Pharmacology/Pharmaceutical Industry | Page 50 of 172 | Links Medicus Content Curation & Alerts in Medicine

An analysis of Scotland’s mortality in 114,000 SARS-CoV2–infected people revealed that the vaccine effectiveness against death from the Delta variant was 90% for the Pfizer vaccine and 91% for AstraZeneca.

21 Oct, 2021 | 10:15h | UTC

BNT162b2 and ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 Vaccine Effectiveness against Death from the Delta Variant – New England Journal of Medicine

Pfizer vaccine showed estimated effectiveness of 93% against symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant infection in adolescents.

21 Oct, 2021 | 10:17h | UTC

Effectiveness of BNT162b2 Vaccine against Delta Variant in Adolescents – New England Journal of Medicine

Commentary on Twitter

The remarkably high effectiveness (VE) of vaccination for teens vs the Delta variant in over 94,000 vaccinees and 94,000 matched controls: 93% VE vs symptomatic infection (95% CI 88,97) https://t.co/wwoXlw7PH9 @NEJM pic.twitter.com/8m3fJ7avc5

— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) October 20, 2021

A case-controlled study showed Covid-19 vaccination during early pregnancy was not associated with increased risk of first-trimester miscarriage.

21 Oct, 2021 | 10:14h | UTC

Covid-19 Vaccination during Pregnancy and First-Trimester Miscarriage – New England Journal of Medicine

Editorial: Covid-19 treatments and vaccines must be evaluated in pregnancy.

Cohort study: Vaccinated pregnant patients had 90% lower risk of severe or critical Covid-19 compared with unvaccinated pregnant patients.

Two observational studies suggest spontaneous abortion is not increased following COVID-19 mRNA vaccination during pregnancy.

Study shows high effectiveness of the Pfizer mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in pregnancy.

5 Crucial Things to Know About COVID-19 Vaccines and Pregnancy.

CDC Guidance: Pregnant people should be vaccinated against COVID-19.

ACOG and SMFM Recommend COVID-19 Vaccination for Pregnant Individuals – “ACOG encourages its members to enthusiastically recommend vaccination to their patients.”

Cohort study: Pfizer/BioNTech COVID vaccine associated with 78% lower risk of Covid-19 in pregnancy.

FDA authorizes booster doses of Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, says mix and match OK.

21 Oct, 2021 | 10:09h | UTC

FDA authorizes booster doses of Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, says mix and match OK – CNN

NCCN Guideline: Cancer-Associated Venous Thromboembolic Disease.

21 Oct, 2021 | 10:06h | UTC

Cancer-Associated Venous Thromboembolic Disease, Version 2.2021, NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology – Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network

ASH 2021 guidelines for prevention and treatment of venous thromboembolism in patients with cancer

Review: venous and arterial thromboembolism in patients with cancer.

Systematic Review: Does testing for cancer in people with unprovoked blood clots in the legs and lungs reduce cancer- and blood clot-related death and illness?

M-A: Extended thromboprophylaxis after hospital discharge for medically ill patients with cancer – Extended thromboprophylaxis is not associated with a reduced rate of venous thromboembolic events and is associated with increased risk of hemorrhage

Systematic review: Primary prophylaxis for venous thromboembolism in ambulatory cancer patients receiving chemotherapy

The International Cannabis Toolkit (iCannToolkit): a multidisciplinary expert consensus on minimum standards for measuring cannabis use.

21 Oct, 2021 | 09:48h | UTC

The International Cannabis Toolkit (iCannToolkit): a multidisciplinary expert consensus on minimum standards for measuring cannabis use – Addiction

Commentary: How to measure cannabis use: introducing the ‘International Cannabis Toolkit’ or iCannToolkit – The Mental Elf

CDC Study: Pfizer vaccine showed 93% effectiveness against Covid-19 hospitalization among children aged 12-18 years.

20 Oct, 2021 | 10:31h | UTC

Effectiveness of Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA Vaccination Against COVID-19 Hospitalization Among Persons Aged 12–18 Years — United States, June–September 2021 – CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report

Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)

Vaccination reduced the risk of hospitalization among 12–18-year-olds by 93%, according to a new CDC study. No vaccinated adolescents died or were admitted to the ICU.

— Dr. Tom Frieden (@DrTomFrieden) October 19, 2021

RCT: Nivolumab vs. placebo in patients with relapsed malignant mesothelioma.

