Pharmacology/Pharmaceutical Industry
RCT | No statistically significant impact of vitamin D on major cardiovascular events
5 Jul, 2023 | 01:11h | UTCRelated:
2ry analysis of a RCT | Vitamin D supplementation does not affect cognitive function in older adults
Randomized Trial: Vitamin D Supplements and Prevention of Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease
Meta-Analysis: Vitamin D Not Effective for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention
Vitamin D, calcium, other vitamins, and supplements do not prevent cardiovascular diseases
Phase 2 RCT | Orforglipron, an oral GLP-1 receptor agonist, significantly reduces weight in adults with obesity
26 Jun, 2023 | 00:58h | UTCSummary: The article reports a phase 2, randomized, double-blind trial investigating the efficacy of the GLP-1 receptor agonist, orforglipron, as an oral weight loss treatment for adults with obesity or overweight plus at least one weight-related condition. The study involved 272 participants, who were administered orforglipron at varying doses or a placebo over a 36-week period.
The key findings of the study indicated significant weight reduction in individuals who were administered orforglipron. At 26 weeks, weight changes in the orforglipron group ranged from -8.6% to -12.6% compared to -2.0% in the placebo group. At 36 weeks, these figures were -9.4% to -14.7% for the orforglipron group and -2.3% for the placebo group. Furthermore, 46-75% of orforglipron recipients experienced a weight reduction of at least 10% by week 36, compared to 9% in the placebo group.
Improvements were also observed in all prespecified weight-related and cardiometabolic measures among orforglipron users. However, the treatment was associated with some mild to moderate gastrointestinal side effects, leading to discontinuation in 10-17% of participants. The safety profile was in line with other GLP-1 receptor agonists. These findings suggest that orforglipron could potentially be an effective oral treatment for weight reduction in adults with obesity, though further research is needed to corroborate these results and assess long-term effects.
Article: Daily Oral GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Orforglipron for Adults with Obesity – New England Journal of Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Position statement | Gastrointestinal bleeding and endoscopic procedures in patients on antiplatelet and/or anticoagulant therapy
21 Jun, 2023 | 13:22h | UTCPosition statement from the Indian Society of Gastroenterology, Cardiological Society of India, Indian Academy of Neurology and Vascular Society of India on gastrointestinal bleeding and endoscopic procedures in patients on antiplatelet and/or anticoagulant therapy – Indian Journal of Gastroenterology (if the link is paywalled, try this one)
RCT | Testosterone replacement does not appear to increase cardiovascular events in hypogonadal men at high risk
19 Jun, 2023 | 14:13h | UTCCardiovascular Safety of Testosterone-Replacement Therapy – New England Journal of Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary on Twitter
Presented today at #ENDO2023: In the TRAVERSE study, a randomized trial involving men with hypogonadism and preexisting or a risk of cardiovascular disease, testosterone therapy was noninferior to placebo with respect to major adverse cardiac events. https://t.co/V3FTTsOLd1
— NEJM (@NEJM) June 16, 2023
RCT | Continuous vs. intermittent meropenem administration shows similar mortality and drug-resistance in sepsis patients
19 Jun, 2023 | 14:11h | UTCContinuous vs Intermittent Meropenem Administration in Critically Ill Patients With Sepsis: The MERCY Randomized Clinical Trial – JAMA (free for a limited period)
Editorial: Do Prolonged Infusions of β-Lactam Antibiotics Improve Outcomes in Critically Ill Patients With Sepsis? – JAMA (free for a limited period)
See also: Visual Abstract
Commentary: Trial finds no difference between continuous, intermittent meropenem for sepsis patients – CIDRAP
Commentary on Twitter
Continuous administration of meropenem, compared with intermittent administration, does not improve clinically relevant outcomes in critically ill patients with #sepsis. https://t.co/eJ9zdGI4k2 #CCR23 pic.twitter.com/8n2eR9qBPe
— JAMA (@JAMA_current) June 16, 2023
Review | mRNA-based cancer therapeutics
19 Jun, 2023 | 13:53h | UTCmRNA-based cancer therapeutics – Nature Reviews Cancer
Commentary on Twitter
Excited to share our paper entitled "mRNA-based cancer therapeutics" @NatureRevCancer. Congrats to all the group members @BrighamWomens @harvardmed on this paper! 👉https://t.co/1LB1M1Yl96https://t.co/QwmDZmyixB
— Wei Tao (@WeiTaoLab) June 13, 2023
Evidence-based clinical practice guideline for deprescribing opioid analgesics
15 Jun, 2023 | 15:08h | UTC
M-A | Influencing factors of medication adherence in schizophrenic patients
15 Jun, 2023 | 14:56h | UTC
M-A | Biosimilar and reference biologics in rheumatoid arthritis show equivalent results
15 Jun, 2023 | 14:47h | UTCCommentary: Adalimumab, Etanercept, Infliximab Biosimilars Show Clinically Equivalence to Biologics in RA – HCP Live
Perspective | Inside the nascent industry of AI-designed drugs
14 Jun, 2023 | 14:50h | UTCInside the nascent industry of AI-designed drugs – Nature (if the link is paywalled, try this one)
AAP Technical Report | Dispensing medications at the hospital upon discharge from an emergency department
14 Jun, 2023 | 14:33h | UTCDispensing Medications at the Hospital Upon Discharge From an Emergency Department – Pediatrics
News Release: Report discusses ways to improve medication adherence after emergency visit – AAP News
Commentary: Dispensing Meds in Emergency Department Likely to Improve Adherence – HealthDay
M-A | Oseltamivir fails to lower hospitalization risk in adult and adolescent influenza patients
13 Jun, 2023 | 14:12h | UTC
Commentary on Twitter
In this systematic review and meta-analysis of 15 RCTs, oseltamivir was not associated with reduced risk of first hospitalization compared with placebo or standard of care among influenza-infected adult and adolescent outpatients. https://t.co/UEqsbA2JQZ
— JAMA Internal Medicine (@JAMAInternalMed) June 12, 2023
Review | Drivers of inappropriate antibiotic use in low- and middle-income countries
12 Jun, 2023 | 13:35h | UTC
RCT | Multivitamin supplementation may improve memory in aged adults
7 Jun, 2023 | 14:12h | UTCMultivitamin Supplementation Improves Memory in Older Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial – The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
News Releases:
Multivitamin Improves Memory in Older Adults, Study Finds – Columbia University
Related Research: Effects of cocoa extract and a multivitamin on cognitive function: A randomized clinical trial – Alzheimer’s & Dementia
SR | Limited evidence for vitamin and mineral supplements in delaying dementia in people with mild cognitive impairment
7 Jun, 2023 | 14:09h | UTC
Commentary on Twitter
🔎 How does vitamin and mineral supplementation affect #cognitivefunction and progression to #dementia in people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI)?
