June 17th 2021
The COX-2 inhibitor Anjeso, a faster-acting injectable formulation of meloxicam, reduces opioid use after surgery.
November 18th 2014
June 13th 2013
June 12th 2013
Did naproxen's cardioprotective effect skew safety data on rofecoxib?
July 1st 2002Three case-controlled studies published in the Archives of Internal Medicineshow naproxen sodium has cardioprotective effects that other NSAIDs don't.An accompanying editorial says that no evidence indicates that the COX-2inhibitor rofecoxib increases (or decreases) MI risk. It simply fell victimto being compared with the only NSAID (ie, naproxen) shown to have a cardioprotectivebenefit. (None of these new studies directly compared non-naproxen NSAIDswith COX-2 inhibitors.)
Congress expands drug safety surveillance as part of bioterrorism bill
July 1st 2002Just before leaving Washington for the Memorial Day recess in May, Congress approved legislation to enhance the ability of hospitals and public health agencies to respond to bioterrorist threats. A key addition to the bill reauthorizes the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) for 5 years so that the Food and Drug Administration will continue to accelerate development and approval of new drugs.
Tegaserod meta-analysis: Global relief of IBS symptoms, no increase in abdominal surgery
July 1st 2002Tegaserod, an investigational serotonin receptor agonist, provides global relief of the symptoms of constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) with an acceptable incidence of adverse events, according to the results of meta-analysis of four phase III trials presented at Digestive Disease Week in San Francisco.
NEW WARNING: Clinicians alerted to Seroquel/Serzone confusion
July 1st 2002Confusion between two drugs with sound-alike proprietary names, the antipsychotic quetiapine fumarate (Seroquel, AstraZeneca) and antidepressant nefazodone HCl (Serzone, Bristol-Meyers Squibb) has prompted AstraZeneca to send a "Dear Healthcare Professional" letter warning of the potential mix-up.
NEW WARNING: Uterine sarcoma linked with long-term tamoxifen use
July 1st 2002Cases of uterine sarcoma in women receiving tamoxifen citrate (Nolvadex, AstraZeneca) have prompted a "Dear Health Professional" letter, black-box warnings on labeling, and publication of a letter to the editor in the New England Journal of Medicine from FDA officials.
Liver toxicity risk low with rosiglitazone
July 1st 2002Ever since troglitazone was pulled from the market because of hepatotoxicity,clinicians has been concerned that this may be a class effect. But a newstudy of rosiglitazone (Avandia), funded by manufacturer SmithKlineBeecham,indicates this drug is not associated with heptatotoxic effects.
Early statin use after MI may increase second-event risk for some
July 1st 2002Previous observational studies found that starting statins early after an MI reduces the risk of second heart attacks and death. But a new, larger observational study published last month in JAMA found no such reduction with early initiation (< 7 days)-and even an increased risk of MI or death for patients whose cholesterol levels were below treatment guideline levels.
No link between hepatitis B vaccine and neurologic disorders
July 1st 2002The evidence doesn't support a link between administration of hepatitis B (HPB) vaccine and demyelinating disorders, such as multiple sclerosis (MS) and Guillain-Barré syndrome, so no change in immunization policy is warranted, according to an Institute of Medicine (IOM) report.
Multiple studies show eplerenone to be a potent antihypertensive agent
July 1st 2002Eplerenone, a selective aldosterone inhibitor in phase III clinical trials,is an effective agent for reducing blood pressure in a variety of patientswith hypertension, including African-Americans, said presenters at the 17thannual scientific meeting of the American Society of Hypertension in NewYork City.
No decline in GI cotherapy or healthcare costs with switch to COX-2 selective drugs
July 1st 2002Switching from traditional nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to COX-2 selective drugs does not result in a decrease in gastrointestinal (GI) medical cotherapy. Furthermore, there is no reduction in GI healthcare costs when patients are switched from NSAIDs to selective COX-2 inhibitors, said Loren Laine, MD, at Digestive Disease Week in San Francisco.
The six-step process for conducting outcomes analyses using administrative databases (PDF)
July 1st 2002Administrative databases are a potentially useful source of data for conducting retrospective studies. Information in such a database can be used to evaluate the effects of organizational policy changes, new programs, or pharmaceutical therapies. This month?s column reviews the six essential steps required for conducting a simple database analysis. An example involving sepsis is used to further illustrate key points.
Alefacept: A T-cell-specific immunosuppressant to treat moderate to severe plaque psoriasis (PDF)
July 1st 2002Alefacept (Amevive) is the first immunosuppressive agent directed specifically at inhibiting the activation of, and possibly killing, T cells, which are involved in the cascade of events leading to psoriatic plaque formation and inflammation. In May, an FDA advisory committee recommended alefacept for approval as a first-line therapy against moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. The authors of this Focus article review the clinical characteristics of alefacept as well as make comparisons with other systemic drugs currently used to treat chronic psoriasis and the likely biologic competitors etanercept and infliximab.
Inhaled insulin regimen looks equal to or better than shots alone for type 1 diabetes
June 1st 2002The investigational inhaled insulin product (Exubera) could prove a boon to patients with diabetes, cutting or eliminating the need for injections. So indicate findings from a phase III trial presented at the annual meeting of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE). For patients with type 1 diabetes, a regimen of inhaled insulin before meals and one injection at night could control blood glucose as well as or possibly better than injections alone. These results add to some phase III data presented last June that showed a small but significant number of patients with type 2 diabetes reached recommended blood glucose levels at 6 months.
Few CHF patients achieve target dosages of beta blockers, risking hospitalizations and death
June 1st 2002Albert Einstein Healthcare Network, Philadelphia-What are the real-world consequences of inadequate beta blocker therapy in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF)? That is what this group of clinicians at Prestige Health-a 50,000 member managed care organization in Philadelphia-set out to determine.
Long-term trials show good response to new anti-RA biologic
June 1st 2002In studies reported this month at the European League Against Rheumatism meeting in Stockholm, the anti-TNF antibody adalimumab (D2E7) for rheumatoid arthritis is showing good long-term results, even in patients for whom other disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) have failed.
Part 2: Beyond depression: Evaluation of newer indications and off-label uses for SSRIs (PDF)
June 1st 2002In this final installment of this series, the authors focus on the use of SSRIs in alcohol dependence, chronic pain, eating disorders, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and sexual dysfunction. For each condition, the authors examine how well clinical trial evidence supports the application, discuss dosing and safety considerations, and provide their recommendations on preferred and alternative SSRIs, based on the weight of the evidence.