21 Oct, 2021 | 09:46h | UTC

Nivolumab versus placebo in patients with relapsed malignant mesothelioma (CONFIRM): a multicentre, double-blind, randomised, phase 3 trial – The Lancet Oncology

Commentary on Twitter

CONFIRM Trial: a phase III study demonstrated longer PFS and OS with Nivolumab compared with Placebo in patients with Pleural or Peritoneal Malignant Mesothelioma who have progressed following platinum-based chemotherapy @OncoAlert #LCSM https://t.co/jKoKXEXgpB

— Dipesh Uprety MD FACP (@DipeshUpretyMD) October 15, 2021

Cohort Study: The effectiveness of heterologous AstraZeneca (AZ)/mRNA prime-boost vaccination was more significant (68%) compared to the effectiveness of homologous AZ/AZ vaccination (50%) against symptomatic Covid-19 infection in Sweden.

20 Oct, 2021 | 10:27h | UTC

Effectiveness of heterologous ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 and mRNA prime-boost vaccination against symptomatic Covid-19 infection in Sweden: A nationwide cohort study – The Lancet Regional Health Europe

Commentary: High effectiveness of mix-and-match COVID-19 vaccines – UMEA University

Study evaluated several heterologous SARS-CoV-2 vaccine regimens; no efficacy data but there was increased antibody production on study days 15 and 29 after booster shots from Moderna and Pfizer.

A primer on what we know about mixing and matching Covid vaccines.

Real-world data shows increased reactogenicity in adults after heterologous compared to homologous prime-boost COVID-19 vaccination.

RCT: Safety and immunogenicity of heterologous vs. homologous prime-boost schedules with an adenoviral vectored and mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.

Another study shows increased immune response with heterologous Oxford-AstraZeneca/mRNA vaccination.

Heterologous Oxford–AstraZeneca and Moderna Vaccination induce increased levels of neutralizing antibody compared to 2 doses of Oxford–AstraZeneca.

Heterologous Oxford–AstraZeneca and BioNTech/Pfizer Vaccination induce increased levels of neutralizing antibody compared to 2 doses of Oxford–AstraZeneca.

[Preprint] Mixing Covid jabs has good immune response, study finds – “The Com-Cov trial looked at the efficacy of either two doses of Pfizer, two of AstraZeneca, or one of them followed by the other. All combinations worked well, priming the immune system”.

Phase 2 RCT: Immunogenicity and reactogenicity of a Pfizer-BioNTech booster in patients that have received a single dose of AstraZeneca vaccine – “BNT162b2 (Pfizer) given as a second dose in individuals prime vaccinated with ChAdOx1-S (AstraZeneca) induced a robust immune response, with an acceptable and manageable reactogenicity profile”.

Lab study shows heterologous AstraZeneca/Pfizer vaccination produces strong immune response against SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant.

Lab study shows a heterologous AstraZeneca + Pfizer immunization strategy provides stronger immunogenicity against Covid compared to homologous AZ + AZ or Pfizer + Pfizer strategies.

RCT: Mixing 2 different Covid vaccines is associated with increased risk of side effects.

Commentary on Twitter

Study from Sweden assessing heterogenous vaccination in 3,445,061 individuals who received AZ as the first dose and either #pfizer, #moderna, or #AZ as second dose showed the following vaccine effectiveness:

AZ/Pfizer- 67%
AZ/Moderna- 79%
AZ/AZ- 50%https://t.co/UN0pey2kJ2

— Yan Leyfman, MD (@YLeyfman) October 19, 2021

Should You Mix and Match Your Booster Shot?

20 Oct, 2021 | 10:25h | UTC

Should You Mix and Match Your Booster Shot? – The Atlantic

Study evaluated several heterologous SARS-CoV-2 vaccine regimens; no efficacy data but there was increased antibody production on study days 15 and 29 after booster shots from Moderna and Pfizer.

A primer on what we know about mixing and matching Covid vaccines.

Real-world data shows increased reactogenicity in adults after heterologous compared to homologous prime-boost COVID-19 vaccination.

RCT: Safety and immunogenicity of heterologous vs. homologous prime-boost schedules with an adenoviral vectored and mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.

Another study shows increased immune response with heterologous Oxford-AstraZeneca/mRNA vaccination.

