Clinical News

FDA has approved obinutuzumab (Gazyva, Genentech, a member of the Roche Group), also known as GA101, in combination with chlorambucil chemotherapy for the treatment of patients with previously untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

More than 10% of teens and young adults admit misusing a prescription painkiller or sedative, according to a study published in Pediatrics.

Allopurinol, considered the standard of care for gout, may be inadequate to lower uric acid levels in patients with gout, according to new safety and efficacy data from a large study presented at the American College of Rheumatology 2013 annual meeting recently in San Diego, Calif.

Costs related to antibiotics are the most important factors influencing hospital formulary decision-making, according to a new report.

The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia recently became the first U.S. hospital to disallow most dietary supplements in its formulary.

Severe life-threatening allergic reactions are more common than many thought. Anaphylaxis very likely occurs in nearly 1 in 50 Americans (1.6%), and the rate is probably higher, close to 1 in 20 (5.1%), according to a study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

In the treatment of pulmonary embolism (PE) in North American patients, rivaroxaban (Xarelto) reduced length of hospital stay by 1 full day compared to conventional dual therapy, according to data presented at the American College of Emergency Physicians scientific assembly, October 14-17, in Seattle.

Patients randomized to acyclovir MBT experienced less time from prodromal symptoms to healing; more patients had abortive episodes that did not progress to vesicular lesions; and duration of abortive episodes was briefer.

ORBIT-AF study results indicate that the benefit of adding aspirin therapy to oral anticoagulation for atrial fibrillation patients is unclear.

Before the approval of riociguat, there was no approved nonsurgical therapy for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.

Study results were based on laboratory-confirmed hospital cases of pneumonia with and without influenza, in 2,320 children and adults. Many previous studies lacked either laboratory confirmation or vaccine status.

New research points the way to safer drug combinations.

Under a priority review to help alleviate a drug shortage, FDA has approved lipid injectable emulsion, USP (Clinolipid, Baxter Healthcare) for intravenous feeding (parenteral nutrition) in adult patients, providing a source of calories and essential fatty acids for adult patients who are unable to eat or drink.

Chronic use of opioids among obese patients prior to bariatric surgery continues after bariatric surgery, and the dose. has been shown to be greater postoperatively than preoperatively, according to a recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

FDA approved vortioxetine (Brintellix, Takeda Pharmaceuticals and Lundbeck) to treat adults with major depressive disorder.

Digoxin, commonly used to treat heart conditions, was associated with a 72% higher rate of death among adults with newly diagnosed heart failure, according to a Kaiser Permanente study in the September issue of Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.

In adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who are uncontrolled on metformin and sulfonylurea, dapagliflozin can be added to help improve HbA1c and reduce fasting plasma glucose, body weight, and seated systolic blood pressure, according to results from a study presented at the 49th Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Barcelona, Spain, in September.

WellTransitions program helps improve health outcomes and lower hospital rates of hospital readmission through inpatient counseling and medication reconciliation provided by Walgreens pharmacists.

Varenicline may be a helpful smoking-cessation aid to stable depressed patients already receiving antidepressants or anti-anxiety medications, and its use does not appear to worsen moods, thoughts, or emotional states.

A new report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says millions of Americans are at risk from drug-resistant superbugs that cause gonorrhea, C. difficile, and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae.

A new survey of U.S. neurologists indicates that one-fifth have not been aware of FDA safety alerts connected with anti-seizure drug therapies.

Numerous studies have concluded that the risk of influenza vaccination leading to Guillain-Barre syndrome is slim indeed. To see the odds, read on.

An estrogen receptor agonist, ospemifene counteracts the effects of declining estrogen hormones on vaginal tissue, thereby reducing pain during intercourse.

A 12,000-patient Danish study suggests that the addition of one antiplatelet agent to oral anticoagulation is sufficient.

Quadrivalent and trivalent vaccines from major pharmaceutical manufacturers are shipping now.

Women taking opioids, such as Oxycontin, Vicodin, and Percocet just before or during early pregnancy are twice as likely to have a pregnancy affected by a neural tube defect, such as spina bifida: Study

Children who miss diphtheria, tetanus toxoid, and acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccine doses are at more likely to develop whooping cough, according to a study in JAMA Pediatrics.

Poor medication adherence causes more frequent hospitalizations and emergency department visits among children and adolescents who have a chronic medical condition, such as asthma and type 1 diabetes, according to a study recently published in Pediatrics.

Children and youth on antipsychotics appear to have a 3-fold increased risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus, according to a study published by JAMA Psychiatry.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) clinical report released this week provides guidance for physicians about the use of psychotropic drugs, substance abuse treatments, narcotics, galactagogues, herbal products, and vaccines in breast-feeding women and the potential effects on the breast-feeding infant.