BMJ - Use of triple therapy (LAMA, LABA, and ICS) resulted in a lower rate of moderate or severe exacerbations of COPD, better lung function, and better health related quality of life than dual therapy or monotherapy in patients with advanced COPD. Read More →
Read MoreLilly - Trulicity® (dulaglutide) significantly reduced major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), a composite endpoint of cardiovascular (CV) death, non-fatal myocardial infarction (heart attack) or non-fatal stroke, meeting the primary efficacy objective in the precedent-setting REWIND trial. Once-weekly Trulicity is the first type 2 diabetes medicine to demonstrate superiority in the reduction of MACE events in a clinical trial that included a majority of participants who did not have established CV disease. Read More →
Read MoreJournal of Foot and Ankle Surgery – newly developed clinical consensus for gouty arthritis of the foot and ankle published including the following statements that were deemed appropriate: patients on thiazide diuretics are at high risk for gouty flares, NSAIDs should be used as the first-line treatment for gout, allopurinol should be titrated until the serum urine uric acid level is less than 6.0mg/dl, and long-term medications (such as allopurinol) are necessary in the treatment of recurrent gout. Read More →
Read MoreAAP - Nearly half (48.2 percent) of parents reported that they'd kept leftover antibiotics rather than properly disposing them. Of those, 73 percent subsequently diverted them to siblings, unrelated children, and unrelated adults—sometimes months after the antibiotic was originally prescribed--all without physician consultation. The dosage of antibiotic that was administered was typically the prescribed dosage, even though the recipient of the antibiotic had changed. More effort and resources need to be invested in educating families about how antibiotics work, that they aren't necessary for all illnesses, and the medical risks of taking antibiotics without consulting a health provider. Read More →
Read MoreFDA – recalled one lot of Losartan Potassium/Hydrochlorothiazide Tablets 100mg/25mg due to trace amount of probably carcinogen. Read More →
Read MoreFDA – approved BRYHALI Lotion, which is indicated for the topical treatment of plaque psoriasis in adult patients, and is a new potent to superpotent corticosteroid in a novel vehicle lotion with safety established for dosing up to eight weeks. Distribution of BRYHALI™ (halobetsasol propionate) Lotion, 0.01%, to U.S. wholesale pharmaceutical distributors is expected to start later this month. Read More →
Read MoreFDA – approved DSUVIA which is indicated for the management of acute pain in adults that is severe enough to require an opioid analgesic in certified medically supervised healthcare settings, such as hospitals, surgical centers, and emergency departments. DSUVIA will not be available in retail pharmacies or for outpatient use. DSUVIA will only be distributed to health care settings certified in the DSUVIA Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) program. Read More →
Read MoreFDA – approved newly formulated Primatene® MIST (epinephrine inhalation aerosol bronchodilator suspension), which is delivered by a metered dose inhaler (MDI) with a non-chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) propellant. Primatene® MIST is the only FDA-approved asthma inhaler available without a prescription in the United States. Primatene® MIST is indicated for the temporary relief of mild symptoms of intermittent asthma in people ages 12 and above. Primatene® Mist will be available in major drug stores across the United States in early 2019. Read More →
Read MoreFDA – approved YUPELRI (revefenacin) inhalation solution for the maintenance treatment of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). YUPELRI, a long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA), is the first and only once-daily, nebulized bronchodilator approved for the treatment of COPD in the US. The companies expect YUPELRI to be available to COPD patients in the US before the end of the year. Read More →
Read MorePulmonology Advisor - In adults with COPD or asthma, two-thirds reported errors related to metered dose inhaler use. In reported step-by-step errors, ≥40% of patients failed to exhale fully and away prior to inhalation, to inhale slowly and deeply, or to hold their breath for a full 5 to 10 seconds. The findings of this review indicate the importance of educating patients on inhaler technique. Many of the errors are preventable by using nebulized therapy instead of a metered dose inhaler device. Read More →
Read MoreJAMA - In this study of Medicare beneficiaries with Parkinson disease, of those who received antidementia treatment, nearly 45% experienced the never event of coadministration of a high-potency anticholinergic medication and an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. Women and Hispanic beneficiaries as well as those living in the southern and midwestern US states were at highest odds of inappropriate dementia drug prescribing. Read More →
Read MoreThe Lancet - The 7-day-dose metronidazole (500mg twice daily for 7 days) should be the preferred treatment for trichomoniasis among women over single-dose treatment (2g one time dose). Read More →
Read MoreADA/EASD – Recommendations for the management of type 2 diabetes have been updated. New recommendations include: for patients with clinical cardiovascular disease, a SGLT2 inhibitor or a GLP-1 receptor agonist with proven cardiovascular benefit is recommended. For patients with CKD or clinical heart failure and ASCVD, an SGLT2 inhibitor with proven benefit is recommended. GLP-1 receptor agonists are generally recommended as the first injectable medication. Read More →
Read MoreNEJM - Aspirin use prevented serious vascular events in persons who had diabetes and no evident cardiovascular disease at trial entry, but it also caused major bleeding events. The absolute benefits were largely counterbalanced by the bleeding hazard. Read More →
Read MoreNEJM - Among patients with diabetes without evidence of cardiovascular disease, there was no significant difference in the risk of serious vascular events between those who were assigned to receive n−3 fatty acid supplementation and those who were assigned to receive placebo. Read More →
Read MoreJAMA - Among adults with COPD at high risk of exacerbation treated with inhaled corticosteroids, the addition of low-dose theophylline, compared with placebo, did not reduce the number COPD exacerbations over a 1-year period. The findings do not support the use of low-dose theophylline as adjunctive therapy to inhaled corticosteroids for the prevention of COPD exacerbations. Read More →
Read MoreCDC - Over the course of six flu seasons, getting a flu shot reduced a pregnant woman’s risk of being hospitalized from flu by an average of 40 percent. CDC recommends pregnant women get a flu shot because they are at high risk of developing serious flu illness, including illness resulting in hospitalization. Read More →
Read MoreJanssen - FDA has approved XARELTO® (rivaroxaban) to reduce the risk of major cardiovascular (CV) events, such as CV death, myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke, in people with chronic coronary or peripheral artery disease (CAD/PAD). XARELTO® is now the first and only Factor Xa inhibitor approved for patients living with these conditions. Read More →
Read MorePRNewswire - FDA approved Supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) to extend the duration of use of LILETTA® (levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system) 52 mg for the prevention of pregnancy for up to five years (previously for up to four years). Read More →
Read MoreFDA - approved AFLURIA® QUADRIVALENT (Influenza Vaccine) for use in people six months of age and older. The approval also applies to the trivalent formulation of AFLURIA® (Influenza Vaccine). Previously, both vaccines were indicated for patients 5 years of age and older. Read More →
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