Heterologous Oxford–AstraZeneca and Moderna Vaccination induce increased levels of neutralizing antibody compared to 2 doses of Oxford–AstraZeneca.

Heterologous Oxford–AstraZeneca and BioNTech/Pfizer Vaccination induce increased levels of neutralizing antibody compared to 2 doses of Oxford–AstraZeneca.

Lab study shows heterologous AstraZeneca/Pfizer vaccination produces strong immune response against SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant.

Lab study shows a heterologous AstraZeneca + Pfizer immunization strategy provides stronger immunogenicity against Covid compared to homologous AZ + AZ or Pfizer + Pfizer strategies.

RCT: Mixing 2 different Covid vaccines is associated with increased risk of side effects.

RCT: Interferon does not improve outcomes for hospitalized adults with COVID-19.

20 Oct, 2021 | 10:28h | UTC

News release: Interferon does not improve outcomes for hospitalized adults with COVID-19 – NIH News Releases

Original study: Efficacy of interferon beta-1a plus remdesivir compared with remdesivir alone in hospitalised adults with COVID-19: a double-bind, randomised, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial – The Lancet Respiratory Medicine

[Preprint] Observational study in Brazil showed the J&J vaccine adjusted effectiveness was 50.9% against any symptomatic Covid-19, 72.9% for hospitalization, 92.5% for ICU admission, 88.7% for mechanical ventilation, and 90.5% for death.

20 Oct, 2021 | 10:24h | UTC

Vaccine effectiveness of Ad26.COV2.S against symptomatic COVID-19 and clinical outcomes in Brazil: a test-negative study design – medRxiv

Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) Strategy 2021 – Executive summary and rationale for key changes.

20 Oct, 2021 | 10:20h | UTC

Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) Strategy 2021 – Executive summary and rationale for key changes – European Respiratory Journal

Systematic Review: anti-interleukin-13 or anti-interleukin-4 agents may be appropriate for adults with moderate-to-severe uncontrolled asthma who have not responded to other treatments.

20 Oct, 2021 | 10:19h | UTC

Anti‐interleukin‐13 and anti‐interleukin‐4 agents versus placebo, anti‐interleukin‐5 or anti‐immunoglobulin‐E agents, for people with asthma – Cochrane Library

Summary: Anti-interleukin-13 or anti-interleukin-4 agents versus placebo, anti-interleukin-5 or anti-immunoglobulin-E agents, for children and adults with asthma – Cochrane Library

Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)

Lead author David Evans said “Approximately five to ten percent of people with asthma experience symptoms that are severe or difficult-to-treat… [1/3] pic.twitter.com/Nw606oSrX0

— CochraneAirways (@CochraneAirways) October 19, 2021

RCT: In patients with Type 2 Diabetes, Tirzepatide is associated with reduced weight, improved glycemic control, and lower risk of hypoglycemia compared to insulin glargine.

20 Oct, 2021 | 10:13h | UTC

Tirzepatide versus insulin glargine in type 2 diabetes and increased cardiovascular risk (SURPASS-4): a randomised, open-label, parallel-group, multicentre, phase 3 trial – The Lancet (link to abstract – $ for full-text)

RCT: Once-weekly tirzepatide vs. once-daily insulin degludec as add-on to metformin with or without SGLT2 inhibitors in patients with type 2 diabetes.

RCT: Efficacy and safety of a novel dual GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist tirzepatide in patients with type 2.

RCT: Tirzepatide yielded greater glycated hemoglobin and body weight reductions compared to Semaglutide 1 mg.

Large observational study suggests Tramadol is associated with increased risk of adverse outcomes compared to Codeine.

20 Oct, 2021 | 10:11h | UTC

Association of Tramadol vs Codeine Prescription Dispensation With Mortality and Other Adverse Clinical Outcomes – JAMA (free for a limited period)

Editorial: Tramadol, Codeine, and Risk of Adverse Outcomes – JAMA (free for a limited period)

Long-term consequences of the misuse of ivermectin data.

19 Oct, 2021 | 09:56h | UTC

Long-term consequences of the misuse of ivermectin data – The Lancet Infectious Diseases

Ivermectin: How false science created a Covid ‘miracle’ drug.

Fraudulent ivermectin studies open up new battleground between science and misinformation.

The lesson of ivermectin: meta-analyses based on summary data alone are inherently unreliable.

