiary and a referral hospital where cases beyond the primary and secondary health facilities are being referred for proper management. The Hospital is a teaching hospital where the training of student medical doctors, pharmacists, nurses and laboratory technologists, laboratory technicians, pharmacy technicians, radiographers, opticians etc. are taken place.

Read the full article...

The sixty-fourth issue of the Virtual Journal Club (VJC) is available. To access it, visit the Virtual Journal Club Surveys page or follow the direct link to the survey.

 

Members are encouraged to read articles and then answer a series of multiple choice questions through the Virtual Journal Club Surveys .

 

After completing the questionnaire, a certificate will be available. Although not formally accredited for continuing medical education (CME) points, participation is equal to one hour of CME activity.

ISOPP’s Virtual Education Resource Library (the Virtual Library) serves as a hub for oncology pharmacy practitioners from around the world to access the breadth and depth of knowledge of ISOPP members and others on a 24-hour basis.

 

If you attended the Australasia Regional Oncology Pharmacy Symposium 2019 (AusROPS19) or the Africa Regional Oncology Pharmacy Symposium 2019 (AROPS19) or have purchased access to Virtual Library , new video presentations and recordings will be available soon! 

 

The Regional Symposium participants receive complimentary access to the content of the Symposium they attend for 12 months post event.

 

Bonus for all 2019 Symposium registrants, you will receive complimentary access to the 2019 Symposium video presentations until October 2020, accessible through ISOPP’s Virtual Education Resource Library . 

Call for Oncology Pharmacy Educational Resources

 

Would you like to share an Educational Resource with ISOPP members? 

 

The Education Committee has developed an Education Resources Review Policy to determine if proposed resources are useful to ISOPP members. 

 

ISOPP hosts online resources and links to external educational materials on its Oncology Pharmacy Resources web page with the aim to expand the reach of educational content relevant to Oncology Pharmacy practitioners. 

 

We encourage you to review the policy and share your Education Resources with fellow ISOPP members. 

FDA News Release: FDA takes first action under new international collaboration with Australia and Canada designed to provide a framework for concurrent review of cancer therapies, approving treatment for patients with endometrial carcinoma.

 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is announcing Project Orbis, an initiative of the FDA Oncology Center of Excellence (OCE). Project Orbis provides a framework for concurrent submission and review of oncology drugs among its international partners. Under this project, the FDA, the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and Health Canada collaboratively reviewed applications for two oncology drugs, allowing for simultaneous decisions in all three countries.

Read the full article..

ISOPP General Meeting Notification  

 

ISOPP’s General Meeting takes place during ISOPP 2019 on Saturday, October 12, 2019 at 11:45-12:30 at the Novotel London West in London, UK.

 

If you are attending ISOPP 2019, join us and learn what ISOPP has been up to and where ISOPP is going. Share your opinions and suggestions, and ask questions! Your participation is important to advancing global oncology pharmacy care.

 

The General Meeting agenda and the minutes of ISOPP’s first ever virtual Annual General Meeting , which took place on April 11, 2019, are available online in the members’ section of the website.

Call for ISOPP Quarterly Newsletter Authors

Would you like to contribute articles to be published in the ISOPP Newsletter?

We would love to hear about conference(s) you have attended, the day in your job or anything else you would like to share with ISOPP members in oncology pharmacy and your practice.

 

ISOPP’s Newsletter , published quarterly and sent via email directly to members, is the home of international discussion on oncology pharmacy research and practice and ISOPP news and business. We are always looking for contributions.  

 

Contact Evelyn Handel, Newsletter Editor at [email protected] to submit an article. 

Discussion Forum

The Discussion Forum is an online discussion about oncology pharmacy with ISOPP members around the world. The forum is an active conversation amongst members, committee members and Secretariat members on oncology pharmacy related issues and ISOPP specific issues.

 

Post questions and provide answers using the discussion forum. Take advantage of the networking opportunities with ISOPP members by starting a discussion around leading edge oncology knowledge and best practices!

 

Visit How to Use the Website for directions on how to start a new topic and how to subscribe.