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Utibe R. Essien, MD, MPH @uressien.bsky.social · 22d

Interestingly this 2021 survey showed that nearly 1/3 of US physicians reported lack of knowledge of 💊s for tobacco cessation as a reason for not prescribing therapies.

📝: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Utibe R. Essien, MD, MPH @uressien.bsky.social · 22d

Love the idea of a series focused on tobacco cessation globally, esp the role of #Pharmacoequity. 💊

But not sure there is evidence to support that it’s “lagging knowledge” driving ⬇️ rates of treatment in low and middle income countries. 🤔

Hoping for more data ahead.

www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....

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Utibe R. Essien, MD, MPH @uressien.bsky.social · 26d

My patient recently lost his Medicaid insurance and couldn’t afford his meds.

Just calculated the cost of his 13 💊 which would be $2300/month. That’s around $27,500/year.

The FPL for a family of 4 is ~$32,000.

This is not sustainable for the health and lives of our patients!

#Pharmacoequity

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Utibe R. Essien, MD, MPH @uressien.bsky.social · Aug 9

Walked into a #RiteAid in CA yday that was EMPTY. Sad.

“The hundreds of stores that are set to close within the year will limit many Americans' access to 💊 resulting in "pharmacy deserts"—less-connected communities being left w/o nearby drugstores.

#Pharmacoequity

www.newsweek.com/rite-aid-cvs...

Rite Aid closures reach 1,000 as America faces "pharmacy deserts"

The ongoing closure of pharmacies across the country continues to threaten Americans' access to vital medications.

www.newsweek.com

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Reposted by Utibe R. Essien, MD, MPH

UCLA Department of Medicine @domucla.bsky.social · Jul 28

In this week’s newsletter, we’re celebrating the well-deserved recognition our faculty and trainees have earned for their impact across education, research, clinical care, and community engagement. Read about the latest honors and achievements here: uclahs.fyi/3GZDVQQ

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Utibe R. Essien, MD, MPH @uressien.bsky.social · Jun 11

So great to see you this visit, friend! Thanks for the warm welcome! 😃

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Reposted by Utibe R. Essien, MD, MPH

Lilia Cervantes @cervantes-lily1.bsky.social · Jun 11

What an outstanding @cudeptofmedicine.bsky.social grand rounds presentation by the inspiring @uressien.bsky.social ! #pharmacoequity "Pursuing Pharmacoequity: The Case of Atrial Fibrillation"

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Utibe R. Essien, MD, MPH @uressien.bsky.social · May 23

Can’t believe it’s been since 2022! At least it was late in the year so almost 2023 😂.

And agreed, this project doesn’t happen without @dusetzinas.bsky.social being incredibly generous and supportive. Grateful for you, Stacie!

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Reposted by Utibe R. Essien, MD, MPH

Sudarshan Krishnamurthy @sudkrishnamurthy.bsky.social · May 23

Sharing a short thread here on our recent publication from earlier this month. This project was an incredible team effort, and truly would not have been possible without every co-author on this all-⭐ team!

Go give it a read here if interested: jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

A short 🧵:

(1/x)

This image is a visual abstract for a paper titled ‘Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Receipt of ERBB2-Targeted Therapy for Breast Cancer, 2010-2020”. This was a Retrospective Cohort study using a SEER-Medicare Linked Dataset. The sample comprised 12,765 beneficiaries with ERBB2-positive breast cancer, and included those diagnosed from January 2010 to December 2020. The primary outcome of the study was receipt of ERBB2-targeted therapy in 12 months after diagnosis. The primary findings showed a) an increase in overall receipt of ERBB2-targeted therapies from 41.3% to 64.3% over time, and that b) Black & Hispanic patients had a lower likelihood of receipt than White patients in 2010-11, with no differences by 2018-19. The findings suggest a narrowing of racial and ethnic disparities in receipt of therapies over time among older Medicare beneficiaries with ERBB2-positive breast cancer. Future work is needed to understand the practices that resulted in the narrowing of disparities to develop implementation strategies and improve pharmacoequity in breast cancer care.

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Utibe R. Essien, MD, MPH @uressien.bsky.social · May 16

‼️ New Simultaneous 📝 at #SGIM25.

In 2023, lecanemab became the 1st disease-modifying 💊 for Alzheimer’s disease.

Led by 🌟 Frank Zhou, we found that early uptake of lecanemab still appears to be marked by racial, ethnic & socioeconomic disparities.

jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

#Pharmacoequity

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Utibe R. Essien, MD, MPH @uressien.bsky.social · May 15

Congrats to the amazing, Renu! ✨

Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM) @societygim.bsky.social · May 15

🎉 Congratulations to our #SGIM25 Award Winner! 🎉

Please join us in celebrating Renuka Tipirneni, MD, MSc, recipient of the Mid-Career Research Mentorship Award. Their outstanding work exemplifies excellence in general internal medicine.

👏 Help us congratulate Renuka in the comments!

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Reposted by Utibe R. Essien, MD, MPH

seniorpharmassist.bsky.social @seniorpharmassist.bsky.social · May 9

Pharmacoequity matters. Appreciate this work! #AGS25 @uressien.bsky.social

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Reposted by Utibe R. Essien, MD, MPH

Sudarshan Krishnamurthy @sudkrishnamurthy.bsky.social · May 5

📋‼️Honored to share this newly published article that I helped lead!

