Pharmacology/Pharmaceutical Industry
Perspective: Vitamin D, the Sunshine Supplement, Has Shadowy Money Behind It
23 Aug, 2018 | 22:32h | UTCVitamin D, the Sunshine Supplement, Has Shadowy Money Behind It – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free) (via @CarlosdelRio7 see Tweet)
Related commentaries: Vitamin D Screening and Supplementation in Primary Care: Time to Curb Our Enthusiasm – American Family Physician (free) AND Your vitamin D tests and supplements are probably a waste of money – VOX (free) AND Why Are So Many People Popping Vitamin D? – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
Related Guideline: Vitamin D: supplement use in specific population groups – National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (free)
“Only test vitamin D status if someone has symptoms of deficiency or is at very high risk” (from NICE Guideline)
Randomized Trial: Letters with Peer Comparison May Reduce Overprescribing
17 Aug, 2018 | 02:34h | UTCEffect of Peer Comparison Letters for High-Volume Primary Care Prescribers of Quetiapine in Older and Disabled Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial – JAMA Psychiatry (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Behavioral nudges lead to striking drop in prescriptions of potent antipsychotic – Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, via ScienceDaily (free) AND Study Reduces Over-prescription of Antipsychotics in Older Adults – Mad in America (free) AND ‘Dear Doctor’ Letters Use Peer Pressure, Government Warning To Stop Overprescribing – NPR (free) AND Peer Pressure Tactic Successfully Curbs Overprescribing – Medscape (free registration required)
Research: Treatments for First-Episode Schizophrenia Compared
17 Aug, 2018 | 02:13h | UTCAmisulpride and olanzapine followed by open-label treatment with clozapine in first-episode schizophrenia and schizophreniform disorder (OPTiMiSE): a three-phase switching study – The Lancet Psychiatry (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Switching Anti-Psychotic Medications Doesn’t Improve Outcomes in First-Episode Schizophrenia Patients – Mount Sinai (free) AND No Benefit of Switching Antipsychotics in Early Schizophrenia – Medscape (free registration required) AND No Gain with Antipsych Meds Switch in Schizophrenia – MedPage Today (free registration required)
Randomized Trial: Low-Dose Triple Combination Antihypertensive Medication vs Usual Care for Blood Pressure Control
17 Aug, 2018 | 02:06h | UTCFixed Low-Dose Triple Combination Antihypertensive Medication vs Usual Care for Blood Pressure Control in Patients With Mild to Moderate Hypertension in Sri Lanka: A Randomized Clinical Trial – JAMA (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Video Summary: Fixed-Dose Combination Pill for Hypertension Treatment in Sri Lanka (free)
Commentaries: Three-in-one pill lowers blood pressure significantly, study says – UPI (free) AND Innovative triple pill significantly lowers blood pressure, study finds – George Institute for Global Health, via EurekAlert (free)
Perspective: The Polypill and the Long Journey to Major Impact
17 Aug, 2018 | 02:05h | UTCRichard Smith: The polypill and the long journey to major impact – The BMJ Opinion (free)
Related Reviews: Strengths and Limitations of Using the Polypill in Cardiovascular Prevention – Current Cardiology Reports (free) AND The polypill approach – An innovative strategy to improve cardiovascular health in Europe – BMC Pharmacology and Toxicology (free)
Meta-Analysis: Substandard and Falsified Medicines in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
17 Aug, 2018 | 01:47h | UTCCommentaries: Prevalence of Substandard and Falsified Essential Medicines: Still an Incomplete Picture – JAMA Network Open (free) AND New Study Finds Fake, Low-Quality Medicines Prevalent in the Developing World – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, via R&D (free)
The Multivitamin Industry Rakes in Billions of Dollars. But Science Says We’re Not Getting Healthier
17 Aug, 2018 | 01:38h | UTCRelated Study: Association of Multivitamin and Mineral Supplementation and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis – Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes (free) AND Editorial: Multivitamins Do Not Reduce Cardiovascular Disease and Mortality and Should Not Be Taken for This Purpose: How Do We Know That? (free)
“Unless you have a clinically identified deficiency, the research tells us there is little reason to consume supplements.”
