Alex Evans, PharmD, MBA

I am a pharmacist and medical writer currently living in Hiroshima, Japan. I write a wide range of articles targeting pharmacists, other healthcare professionals, and consumers, and am especially interested in health policy, drug pricing, and regulatory systems.

Course Method •

How Alex Evans Started an AI for Medical Writing Course

How Alex Evans Started an AI for Medical Writing Course

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• Interesting Stats: $1,250 in sales in the first 4 days.

Who are you and what course have you created?

I am a pharmacist, but got into medical writing in 2016. When I was in pharmacy school I never heard of medical writing, and never pictured doing anything other than practicing community pharmacy.

I had written peer-reviewed pa
GoodRx •

Deflazacort vs. Prednisone: 5 Differences Between These Muscular Dystrophy Treatments

Muscular dystrophy refers to a group of genetic disorders that cause progressive muscle breakdown and weakness over time. There are over 30 different types of muscular dystrophy, each affecting muscles in their own unique way.

If you or your child have muscular dystrophy, your healthcare provider may prescribe corticosteroids to help slow down the progression of muscle weakness. They aim to keep your muscles stronger for longer. Two of the most commonly used corticosteroids for muscular dystrophy are deflazacort (Emflaza) and prednisone (Rayos).

Deflazacort and prednisone offer similar benefits, but they aren’t one in the same. Here, we’ll look at the top five differences between deflazacort and prednisone.
AchieveCE •

A Practical Pharmacy Guide to the Controlled Substance Act – 1 CE – Live Webinar on October 4, 2023 8PM ET

The Controlled Substance Act was passed in 1970 and regulates the supply chain of certain medications, chemicals, and substances designated as having the potential for abuse. Pharmacies are one step in that supply chain, and community pharmacies are the last step before those medications reach the patient. It is critical that pharmacists and technicians understand the requirements of the Controlled Substance Act, both to protect the public’s health and to maintain compliance.

This course will review the major requirements of the Controlled Substance Act, as they apply to community pharmacies, and will highlight practical points that staff can implement into their everyday practice.
GoodRx •

9 Everolimus (Afinitor) Side Effects You Should Know About

Everolimus (Afinitor) is an oral medication that treats certain types of cancer. Everolimus is also available at lower doses under the brand name Zortress, which helps prevent organ rejection after a transplant. But the focus of this article is Afinitor.

If you’ve been prescribed everolimus, you may be wondering what to expect while taking it. Here, we’ll look at nine possible everolimus side effects and how to manage them.
GoodRx •

Vraylar Dosages for Adults: Your GoodRx Guide

Vraylar (cariprazine) is an atypical antipsychotic medication. It’s approved to treat several mental health conditions, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Here, we’ll review the recommended Vraylar dosages for adults only, as it’s not approved for children. Keep in mind that your healthcare provider may have prescribed a different dosage for you than described below. Always follow your healthcare provider’s instructions when taking Vraylar.
GoodRx •

Charitable Pharmacies: What They Are and How They Help People Access Medications

It’s estimated that around 10% of people in the U.S. don’t have health insurance. Many more are underinsured and are forced to stretch their finances or choose between medications and other basic necessities, such as food or rent. And with rising prescription costs, nearly 40% of people say they struggle to afford their medications.

Charitable pharmacies, which are often nonprofit organizations and provide free medications to low-income and uninsured people, are tackling this problem by helping those who need it most. In fact, according to the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics, there are more than 5.8 million visits to charitable pharmacies and clinics every year.

Below, we’ll answer common questions about charitable pharmacies — what they are, the services they provide, and how to find one in your area.
GoodRx •

9 Buspirone Side Effects You Should Know About

If you’re living with anxiety, you’re not alone. Anxiety disorders affect almost one-third of U.S adults at some point in their lifetime. Luckily, medications like buspirone can help manage anxiety symptoms and loosen their grasp on your day-to-day life.