Cannot thank @uressien.bsky.social enough - he has served as a friend, mentor, and sponsor throughout! And the whole study team who this wouldn’t have happened without!🙏🏽

Will post a longer thread on the findings soon - stay tuned!

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Utibe R. Essien, MD, MPH @uressien.bsky.social · May 2

‼️ NEW Paper.

Led by @sudkrishnamurthy.bsky.social we found wide disparities in receipt of ERBB2-targeted 💊 for Medicare enrollees w. breast cancer, disparities that did narrow by 2019.

We need more research to identify strategies to improve cancer #Pharmacoequity.

jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

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Reposted by Utibe R. Essien, MD, MPH

Michelle Keller, PhD @michelleskeller.bsky.social · Apr 14

Our new editorial in JAMA Network Open:
Lower rates of high-risk med use in minoritized Medicare beneficiaries may reflect access barriers, not better care. Highlights urgent need for equity in deprescribing practices & alternatives to PIMs. With @uressien.bsky.social jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Screenshot of the article, "Disparities in High-Risk Medication Use—Implications for Health Equity and Deprescribing Practices"

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Reposted by Utibe R. Essien, MD, MPH

Eric Topol @erictopol.bsky.social · Apr 7

In people with diabetes, GLP-1 and SGLT2i drugs were associated with less Alzheimer's disease and related dementias
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

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Utibe R. Essien, MD, MPH @uressien.bsky.social · Apr 4

NEW Academic Achievement Unlocked: Fellow of the American College of Physicians! ✨😅

Grateful to Dr. Eileen Barrett for the nomination and to my Dad, the first and best internal medicine doctor I know. 🤎👨🏾‍⚕️

#FACP

cc @gradydoctor.bsky.social

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Utibe R. Essien, MD, MPH @uressien.bsky.social · Apr 3

“…11% of people said they could not afford medication and care within the past 3 months, the highest level in the four years the survey has been conducted.

Over 1/3 said if they were to need medical care, they would not be able to pay for it.”

#Pharmacoequity

www.nytimes.com/2025/04/02/h...

More Americans Cannot Afford Medical Care: Gallup Poll

A new survey found that 11 percent of Americans said they could not pay for medication and medical treatments.

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Utibe R. Essien, MD, MPH

Eric Topol @erictopol.bsky.social · Mar 20

"In labs around the world, scientists are using A.I. to search among existing medicines for treatments that work for rare diseases." And saving some lives.
@davidfajgenbaum.bsky.social
gift link
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/20/w...

Drugs Have Uses We Can’t Imagine. He’s Using A.I. to Find Them. (Gift Article)

Scientists are using machine learning to find new treatments among thousands of old medicines.

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Utibe R. Essien, MD, MPH

Carine Davila @carinedavila.bsky.social · Mar 19

Sharing my new JAMANetworkOpen study, showing disparities in patient-clinician communication experiences of adults with/without serious illness: jamanetwork.com/journals/jam.... Compared to those without, adults with serious illness were more likely to feel afraid to ask questions, 1/

Patient-Clinician Communication Among Adults With and Without Serious Illness

This cross-sectional study assesses patient-clinician communication experiences for adults with and without serious illness, focusing largely on relational and identity goals.

jamanetwork.com

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Reposted by Utibe R. Essien, MD, MPH

Eric Topol @erictopol.bsky.social · Mar 10

99% of new medicines developed by the pharmaceutical industry depend on NIH research jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Comparison of Research Spending on New Drug Approvals by the NIH vs the Pharmaceutical Industry

This cross-sectional study examines National Institutes of Health and pharmaceutical industry investments in recent drug approvals.

jamanetwork.com

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Utibe R. Essien, MD, MPH @uressien.bsky.social · Feb 28

Had the pleasure of being invited (virtually) to both the University of Iowa College of Medicine and College of Dentistry to serve as a Distinguished Lecturer. 🖤💛

We need more than just talk right now to bring us closer to justice in health, but hoping to help inspire the future.

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Utibe R. Essien, MD, MPH @uressien.bsky.social · Feb 14

Such a treat to have my friend and LEADER, Dr. Jasmine Marcelin, as our Department of Medicine Grand Rounds speaker. 👩🏾‍⚕️

Her talk, “Antimicrobial Prescribing Disparities and the Pursuit of #Pharmacoequity” was data-filled and inspiring. ✨

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Utibe R. Essien, MD, MPH @uressien.bsky.social · Jan 21

Thanks to the *105-year-old* UCLA campus newspaper, the Daily Bruin, for this feature. 🗞️🐻

#HealthEquity

dailybruin.com/2025/01/20/q...

Q&A: Dr. Utibe Essien discusses goals of 'health, equity and justice' in research - Daily Bruin

This post was updated Jan. 20 at 11:35 p.m. Dr. Utibe Essien, an assistant professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine, sat down with science and health editor Shaun Thomas to discuss...

dailybruin.com

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Reposted by Utibe R. Essien, MD, MPH

Stacie Dusetzina @dusetzinas.bsky.social · Jan 17

HHS announces the next 15 drugs to negotiate under Part D! Great to see this progress. Quite a few cancer treatments, which will mean more savings potential than in the first year's drug list (cancer drugs get limited or no rebates today). Good news for taxpayers and Medicare spending!

www.hhs.gov

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