Guideline: Pediatric CAR T-Cell Therapy
16 Aug, 2018 | 23:16h | UTCCommentary: Guidelines for Pediatric CAR T-Cell Therapy Developed – The ASCO Post (free)
Study: Sex and BMI Alter the Benefits and Risks of Sulfonylureas and Thiazolidinediones in Type 2 Diabetes
16 Aug, 2018 | 23:09h | UTCSex and BMI Alter the Benefits and Risks of Sulfonylureas and Thiazolidinediones in Type 2 Diabetes: A Framework for Evaluating Stratification Using Routine Clinical and Individual Trial Data – Diabetes Care (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: Doctors should use gender and body mass to personalise diabetes care, study says – The Irish News (free)
Source: The BMJ Research News ($)
Study: Opioid Prescribing Decreases After Learning of a Patient’s Fatal Overdose
11 Aug, 2018 | 03:25h | UTCOpioid prescribing decreases after learning of a patient’s fatal overdose – Science (free for a limited period)
Commentary: Notification of patient overdose deaths reduces clinician opioid prescriptions – NIH News Releases (free) AND Clinicians were told their patient had died of an overdose. Then opioid prescribing dropped – STAT (free)
Meta-Analysis: Treatment Choices for ADHD
11 Aug, 2018 | 03:23h | UTCCommentaries: Refining treatment choices for ADHD – The Lancet Psychiatry (free) AND ADHD medications: Of all available drugs, methylphenidate should be first option for short-term treatment in children – ScienceDaily (free) AND Analysis of ADHD Drugs: Use Methylphenidate in Kids, Amphetamines in Adults – Physician’s First Watch (free)
Related: Cochrane Review: Adverse Events of Methylphenidate for ADHD in Children and Adolescents (link to abstract and free summary) AND Short Review: Stimulants for ADHD in children (free) AND Opinion: Drug treatment of ADHD – tenuous scientific basis (free)
Meta-Analysis: Corticosteroid use and Intensive Care Unit-Acquired Weakness
11 Aug, 2018 | 02:36h | UTC
Study: Cardiotoxicity and Cardiac Monitoring Among Chemotherapy-Treated Breast Cancer Patients
11 Aug, 2018 | 02:30h | UTCCardiotoxicity and Cardiac Monitoring Among Chemotherapy-Treated Breast Cancer Patients – JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Prioritize cardiac monitoring for high-risk breast cancer patients, study suggests – ACP Internist (free) AND Cardiac monitoring may benefit high-risk breast cancer patients against heart failure – Cardiovascular Business (free) AND After Cardiotoxic Chemo, Less Than Half of Women With Breast Cancer Get Recommended Monitoring – TCTMD (free) AND Study Shows Importance of Cardiac Monitoring in High-Risk Breast Cancer Patients – American College of Cardiology (free)
Randomized Trials: Rifampin vs. Isoniazid for Latent TB
3 Aug, 2018 | 11:44h | UTCRelated Article: Safety and Side Effects of Rifampin versus Isoniazid in Children – New England Journal of Medicine (free)
Quick Take Video Summary: Rifampin or Isoniazid for Latent Tuberculosis (free)
Commentaries: New tuberculosis treatment could help tackle global epidemic – The Guardian (free) AND Rifampin Promising for Latent TB in Phase 3 Trials – Medscape (free registration required)
Evidence Synopsis: Aspirin Plus Clopidogrel vs Aspirin Alone for Patients at High Risk for Cardiovascular Events
3 Aug, 2018 | 11:36h | UTCAspirin Plus Clopidogrel vs Aspirin Alone for Preventing Cardiovascular Events Among Patients at High Risk for Cardiovascular Events – JAMA (free for a limited period)
“Clopidogrel+ASA: Reduced risk for MI and ischemic stroke – Increased risk for major bleeding compared with aspirin alone. Combined therapy is NOT associated with lower mortality.” (via @ehlJAMA see Tweet)
Study: Association of Statin Exposure With Idiopathic Inflammatory Myositis