Ivermectin: Cochrane’s most talked about review so far, ever. Why?

Flawed ivermectin preprint highlights challenges of COVID drug studies.

Systematic review: no evidence to support the use of Ivermectin for treating or preventing COVID-19.

Why was a major study on ivermectin for covid-19 just retracted?

RCT: Ivermectin does not prevent hospitalizations in patients with COVID-19.

Ivermectin for the treatment of COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials – “IVM did not reduce all-cause mortality, length of stay or viral clearance in RCTs in COVID-19 patients with mostly mild disease”.

Ivermectin is the new hydroxychloroquine, take 2 – “Ivermectin shouldn’t be used to treat COVID-19 outside of the context of a well-designed clinical trial”.

Therapeutics and COVID-19 | WHO guideline update advises Ivermectin should only be used to treat COVID-19 within clinical trials

RCT: Ivermectin does not improve time to resolution of symptoms among adults with mild COVID-19

Commentary on Twitter

Ivermectin's data for Covid, checkered with inconsistencies, small/low quality clinical trials, and fraud, have long-term consequences for the drug's established and essential useshttps://t.co/NG6vpej8GP @TheLancetInfDis pic.twitter.com/Oz0FxUJetK

— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) October 18, 2021

RECOVERY Trial: In patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19, Colchicine did not reduce 28-day mortality, duration of hospital stay, or risk of progressing to invasive mechanical ventilation or death.

19 Oct, 2021 | 10:14h | UTC

Colchicine in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 (RECOVERY): a randomised, controlled, open-label, platform trial – The Lancet Respiratory Medicine

[Preprint] PRINCIPLE RCT: Colchicine does not improve time to recovery in outpatients with Covid-19 at higher risk of complications.

COLCORONA RCT: Colchicine for community-treated patients with COVID-19 – findings suggest it may lower death and hospital admission rates, but further studies are required.

[Preprint] RECOVERY Trial: Colchicine does not improve outcomes in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19.

Systematic Review: Colchicine for the treatment of COVID‐19 – not beneficial for hospitalized patients; inconclusive evidence for the treatment of non-hospitalized patients, “probably slightly reduces the need for hospitalization or death within 28 days compared to placebo”.

19 Oct, 2021 | 10:13h | UTC

Colchicine for the treatment of COVID‐19 – Cochrane Library

[Preprint] PRINCIPLE RCT: Colchicine does not improve time to recovery in outpatients with Covid-19 at higher risk of complications.

COLCORONA RCT: Colchicine for community-treated patients with COVID-19 – findings suggest it may lower death and hospital admission rates, but further studies are required.

[Preprint] RECOVERY Trial: Colchicine does not improve outcomes in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19.

Commentary on Twitter

JUST PUBLISHED – Is #colchicine (often used to treat #gout) an effective treatment for people with #COVID19? ➡️ https://t.co/IF1enksFpn New @CochraneHaem systematic review includes evidence from 4 RCTS with 11,525 hospitalised & 4488 non‐hospitalised people.

— The Cochrane Library (@CochraneLibrary) October 18, 2021

China’s COVID vaccines have been crucial — now immunity is waning.

19 Oct, 2021 | 09:53h | UTC

China’s COVID vaccines have been crucial — now immunity is waning – Nature

[Preprint] Breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infections in 620,000 U.S. Veterans, February 1, 2021 to August 13, 2021 – “Vaccine protection declined by mid-August 2021, decreasing from 91.9% in March to 53.9%”.

Observational study in Qatar showed the effectiveness of Pfizer vaccine against any SARS-CoV-2 infection dropped to 20% in months 5 through 7 after the second dose, but effectiveness against severe Covid-19 remained high.

Cohort study: Pfizer vaccine effectiveness against any infections declined from 88% during the first month after full vaccination to 47% after 5 months. Vaccine effectiveness against hospital admissions remained high; 87% within 1 month, and 88% at 5 months after full vaccination, with no significant waning.

Editorial | Covid-19 vaccination: evidence of waning immunity is overstated.

COVID vaccine immunity is waning — how much does that matter? – “As debates about booster shots heat up, what’s known about the duration of vaccine-based immunity is still evolving”.

COVID vaccine effects wane over time but still prevent death and severe illness.

Perspective | What we actually know about waning immunity.

Another study shows Pfizer mRNA vaccine immunity is reduced over time.

