- 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
No benefit of B vitamins or omega-3 on cancer outcomes, study finds
There are no beneficial effects of supplementation with relatively low doses of B vitamins and/or omega-3 fatty acids on cancer outcomes in individuals with prior cardiovascular disease, according to a study published online February 13 in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
There are no beneficial effects of supplementation with relatively low doses of B vitamins and/or omega-3 fatty acids on cancer outcomes in individuals with prior cardiovascular disease, according to a study published online February 13 in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
The supplementation with folate, vitamins B6 and B12, and/or omega-3 fatty acids study, conducted between 2003 and 2009 in France, randomized 2,501 individuals ages 45 to 80 years with prior myocardial infarction, unstable angina, or ischemic stroke during the previous year. Individuals were placed in 1 of 4 daily supplementation groups: 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (0.56 mg), pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6, 3 mg), and cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12, 0.02 mg); eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acid (600 mg) in a 2:1 ratio; B vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids; or placebo.
After 5 years, incident cancer was validated in 7% of the sample – 145 incident cancer events in 1,987 men and 29 in 514 women, 83% of who were menopausal. Death from cancer occurred in 2.3% of the sample.
Investigators found no association between cancer outcomes and supplementation with B vitamins (HR=1.15; 95% CI, 0.85-1.55) and/or omega-3 fatty acids (HR=1.17; 95% CI, 0.87-1.58).
There was no effect of treatment on cancer risk among men, but women had 3 times the risk when taking omega-3 fatty acids (HR=3.02; 95% CI, 1.33-6.89). Cancer events occurred in 7.0% of patients and death from cancer in 2.3%.
Investigators cautioned that the findings are preliminary and hypothesis generating for future studies.
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.