3 Aug, 2018 | 11:29h | UTCAssociation of Statin Exposure With Histologically Confirmed Idiopathic Inflammatory Myositis in an Australian Population – JAMA Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Rare Inflammatory Muscle Inflammation Increased With Statin Exposure – MedicalResearch.com (free) AND Statin Associated with an Increase in Inflammatory Myopathy – RheumNow (free) AND Statin use may increase risk for idiopathic inflammatory myositis – Healio (free registration required)
Meta-Analysis: Ketamine as an Alternative to Opioids for Acute Pain in the ED
3 Aug, 2018 | 03:58h | UTCA Systematic Review and Meta‐analysis of Ketamine as an Alternative to Opioids for Acute Pain in the Emergency Department – Academic Emergency Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Low-Dose Ketamine Offers Effective Alternative to Opioids in Treatment of Acute Pain, Meta-Analysis Suggests – Psychiatric News Alert (free) AND Ketamine vs Opioids for Acute Pain in the Emergency Department – MedicalResearch.com (free) AND Low-Dose Ketamine May Be a Safe Opioid Alternative, Review Confirms – Medscape (free registration required) AND Ketamine could help reduce opioid use in the ER – Medical News Today (free)
Study: Protease Inhibitors and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Patients With HIV and Heart Failure
3 Aug, 2018 | 02:56h | UTCProtease Inhibitors and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Patients With HIV and Heart Failure – Journal of the American College of Cardiology (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Protease inhibitors may increase risk of death in people with HIV and heart failure – OnMedica (free) AND Protease inhibitors may increase risk of death in people with HIV and heart failure – Massachusetts General Hospital, via EurekAlert (free)
Systematic Review: Drug Therapy for Early Rheumatoid Arthritis
26 Jul, 2018 | 18:33h | UTCSee also: Full Report (free PDF)
Guideline: Antiretroviral Drugs for Treatment and Prevention of HIV Infection in Adults
26 Jul, 2018 | 18:23h | UTCEditorial: 2018 IAS-USA Recommendations for the Use of Antiretroviral Therapy for HIV: Building on Decades of Progress (free)
Commentary: International Organization Releases New Guidelines for Treatment and Prevention of HIV Infection in Adults – University of Alabama at Birmingham, via NewsWise (free)
Review: Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome
26 Jul, 2018 | 18:18h | UTCAntidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome – Therapeutics Initiative (free)
Related Perspective: Many People Taking Antidepressants Discover They Cannot Quit – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
“Antidepressants should be added to the list of drugs associated with tolerance, dependence and a withdrawal syndrome.”
“Withdrawal symptoms occur in at least one-third of patients who stop.”
Meta-Analysis: Drugs for Treating Severe Hypertension in Pregnancy
26 Jul, 2018 | 17:44h | UTCCommentary: Drugs for treating severe hypertension in pregnancy compared – Wiley, via ScienceDaily (free)
Study: Clinician Engagement Regarding Financial Toxicity After Diagnosis of Cancer
26 Jul, 2018 | 17:39h | UTCUnmet Need for Clinician Engagement Regarding Financial Toxicity After Diagnosis of Breast Cancer – Cancer (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Greater efforts are needed to address ‘financial toxicity’ of cancer treatment – eCancer News (free) AND Doctors don’t always recognize ‘financial toxicity’ of cancer – Reuters (free)
Related: The high price of anticancer drugs: origins, implications, barriers, solutions (free commentaries)
Study: Excess Dosing of Hydroxychloroquine
26 Jul, 2018 | 17:37h | UTCCommentary: Nearly half of female hydroxychloroquine users in UK excess-dosed – Healio (free registration required)
Systematic Review: Vaccination Against Human Papillomavirus in Males
26 Jul, 2018 | 17:36h | UTCCommentary: HPV vaccination for males: effective and safe – BMC On Medicine (free)