Pharmacology/Pharmaceutical Industry
Age-specific risks, severity, time course, and outcome of bleeding on long-term antiplatelet treatment after vascular events
15 Jun, 2017 | 00:47h | UTCInvited commentary: Preventing major gastrointestinal bleeding in elderly patients (free)
Commentaries: Aspirin Bleeding Risk in Over 75s Higher Than Thought – Medscape (free registration required) AND Aspirin linked to higher risk of serious bleeding in the elderly – Reuters Health News (free)
In this cohort, the risk of major bleeding increased sharply in patients above 75 years.
Non–Vitamin K Antagonist Oral Anticoagulant Dosing in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation and Renal Dysfunction
15 Jun, 2017 | 00:50h | UTCNon–Vitamin K Antagonist Oral Anticoagulant Dosing in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation and Renal Dysfunction – Journal of The American College of Cardiology (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: NOAC Doses: Just Stick to the Label – MedPage Today (free registration required)
“Among the 1,473 patients with a renal indication for dose reduction, 43.0% were potentially overdosed, which was associated with a higher risk of major bleeding”
Low-Dose Ferrous Sulfate vs Iron Polysaccharide Complex for Iron-Deficiency Anemia
15 Jun, 2017 | 00:48h | UTCEffect of Low-Dose Ferrous Sulfate vs Iron Polysaccharide Complex on Hemoglobin Concentration in Young Children With Nutritional Iron-Deficiency Anemia: A Randomized Clinical Trial – JAMA (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
The JAMA Network – For the Media: Treating Nutritional Iron-Deficiency Anemia in Children (free)
Commentaries: Ferrous Sulfate Drops Tied to Higher Hemoglobin Increases in Kids with Anemia – Physician’s First Watch (free) AND Traditional treatment is better for iron-deficiency anaemia in children – OnMedica (free) AND Ferrous Sulfate Effective for Iron-Deficiency Anemia in Kids – Medscape (free registration required)
Researchers expected that Iron Polysaccharide Complex would restore hemoglobin more effectively, because it is designed to be tolerated better, but the proportion of infants and children with a complete resolution of iron-deficiency anemia was higher in the ferrous sulfate group (29 percent vs 6 percent).
Canagliflozin and Cardiovascular and Renal Events in Type 2 Diabetes
14 Jun, 2017 | 00:43h | UTCCommentary: CANVAS: Canagliflozin Reduces CV Events, but at Cost of Amputations – Medscape (free registration required)
Patients treated with canagliflozin had a lower risk of cardiovascular events than those who received placebo but a greater risk of amputation and fractures. The benefits and harms were likely small. See interesting commentaries on the trade-offs by @AnilMakam, see Tweet 1; Tweet 2; Tweet 3; Tweet 4; Tweet 5; Tweet 6; Tweet 7; Tweet 8; and Tweet 9.
Essential medicines require essential diagnostics
15 Jun, 2017 | 00:45h | UTCEssential medicines require essential diagnostics – The Huffington Post Canada Blogs (free)
See more about the new WHO list of essential medicines in our June 7th issue, see #1.
“To use essential medicines, have to know what you’re treating says @paimadhu so need essential diagnostics list too” (RT @markcha see Tweet)
Association of Adverse Events With Antibiotic Use in Hospitalized Patients
14 Jun, 2017 | 00:41h | UTCAssociation of Adverse Events With Antibiotic Use in Hospitalized Patients – JAMA Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: Antibiotic-Associated Adverse Events Common – Medscape (free registration required)
“20% of hospitalized patients receiving antibiotics had adverse drug event. Of those, 20% of regimens inappropriate” (RT @PeterPronovost see Tweet)
Real-World Effectiveness of Antipsychotic Treatments
15 Jun, 2017 | 00:44h | UTCReal-World Effectiveness of Antipsychotic Treatments in a Nationwide Cohort of 29 823 Patients With Schizophrenia – JAMA Internal Medicine(link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Oral clozapine, long-acting injectables tied to lower relapse risk in schizophrenia – Clinical Psychiatry News (free registration required) AND Long-Acting Antipsychotics Tied to Superior Outcomes – Medscape (free registration required)
“The risk of rehospitalization is about 20% to 30% lower during long-acting injectable treatments compared with equivalent oral formulations”
More Treatments on Deck for Alcohol Use Disorder
14 Jun, 2017 | 00:40h | UTCMedical News & Perspectives: More Treatments on Deck for Alcohol Use Disorder – JAMA (free)
Drugs may help people pass larger kidney stones
13 Jun, 2017 | 20:00h | UTCDrugs may help people pass larger kidney stones – NIHR Signal (free)
Original article: Alpha blockers for treatment of ureteric stones: systematic review and meta-analysis – The BMJ (free)
Related meta-analysis: Effect of Tamsulosin on Stone Passage for Ureteral Stones: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis – Annals of Emergency Medicine (free)
Risk of Diabetic Ketoacidosis after Initiation of an SGLT2 Inhibitor
9 Jun, 2017 | 16:02h | UTCCommentaries: Study Warns of Diabetic Ketoacidosis With SGLT2 Inhibitors in T2D – MedPage Today (free registration required) AND SGLT2 Inhibitors Double the Risk for Diabetic Ketoacidosis – Medscape (free registration required) AND New class of type 2 diabetes drug associated with rare, life-threatening outcome – Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Via EurekAlert (free)
Related: SGLT2 inhibitors and diabetic ketoacidosis: data from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System – Diabetologia (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Management of polypharmacy
8 Jun, 2017 | 15:52h | UTCCurrent and future perspectives on the management of polypharmacy – BMC Family Practice (free) (RT @Azeem_Majeed see Tweet)
Value-based drug pricing makes sense, but is difficult to pull off
8 Jun, 2017 | 15:43h | UTCOpinion: Value-based drug pricing makes sense, but is difficult to pull off – STAT News (free)
WHO updates Essential Medicines List
7 Jun, 2017 | 15:26h | UTCNews release: WHO updates Essential Medicines List with new advice on use of antibiotics, and adds medicines for hepatitis C, HIV, tuberculosis and cancer (free)
Report 1: The 2017 Expert Committee on the Selection and Use of Essential Medicines (free PDF)
Report 2: WHO Model List of Essential Medicines (free PDF)
Report 3: WHO Model List of Essential Medicines for Children (free PDF)
Commentaries: WHO creates controversial ‘reserve’ list of antibiotics for superbug threats – The Washington Post (free) AND Health officials set to release a list of drugs everyone on Earth should be able to access – STAT News (free) AND WHO’s New Essential Medicines List Includes a 40-Year First – Medscape (free registration required)
WHO Essential Medicines List is used by many countries to guide decisions regarding which medications should be available for their population.