[Press release – not published yet] Study shows vaccine protection wanes over time, but vaccines still offer good protection against severe disease.

Studies: COVID vaccine protection waning against infection but not hospitalization.

Another observational study suggests Rivaroxaban is associated with higher rates of gastrointestinal bleeding than other direct oral anticoagulants.

19 Oct, 2021 | 09:47h | UTC

Rivaroxaban Is Associated with Higher Rates of Gastrointestinal Bleeding Than Other Direct Oral Anticoagulants: A Nationwide Propensity Score–Weighted Study – Annals of Internal Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)

Commentary: Rivaroxaban Again Linked to More Bleeding vs Other DOACs – TCTMD

Commentary on Twitter

A new study from @uni_iceland and @Landspitali finds that #Rivaroxaban is associated with a higher risk of GI bleeding compared to other direct oral anticoagulants. https://t.co/2J451CN5dD #afib #bleedingrisk #DOAC pic.twitter.com/Q6VSv5Taqg

— Annals of Int Med (@AnnalsofIM) October 13, 2021

Guideline: Management of anticoagulants and antiplatelet agents in cutaneous surgery.

19 Oct, 2021 | 09:50h | UTC

S3 guideline: Management of anticoagulants and antiplatelet agents in cutaneous surgery – Journal of the German Society of Dermatology

Systematic Review: Calcium channel blockers versus other classes of drugs for hypertension – “there is moderate certainty evidence that diuretics reduce major cardiovascular events and congestive heart failure more than CCBs”.

19 Oct, 2021 | 08:56h | UTC

Summary: Calcium channel blockers versus other classes of drugs for hypertension – Cochrane Library

Original Study: Calcium channel blockers versus other classes of drugs for hypertension – Cochrane Library

Commentary on Twitter

How do calcium channel blockers compare to other #antihypertensive drugs for #hypertension?💊

Our @CochraneLibrary systematic review looks at evidence from 23 RCTs involving 153,849 participants with #highbloodpressure

👉🏾https://t.co/dDLCY1RoOT #SystematicReviews #SysRev pic.twitter.com/zJ4JNRRf0L

— Cochrane Hypertension (@CochraneHTN) October 17, 2021

RCT supports the use of therapeutic heparin in moderately ill patients admitted to the hospital with Covid-19.

17 Oct, 2021 | 21:35h | UTC

Effectiveness of therapeutic heparin versus prophylactic heparin on death, mechanical ventilation, or intensive care unit admission in moderately ill patients with covid-19 admitted to hospital: RAPID randomised clinical trial – The BMJ

Commentary: High-dose of readily available blood thinner reduces risk of death for moderately ill COVID-19 patients – St. Michael’s Hospital

Related studies (some conflicting results)

RCT: Therapeutic-dose heparin superior to standard prophylactic or intermediate-dose heparins for thromboprophylaxis in high-risk hospitalized patients with COVID-19.

Another meta-analysis suggests standard-dose prophylactic anticoagulation is the best option for patients hospitalized with Covid-19.

M-A: Safety and efficacy of different prophylactic anticoagulation dosing regimens in critically and non-critically ill patients with COVID-19 – According to this analysis, standard-dose prophylactic anticoagulation should be the standard of care for hospitalized patients with COVID-19 who do not have an indication for therapeutic anticoagulation, irrespective of disease severity.

RCT: In noncritically ill patients hospitalized with Covid-19, therapeutic-dose anticoagulation with heparin increased the probability of survival to hospital discharge compared with usual-care thromboprophylaxis.

RCT: In critically ill patients with Covid-19, therapeutic anticoagulation with heparin did not result in improved outcomes compared to usual-care pharmacologic thromboprophylaxis.

RCT: In patients hospitalized with Covid-19 with elevated D-Dimer, a full-dose anticoagulation strategy based on rivaroxaban (full-dose heparins in unstable patients) + rivaroxaban to day 30 was not better than prophylactic anticoagulation and increased bleeding risk.

Commentary on Twitter

What are the effects of therapeutic heparin compared with prophylactic heparin among moderately ill patients with covid-19 admitted to hospital? #BMJResearch by @sholzberg and colleagues.

Includes a #VisualAbstract summarising the study #BMJInfographic https://t.co/82VisuBKSU pic.twitter.com/b06TdIJvLX

— The BMJ (@bmj_latest) October 15, 2021