Does Pharmacy School Inevitably Lead to Genetic Testing Debates at Walgreens?
One of the most recent debates going on in the pharmacy community is the decision of Walgreens Pharmacies to begin to offer genetic testing kits in their stores, the first over-the-counter genetic test. While there are still some issues to sort out (the Food and Drug Administration has not yet delivered the “ok”), it seems set that many parents will flock to the pharmacy to pick up the test to determine if they or their children have signs of inheritable diseases. While the results are not yet certified to be better than if you went to the doctor, it is only the newest invention to stock pharmacy counters. The FDA has thus far prevented any of the kits from reaching the pharmacy because there is no conclusive evidence that the tests are safe or affective and the company did not present the kits to the FDA initially for testing.
Pharmacy school involves learning the intricacies of the pharmaceutical industry, and does not really run alongside genetic testing, but pharmacists will now be able to sell these kits to patients once the FDA gives the go-ahead for the product. It is a far cry from the early days of the pharmaceutical industry before major corporations like Walgreens and CVS. Now, pharmacies are more like grocery stores (especially since most grocery stores have their own pharmacy counters) and the personal feel of the independent pharmacy is long gone in most cities. The genetic testing kits are only one step further away that patients get from their doctors and true care. Pharmacies already offer many kits to test yourself for HIV, other diseases, or to administer diabetes shots, but genetic testing is one kit which most of us never thought would make it to the counters.
While pharmacy workers will not technically play the role of doctor in this case, they will be in charge of selling the product, albeit keeping it behind the counter. Pharmacy school still involves the basic chemical equations in combining compounds to create prescription drugs, but many pharmacy school students do not realize the extent to which they will now be involved with consumer transactions. Many people come in to pharmacies solely to buy drugs or kits that you will not need a prescription for, inevitably cutting out the role of the doctor (and the pharmacist for that matter). While we have yet to see if the genetic testing kits will be approved or even be mildly accurate, it is clear that the role of the pharmacist and pharmacy school is ever-changing.
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This entry was posted on Sunday, November 2nd, 2008 at 3:07 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