While buspirone is an effective treatment for many people, it does have some side effects to be aware of. Below, we’ll discuss nine possible buspirone side effects and how to manage them if they occur.
OutcomesMTM •

Food as Medicine programs provide holistic community care

Poor nutrition is a leading cause of chronic disease in the United States and increases the risk for overweight and obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Despite this, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nine out of 10 Americans consume too much sodium, less than one out of 10 Americans eat enough fruits or vegetables and half of American adults have at least one sugary beverage every day.
GoodRx •

9 Advair Side Effects You Should Know About

Advair (fluticasone/salmeterol) is a popular combination inhaler used to treat asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It contains two medications: fluticasone (Flovent), a steroid, and salmeterol (Serevent), a beta-agonist. Both are long-acting medications inhaled every day to help manage asthma or COPD symptoms. If you’re taking Advair, you may be wondering what to expect, including what side effects are possible.

Here’s a list of nine possible Advair side effects. Keep in mind, this isn’t a complete list; be sure to talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist if you experience any other side effects while taking Advair.
GoodRx •

What is Step Therapy? How to Get Insurance to Pay for Your ‘Non-Preferred’ Medication

Before prescription insurance plans will pay for certain medications, they want to make sure that other, more affordable or appropriate medications don’t work for you first. This may mean that you’ll have to try a different medication before you can get coverage for the one your healthcare provider prescribed. And this process is called step therapy.

Essentially, step therapy is a type of prior authorization — a restriction your insurance company puts in place to determine whether or not they will pay for certain medications. Many argue, however, that step therapy may negatively affect your health and make it harder for you to get the medication you need.
OutcomesMTM •

Outcomes empowers payers to address social determinants of health

There is growing appreciation for the influence factors outside an individual's traditional medical profile have on their overall health and well-being. These non-clinical factors, termed social determinants of health (SDOH), include things like access to healthcare, income, education, housing and food security.

Understanding and addressing SDOH is critical for improving the health and well-being of both individuals and communities. Healthcare organizations, payers and quality measurement organ
GoodRx •

How to Interpret Kaplan-Meier Curves

Statistics is a tough subject, and interpreting statistical tests used in clinical trials can be confusing for even the most seasoned healthcare professionals.

Even so, statistics forms the backbone of evidence-based medicine. Because of this, having a good understanding of the most common statistical tests can help us provide the best care to our patients.

We previously looked at p-values, and here we’ll look at another commonly used statistical tool: Kaplan-Meier curves.
GoodRx •

Understanding the Community Pharmacy Structure in France

Community pharmacies are those that dispense medications to patients who aren’t hospitalized or in nursing facilities. This series explores how community pharmacy practice differs around the world. In doing so, it gives us the opportunity to view our own system in a new light and possibly find opportunities for improvement.

We’ve covered the globe, exploring the practice of pharmacy in countries across continents, from Japan and Australia to Argentina and Finland. In this post, we’ll look at pharmacy practice in France, a country whose healthcare system was named the top in the world by the World Health Organization. Its healthcare system is often discussed in the U.S., especially in debates on healthcare reform.
GoodRx •

International Best Practices: Medication Disposal in Finland

In our pharmacy around the world series, we have explored how community pharmacy differs across the globe, from Canada to Iran to Switzerland. In doing so, we have been able to uncover best practices that might give us an opportunity to improve our own healthcare system.

In an extension of this series, we’re exploring healthcare initiatives from other countries. And in this post, we’ll look at how Finland has successfully managed medication waste and disposal.

To help us better understand Finland’s practices for medication waste, we’ve interviewed Johanna Timonen, PhD, a university researcher and faculty member at the University of Eastern Finland School of Pharmacy.
GoodRx •

Marketing Your Private Practice: Strategies to Get Started

It has become increasingly difficult for independent physician’s practices to survive and thrive in today’s complex, competitive environment. Because of requirements around electronic medical records (EMRs), performance-based pay, and large, independent delivery networks, private practices are on the decline nationwide.

But, with the right approach, it is still very possible to build an independent practice and enjoy the rewards that come with it. One important factor is having the right marketing strategy.
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