Get the current evidence picture in this #systematicreview on @CochraneLibrary: https://t.co/YUsbjELIZq@NIH_ODS #NSHFD pic.twitter.com/hRl27Tm7op— Cochrane CAM (@CochraneCAM) May 31, 2023
Podcast | Insulin, type 2 diabetes, and hypoglycemia
6 Jun, 2023 | 14:25h | UTC#397: Insulin, Type 2 Diabetes, Fanny Packs, and Hypoglycemia with Dr. Jeff Colburn – The Curbsiders
RCT | Noninferiority shown between DOACs and LMWH for recurrent VTE prevention in cancer patients
5 Jun, 2023 | 13:50h | UTCSummary: This unblinded, pragmatic, noninferiority randomized clinical trial aimed to assess the efficacy of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) against low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) in preventing recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients with cancer. The study included 671 patients from 67 oncology centers, with a new clinical or radiological diagnosis of VTE.
Participants were randomly assigned to receive either a DOAC or LMWH for 6 months, and treating physicians selected and prescribed the drugs based on considerations like availability and drug-drug interactions. The primary outcome was the rate of recurrent VTE at 6 months. Findings revealed that the DOAC group had a recurrent VTE rate of 6.1% as compared to 8.8% in the LMWH group, showing noninferiority. Both groups had statistically similar rates of major bleeding and severe adverse events.
This pragmatic study included patients with advanced cancer and brain metastases, impaired performance status, and reduced liver or kidney function, making it more representative of routine oncology practice. Moreover, patient adherence to DOAC treatment was significantly higher than to LMWH. Nevertheless, the study had limitations, including the lack of blinding and underrepresentation of certain racial and ethnic groups.
In conclusion, this trial suggests that DOACs were noninferior to LMWH for preventing recurrent VTE in patients with cancer over a 6-month follow-up period, supporting the use of DOACs in this population for VTE prevention. Further research is needed to confirm these results and investigate long-term outcomes.
Article: Direct Oral Anticoagulants vs Low-Molecular-Weight Heparin and Recurrent VTE in Patients With Cancer: A Randomized Clinical Trial – JAMA (free for a limited period)
See also: Visual abstract
Commentary on Twitter
Among adults with cancer and VTE, direct oral anticoagulants were noninferior to low-molecular-weight heparin for preventing recurrent VTE over 6-month follow-up. #ASCO23 https://t.co/DP5RvlSYxe pic.twitter.com/rBJ99plopK
— JAMA (@JAMA_current) June 2, 2023
Expert Consensus | Nephrotoxic potential of 195 medications in the non-intensive care setting
1 Jun, 2023 | 12:14h | UTC
Review | Deprescribing interventions for gabapentinoids in adults
1 Jun, 2023 | 12:05h | UTC
Guideline | Onychomycosis
1 Jun, 2023 | 12:01h | UTCGuideline onychomycosis – Journal of the German Society of Dermatology
Study finds potential glaucoma risk in patients using calcium channel blockers
1 Jun, 2023 | 11:51h | UTCCommentary: Calcium Channel Blocker Use Associated with Higher Prevalence of Glaucoma – HCP Live
The WHO AWaRe (Access, Watch, Reserve) antibiotic book
30 May, 2023 | 12:09h | UTCThe WHO AWaRe (Access, Watch, Reserve) antibiotic book – World Health Organization
Cohort Study | Amiodarone linked to higher bleeding risk vs. flecainide or sotalol in atrial fibrillation patients on anticoagulants
30 May, 2023 | 12:01h | UTCRisk for Bleeding-Related Hospitalizations During Use of Amiodarone With Apixaban or Rivaroxaban in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation: A Retrospective Cohort Study – Annals of Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary on Twitter
A study of older adults with #AFib who were treated with #anticoagulants found #amiodarone during apixaban/rivaroxaban use was associated with greater risk for bleeding-related #hospitalizations compared to flecainide or sotalol: https://t.co/cFb1rgGqjt pic.twitter.com/gKlgLXBdb2
— Annals of Int Med (@AnnalsofIM) May 25, 2023
Review | Can precision antibiotic prescribing help prevent the spread of carbapenem-resistant organisms in the hospital setting?
30 May, 2023 | 11:38h | UTC
RCT | Group support and skill-based learning reduce opioid use in chronic pain, but leads to no effect on pain perception
29 May, 2023 | 11:14h | UTCReducing Opioid Use for Chronic Pain With a Group-Based Intervention: A Randomized Clinical Trial – JAMA (free for a limited period)
See also: Visual Abstract
News Release: New treatment helps people stop addictive opioid painkillers used for chronic pain – University of Warwick