Pharmacology/Pharmaceutical Industry
Lamotrigine May Increase Risk for Heart Arrhythmias, FDA Warns
5 Apr, 2021 | 01:12h | UTCLamotrigine May Increase Risk for Heart Arrhythmias, FDA Warns – NEJM Journal Watch
FDA Safety Communication: Lamictal (lamotrigine): Drug Safety Communication – Studies Show Increased Risk of Heart Rhythm Problems in Patients with Heart Disease
Related commentary: Epileptologists Push Back on FDA’s New Cardiac Warning for Lamotrigine – Neurology Today
Recent progress in the treatment of cancer in children
5 Apr, 2021 | 01:15h | UTCRecent progress in the treatment of cancer in children – CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians
Cohort Study: DOACs Safe, Effective in Subset of Valvular AF Patients
5 Apr, 2021 | 01:10h | UTCDOACs Safe, Effective in Subset of Valvular AF Patients – TCTMD
Cohort study: High thrombotic risk in cancer patients receiving immunotherapy
5 Apr, 2021 | 01:08h | UTCHigh thrombotic risk in cancer patients receiving immunotherapy – Medical University of Vienna
Original study: Incidence, risk factors, and outcomes of venous and arterial thromboembolism in immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy – Blood
RCT: Postoperative pain control is improved with Methadone + Ketamine vs. Methadone alone in spinal surgical patients
5 Apr, 2021 | 00:49h | UTCPerioperative Methadone and Ketamine for Postoperative Pain Control in Spinal Surgical Patients: A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Trial – Anesthesiology (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary on Twitter
In a randomized trial of 130 spinal surgery patients, adding ketamine to methadone reduced pain scores from 4 to 2 points on an 11-point Likert scale and roughly halved postoperative opioid use https://t.co/vGVuQ7z7HV
— Anesthesiology (@_Anesthesiology) March 19, 2021
Exceedingly rare side effects reported with AstraZeneca vaccine in the UK – 22 cases of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis with low levels of platelets out of 18 million vaccinated individuals
5 Apr, 2021 | 01:45h | UTCCovid-19: Seven UK blood clot deaths after AstraZeneca vaccine – BBC
Original report: Coronavirus vaccine – weekly summary of Yellow Card reporting – Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency
Related opinion: Undermining the AstraZeneca jab is a dangerous act of political folly – The Guardian
“Based on current experience, the expected benefits of both COVID-19 vaccines in preventing COVID-19 and its serious complications far outweigh any known side effects”
Opinion | How to lose friends and alienate people? On the problems of vaccine passports
5 Apr, 2021 | 01:42h | UTCHow to lose friends and alienate people? On the problems of vaccine passports – The BMJ Opinion
Related: Resistance from health experts and business owners could doom ‘vaccine passports’ even before they launch – STAT AND How Vaccine Passports Will Worsen Inequities In Global Health – Microbiology AND Vaccine certificates: does the end justify the means? – The Lancet Microbe AND Covid-19 vaccine passports will harm sustainable development – The BMJ Opinion AND Covid-19 vaccine passports and vaccine hesitancy: freedom or control? – The BMJ Opinion AND “Vaccine Passport” Certification — Policy and Ethical Considerations – New England Journal of Medicine AND Interim position paper: considerations regarding proof of COVID-19 vaccination for international travellers – World Health Organization
Commentary on Twitter
"All in all, there are reasons to conclude that vaccine passports for basic activities may actually undermine vaccine rollout by disincentivising the very populations who most need incentivising" @ReicherStephen @ProfJohnDrury https://t.co/UL9qfFiOcA
— The BMJ (@bmj_latest) April 2, 2021
Many hospitalized Covid-19 patients are given antibiotics. That’s a problem
5 Apr, 2021 | 01:33h | UTCMany hospitalized Covid-19 patients are given antibiotics. That’s a problem – STAT
What we know so far about the effort to vaccinate children
5 Apr, 2021 | 01:31h | UTCWhat we know so far about the effort to vaccinate children – National Geographic
RCT: Upadacitinib vs. Adalimumab for Psoriatic Arthritis
5 Apr, 2021 | 00:57h | UTCTrial of Upadacitinib and Adalimumab for Psoriatic Arthritis – New England Journal of Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Randomized controlled trial compared three antiretroviral regimens started in pregnant women with HIV
2 Apr, 2021 | 09:15h | UTCCommentary: ART in pregnant women living with HIV – The Lancet
Video: Why you can’t compare Covid-19 vaccines
2 Apr, 2021 | 09:33h | UTCWhy you can’t compare Covid-19 vaccines – Vox
Why is it so hard to investigate the rare side effects of COVID vaccines?
