APhA DrugInfoLine

Another reason to quit: Increased childhood wheezing seen when mothers smoke during pregnancy

Tue, 15 May 2012 14:16:08 -0500

Key Point:

Preschool children whose mothers smoked during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy had an increased risk of wheezing, according to a recent study.

Bisphosphonates linked to serious inflammatory eye diseases

Tue, 15 May 2012 10:20:58 -0500

Key Point:

First-time use of oral bisphosphonates was associated with an elevated risk for two ocular inflammatory diseases, uveitis and scleritis, according to a retrospective cohort study.

New data shed light on safety of long-acting beta-2 agonist combos in asthma

Tue, 08 May 2012 11:50:18 -0500

Key Point:

The combination of an inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) and a long-acting beta-2 agonist (LABA) protects against severe asthma exacerbations as well or better than an ICS alone in a diverse population of patients with asthma, according to a recent observational trial.

A brighter tomorrow? New anemia treatment strategies on the horizon

Mon, 07 May 2012 15:24:51 -0500

Key Point:

Several emerging strategies for managing anemia in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) offer potential advantages over erythropoiesis stimulating agents (ESAs) such as epoetin alfa (Epogen—Amgen; Procrit—Ortho Biotech) and darbepoetin alfa (Aranesp—Amgen), according to a recent review article. Advantages and disadvantages of promising agents, including the recently approved peginesatide (Omontys—Affymax), are discussed.

Migraines: Take triptans early!

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 00:12:05 -0500

Key Point:

Switching patients to early use of a triptan improved migraine pain relief in those who had previously taken these medications more than 1 hour after the onset of an attack.

Tipping the scales: Evidence building for enoxaparin over unfractionated heparin in PCI

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 15:01:08 -0500

Key Point:

In a recently published meta-analysis, enoxaparin was associated with a lower risk of mortality, myocardial infarction (MI), and major bleeding compared with unfractionated heparin in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Enoxaparin was particularly effective in patients with ST-segment elevation MI.

Revised guidelines: Antiretrovirals for all patients with HIV

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 16:16:29 -0500

Key Point:

Revised guidelines update treatment recommendations to include use of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in all adolescents and adults infected with HIV. The guidelines also provide important information for pharmacists caring for patients with HIV, including ART cost, dosing, and drug interaction tables.

First JAK inhibitor improves symptoms, but not survival, in myelofibrosis

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 12:00:12 -0500

Key Point:

Ruxolitinib (Jakafi—Incyte), the first agent in the new Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor class, was approved by FDA in 2011 for the treatment of patients with intermediate- or high-risk myelofibrosis, a disorder that has been associated with dysregulated signaling in the JAK pathway.

New rhinosinusitis guideline changes treatment landscape

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 11:02:41 -0500

Key Point:

A new evidence-based guideline for treatment of acute bacterial rhinosinusitis in children and adults from the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) recommends changes in traditional treatment approaches, including the first-line use of amoxicillin–clavulanate and avoidance of antihistamine–decongestant combinations. The document emphasizes that very few patients with rhinosinusitis need antibiotics, as only 0.5–2% of adult cases and about 5% of pediatric cases are bacterial in origin.

Pharmacogenomic testing: Physicians ready but need to know more

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 13:26:49 -0500

Key Point:

Physician education is the key to greater implementation of pharmacogenomic testing in daily practice, according to results of a recently published survey. While most physician respondents agreed that a patient’s genetic profile may influence drug therapy, only a small number of physicians believed they were well informed about genetic testing. A lack of education about pharmacogenomic (PGx) test availability, clinical value, and result interpretation contributed to low adoption of the technology as a means of informing clinical decision making.