- Safety & Recalls
- Regulatory Updates
- Drug Coverage
- COPD
- Cardiovascular
- Obstetrics-Gynecology & Women's Health
- Ophthalmology
- Clinical Pharmacology
- Pediatrics
- Urology
- Pharmacy
- Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
- Diabetes and Endocrinology
- Allergy, Immunology, and ENT
- Musculoskeletal/Rheumatology
- Respiratory
- Psychiatry and Behavioral Health
- Dermatology
- Oncology
New analysis shows fingolimod delays progression of MS disability
Fingolimod (Gilenya, Novartis) reduced the risk of disability progression in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, regardless of treatment history, according to a phase 3, 2-year study reported at the 63rd annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology.
Fingolimod (Gilenya, Novartis) reduced the risk of disability progression in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), regardless of treatment history, according to a phase 3, 2-year study reported at the 63rd annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN).
The FREEDOMS analysis showed that patients new to therapy (n=493) who were treated with 0.5 mg fingolimod had a 37% reduction in the risk of 3-month confirmed disability progression compared with placebo (HR=0.63; 95% CI, 0.41–0.95). In patients previously treated with alternate therapies (n=350), fingolimod 0.5 mg led to a 30% reduction in risk (HR=0.70; 95% CI, 0.43–1.14). Consistent favorable effects on disability progression were observed for fingolimod-treated patients compared to placebo for subgroups defined by age, gender, disease severity as defined by EDSS score, relapse activity prior to study, magnetic resonance imaging lesion burden, or lesion activity at the time of the start of the study.
The primary end point for the 2-year FREEDOMS study was relapse rate, in which fingolimod reduced relapses by 54% compared with placebo (P<.001). In a key secondary end point, fingolimod showed a 30% reduction (P<.05) in the risk of 3-month confirmed disability progression as compared with placebo over 2 years.
"These data provide deeper insights into the effect of Gilenya in significantly reducing MS disability progression across the broad range of patient subpopulations that this analysis evaluated," said Virginia Devonshire, MD, director of the University of British Columbia MS Clinic and a FREEDOMS trial investigator.
Coalition promotes important acetaminophen dosing reminders
November 18th 2014It may come as a surprise that each year Americans catch approximately 1 billion colds, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that as many as 20% get the flu. This cold and flu season, 7 in 10 patients will reach for an over-the-counter (OTC) medicine to treat their coughs, stuffy noses, and sniffles. It’s an important time of the year to remind patients to double check their medicine labels so they don’t double up on medicines containing acetaminophen.
Support consumer access to specialty medications through value-based insurance design
June 30th 2014The driving force behind consumer cost-sharing provisions for specialty medications is the acquisition cost and not clinical value. This appears to be true for almost all public and private health plans, says a new report from researchers at the University of Michigan Center for Value-Based Insurance Design (V-BID Center) and the National Pharmaceutical Council (NPC).
Management of antipsychotic medication polypharmacy
June 13th 2013Within our healthcare-driven society, the increase in the identification and diagnosis of mental illnesses has led to a proportional increase in the prescribing of psychotropic medications. The prevalence of mental illnesses and subsequent treatment approaches may employ monotherapy as first-line treatment, but in many cases the use of combination of therapy can occur, leading to polypharmacy.1 Polypharmacy can be defined in several ways but it generally recognized as the use of multiple medications by one patient and the most common definition is the concurrent use of five more medications. The presence of polyharmacy has the potential to contribute to non-compliance, drug-drug interactions, medication errors, adverse events, or poor quality of life.
Medical innovation improves outcomes
June 12th 2013I have been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer of the pancreas, a disease that’s long been considered not just incurable, but almost impossible to treat-a recalcitrant disease that some practitioners feel has given oncology a bad name. I was told my life would be measured in weeks.
