Clinical News

Insulin pumps control blood sugar in children with diabetes better than insulin injections, according to a new study.

New study shows that simultaneous treatment of alcohol dependence and PTSD is more effective than either treatment would be alone.

The majority of antibiotics prescribed for adults in ambulatory care settings are broad-spectrum agents, most commonly fluoroquinolones and macrolides. These are frequently prescribed for conditions where no antibiotic therapy is needed at all, such as for bronchitis and colds, which are caused by viruses, according to a study published online July 25, 2013, in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.

A severe decline in the use of estrogen therapy (ET) due to misunderstanding the findings of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) Estrogen Plus Progestin Trial has particularly affected hysterectomized women in their 50s, leading to excess mortality, according to a study published online in the American Journal of Public Health.

BMJ study finds small but statistically significant changes in Qmci scores of dementia patients who initiate hypertension treatment with ACE inhibitors.

Dimethyl fumarate (Tecfidera, Biogen Idec) oral delayed-release capsules, formerly called BG-12, was approved by the FDA on March 27, 2013 for the treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). It is the third oral drug to be recently approved for the treatment of these types of MS.

In July of 2012, a provision in the newly ratified Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act, paved the way for the FDA to further assist drug manufacturers in expediting the development and introduction of new drugs demonstrating early signs of advancement in the treatment of key conditions. Known as the “breakthrough therapy” designation, this new tool is seen by many as yet another positive sign that the FDA is committed to ensuring that innovative drug products are brought to market even more quickly for the millions of patients with serious medical conditions, desperately in need of new therapeutic options.

Insulin resistance can be described as a decrease in sensitivity or a decreased biological response to insulin. No single etiological explanation has been described for insulin resistance because of the unique associations with cardiovascular risk, obesity, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. Research has shown that the pathogenesis of insulin resistance results from either lipid accumulation, the contribution of systemic inflammation, or through genetic mutations involving autoantibodies to the insulin receptor.

The FDA has approved a new plasma-derived product for the urgent reversal of vitamin-K antagonist (VKA) anticoagulation in adults with acute major bleeding.

Between 1969 and 2013, 107 cases of SJS, TEN, and ACEP, involving 67 hospitalizations and 12 deaths, were reported to FDA.

FDA approved levomilnacipran extended-release capsules (Fetzima) for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) in adults, according to the manufacturers, Forest Laboratories and Pierre Fabre Laboratories.

FDA has decided to limit the use of oral ketoconazole (Nizoral) to life-threatening mycoses because the drug can cause severe liver injuries and adrenal gland problems, according to an FDA statement released at the end of July.

Patients taking the new generation of oral anticoagulants are associated with a significantly higher risk of gastrointestinal bleeding, according to a study published in the July 2013 issue of Gastroenterology.

Telmisartan and valsartan, used to reduce blood pressure in people with diabetes, are associated with a lower risk of hospitalization for heart attack, stroke, or heart failure, according to a study published on the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) continues to receive reports of dose measurement confusion with Humulin R U-500 concentrated insulin injection, according to a recent safety alert from the agency.

The use of electronic health records saved more than 3% in ambulatory health costs but did not reduce overall inpatient costs, according to a study published in the July 16, 2013 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine.

A new retrospective case-control study among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease found a 30% decreased risk of COPD exacerbation with any statin use.

Within 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 that employ monotherapy as first-line treatment, but in many cases the use of combination of therapy can occur, leading to polypharmacy.1

As new therapies for HIV/AIDS extend many patients' lives, pharmacists are well situated to help them manage the disease

FDA advisers recommended in early June the easing of restrictions on the diabetes drug rosiglitazone (Avandia, GlaxoSmithKline), following an independent re-examination of GSK’s RECORD study conducted by Duke Clinical Research Institute.

Results from the RELY-ABLE trial, the RE-LY extension study, support the long-term safety profile of dabigatran etexilate mesylate (Pradaxa, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals) 150 mg twice daily in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF), according to a study published in Circulation.

Results from the RELY-ABLE trial, the RE-LY extension study, support the long-term safety profile of dabigatran etexilate mesylate (Pradaxa, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals) 150 mg twice daily in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF), according to a study published in Circulation in mid-June.

The Community Preventive Services Task Force, an independent, uncompensated panel of public health and prevention experts, has released 3 recommendations to address risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Pharmacists were included as members of the team to help with interventions for CVD prevention.

Many patients suffer from both hypertension and high cholesterol, putting them at greater risk of coronary heart disease. Controlling the hypertension and high cholesterol would reduce CHD risk by 50% or more, but less than a third of patients have achieved adequate control of both, according to an online study in Circulation.

FDA approved two new indications for the use of lurasidone HCl (Latuda, Sunovion and Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma) as monotherapy and adjunctive therapy with either lithium or valproate, for adults with bipolar depression.

Healthcare costs were substantially lower for HCV patients who achieved sustained virologic response up to 5 years after antiviral therapy ended, according to a study published in the July/August 2013 Journal of Managed Care Pharmacy.

The first of 2 pivotal phase 3 trials with a new allergy immunotherapy tablet for the treatment of house dust mite-induced respiratory diseases has met its primary end points, according to ALK and partner Merck.

FDA has expanded the use of telavancin (Vibativ, Theravance) to treat adult patients with hospital-acquired and ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia caused by susceptible isolates of Staphylococcus aureus when alternative treatments are not suitable.