2 Apr, 2021 | 09:28h | UTCWhy is it so hard to investigate the rare side effects of COVID vaccines? – Nature
[Press release – not published yet] Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is 91% effective for at least 6 months
2 Apr, 2021 | 09:29h | UTCCommentaries: Ongoing trial shows Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine remains highly effective after six months – CNN AND Coronavirus: Pfizer jab ‘stopping 91% of cases in first six months’ – BBC AND Expert reaction to press release from Pfizer and BioNTech on efficacy and safety up to six months after second vaccine dose, including data from South Africa – Science Media Centre AND Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine effective after 6 months and works against problem variant – LiveScience
Another study shows a single dose of mRNA vaccine may be enough for patients with previous Covid-19
2 Apr, 2021 | 09:36h | UTCCommentary: If I’ve Had COVID-19, Do I Still Need Two Doses of Vaccine? – TIME AND The research is in: People who’ve already had COVID-19 need just one shot – Insider
Related: Studies: Single dose of vaccine acts as ‘booster’ in those with prior COVID-19 infection (studies and commentary) AND Binding and Neutralization Antibody Titers After a Single Vaccine Dose in Health Care Workers Previously Infected With SARS-CoV-2 – JAMA AND Antibody Responses in Seropositive Persons after a Single Dose of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Vaccine – New England Journal of Medicine
Therapeutics and COVID-19 | WHO guideline update advises Ivermectin should only be used to treat COVID-19 within clinical trials
1 Apr, 2021 | 04:02h | UTCSummary and Infographic: Drug treatments for covid-19: living systematic review and network meta-analysis – The BMJ
Original guideline: Therapeutics and COVID-19: living guideline – World Health Organization
News release: WHO advises that ivermectin only be used to treat COVID-19 within clinical trials – World Health Organization
Commentary: WHO joins Europe, Merck in recommending against ivermectin for COVID-19 – Reuters
Commentary on Twitter
https://twitter.com/ThomasAgoritsas/status/1377372928451301384
M-A: Vitamin D supplementation to prevent acute respiratory infections
1 Apr, 2021 | 03:30h | UTCCommentaries: Vitamin D to prevent acute respiratory infections – The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology AND
WHO: Sinopharm, Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine data show efficacy
1 Apr, 2021 | 03:58h | UTCSinopharm, Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine data show efficacy: WHO – Reuters
Commentary on Twitter
https://twitter.com/hildabast/status/1377377034180038659
AstraZeneca COVID vaccine 70% effective vs. B117 variant
1 Apr, 2021 | 03:55h | UTCAstraZeneca COVID vaccine 70% effective vs B117 variant – CIDRAP
Commentary on Twitter (thread – Click for more)
ASYMPTOMATIC & SYMPTOMATIC Efficacy of Oxford-AstraZeneca #COVID19 vaccine versus #B117 & non-B117 variants via 200k swabs in ~8500:🧵
Symptomatic #B117➡️ 70%
Asymptomatic #B117➡️ 29%
Other variants symptomatic➡️ 81.5%
Other variants asymptomatic➡️ 70%https://t.co/qSWYlHKP0g pic.twitter.com/gS7P9MCpyz
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) March 31, 2021
[Press release – not published yet] Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine 100% effective against Covid-19 in adolescents
1 Apr, 2021 | 03:52h | UTCPress release: Pfizer-BioNTech Announce Positive Topline Results Of Pivotal Covid-19 Vaccine Study In Adolescents
Commentaries: The Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine Is Said to Be Powerfully Protective in Adolescents – The New York Times AND Covid: Children ‘well protected by Pfizer vaccine’ – BBC AND Pfizer Says COVID-19 Vaccine Shows ‘100% Efficacy’ In Adolescents – NPR AND Pfizer says its COVID-19 vaccine protects younger teens – Associated Press AND Pfizer and BioNTech say vaccine prevents Covid-19 in adolescents – STAT
Commentaries on Twitter
https://twitter.com/hildabast/status/1377376427239075840
This is really terrific
In trial of 2260 adolescents 12-15 year of age, Pfizer vaccine highly effective at preventing infections
18 infections in placebo group
0 infections in vaccine group
Robust antibody response
No serious side-effects
Looking forward to @US_FDA review https://t.co/VymGXOVb5E
— Ashish K. Jha, MD, MPH (@ashishkjha) March 31, 2021
M-A: Efficacy and safety of low-dose colchicine in patients with coronary disease
31 Mar, 2021 | 03:11h | UTCEfficacy and safety of low-dose colchicine in patients with coronary disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials – European Heart Journal (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Clinical Review: Immunotherapy Management in Special Cancer Patient Populations
31 Mar, 2021 | 02:59h | UTCImmunotherapy Management in Special Cancer Patient Populations – JCO Oncology Practice
[Preprint] Single dose of AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines shows 62% efficacy for preventing disease and reduces viral load/transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2 in residents of Long-Term Care Facilities
31 Mar, 2021 | 03:38h | UTCCommentaries: Single dose of Pfizer and Oxford vaccines shows 60% efficacy in elderly care home residents – NewsMedical AND Care home residents gain 62% protection from single dose of COVID-19 vaccine – University College London
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
https://twitter.com/sailorrooscout/status/1376512132318121990
What it will take to vaccinate the world against COVID-19
31 Mar, 2021 | 03:32h | UTCWhat it will take to vaccinate the world against COVID-19 – Nature
Opinion | Covid-19 vaccine passports will harm sustainable development
31 Mar, 2021 | 03:31h | UTCCovid-19 vaccine passports will harm sustainable development – The BMJ Opinion
“Where you are born can predict how freely you will be able to travel for opportunity, education, and leisure. Being a citizen of certain countries grants people access to nearly the entire globe, whereas others face challenges just to legally leave the borders of the country they live in”