#ASCO2017 – Biosimilar May Be As Effective as Trastuzumab for Early Breast Cancer
7 Jun, 2017 | 15:13h | UTC#ASCO2017 – CT-P6 compared with reference trastuzumab for HER2-positive breast cancer: a randomised, double-blind, active-controlled, phase 3 equivalence trial – The Lancet Oncology (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: Biosimilar May Be As Effective as Trastuzumab for Early Breast Cancer – Physician’s First Watch (free)
Prenatal antidepressant use and risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in offspring
7 Jun, 2017 | 15:07h | UTCEditoral: The safety of antidepressants in pregnancy (free)
Commentary: Kids’ ADHD Risk May Be Linked to Mother’s Underlying Mental Health, Not Prenatal Antidepressant Use – Physician’s First Watch(free)
#ASCO2017 – Abiraterone for Prostate Cancer
5 Jun, 2017 | 14:51h | UTC#ASCO2017 – Abiraterone for Prostate Cancer
Abiraterone plus Prednisone in Metastatic, Castration-Sensitive Prostate Cancer – New England Journal of Medicine (free) AND Abiraterone for Prostate Cancer Not Previously Treated with Hormone Therapy – New England Journal of Medicine (free)
ASCO News Releases: Abiraterone Delays Metastatic Prostate Cancer Growth by 18 Months, Extends Survival (free) Abiraterone Slows Advanced Prostate Cancer, Helps Patients Live Longer (free)
Hepatotoxic risk of alcohol consumption in patients with rheumatoid arthritis taking methotrexate
4 Jun, 2017 | 19:05h | UTCCommentaries: RA, Methotrexate and Alcohol May Mix Well, to a Degree – Rheumatology Network (free) AND Moderate Alcohol Use Could Be Safe With Methotrexate for RA – Medscape (free registration required)
Practice guidelines for pharmacists: The management of osteoarthritis
4 Jun, 2017 | 18:46h | UTCPractice guidelines for pharmacists: The management of osteoarthritis – Canadian Pharmacists Journal (free)
Drug-Drug Interactions With Statins and HIV Medications
4 Jun, 2017 | 18:44h | UTC
Prophylactic Acid-Suppressive Therapy in Hospitalized Adults
2 Jun, 2017 | 18:39h | UTC
Triple Therapy Versus Biologic Therapy for Active Rheumatoid Arthritis
31 May, 2017 | 16:39h | UTCTriple Therapy Versus Biologic Therapy for Active Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis – Annals of Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: In Rheumatoid Arthritis, Adding a Biologic Agent Before Trying Triple Therapy Likely Not Cost-Effective – Physician’s First Watch(free) AND Biologics before triple therapy not cost effective for rheumatoid arthritis – MedicalXpress (free) Triple Therapy More Cost-Effective Than MTX + Biologic in RA – Medscape (free registration required)
Diabetes – Injection and Infusion Technique Recommendations
1 Jun, 2017 | 18:31h | UTCCommentary: New Guidance Focuses on Best Injection Practices for Diabetes – Medscape (free registration required)
Related guideline: New Insulin Delivery Recommendations – Mayo Clinic Proceedings (free)
B-Blockers and Mortality After Acute Myocardial Infarction in Patients Without Heart Failure or Ventricular Dysfunction
30 May, 2017 | 15:35h | UTCCommentary: Some heart attack patients may not benefit from beta blockers – University of Leads, via Science Daily (free)
Large cohort suggests there may be no benefit in continuing B-Blockers in patients who do not develop heart failure or ventricular dysfunction after myocardial infarction.
Switching to biosimilar
16 May, 2017 | 20:01h | UTCSwitching from originator infliximab to biosimilar CT-P13 compared with maintained treatment with originator infliximab (NOR-SWITCH): a 52-week, randomised, double-blind, non-inferiority trial – The Lancet (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: Celltrion Healthcare: Lancet Publishes Full Data-Set from Influential NOR-SWITCH Study – Business Wire (free)
Measuring the Burden of Medications in Older Adults near the End of Life
16 May, 2017 | 20:00h | UTCSee related study on the use of Medications of Questionable Benefit at the End of Life in our April 10th issue, see #8 and Deprescribing guidelines for elderly in our May 8th issue, see #4.
Source: Patient often prescribed potentially futile drugs in their final months of life – Science Daily (free)
“Nearly half of older adults in Sweden take 10 or more medications in their last months of life” (from Science Daily)