Formulary Watch |

Pediatric treatments for allergic ocular diseases improve

Recent advances in treatments of allergic ocular diseases are available to help relieve the signs and symptoms in pediatric patients. Stephen C. Pflugfelder, MD, described those treatments in a symposium during the recent annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, in Chicago

USPSTF guideline may remove financial barriers to routine HIV testing

Proposed HIV-testing guidelines by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) will remove financial barriers to routine HIV screening by eliminating out-of-pocket costs, according to a perspective article in the March 7 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

FDA approves treatment for postmenopausal women experiencing pain during intercourse

FDA has approved ospemifene (Osphena, Shionogi) tablets for the treatment of moderate to severe dyspareunia (painful intercourse), a symptom of vulvar and vaginal atrophy (VVA) due to menopause.

Extended dabigatran use reduces risk of recurrent VTE, study finds

Dabigatran used beyond the initial 3 months of treatment at a dose of 150 mg twice daily reduced the risk of recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE), according to a study published February 21 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Regular vitamin C supplementation does little for incidence of colds

The age-old wisdom that vitamin C can help reduce the incidence of colds recently had another set back in a study from Finland, published in Cochrane Database of Systemic Reviews at the end of January 2013.

FDA warns about codeine for childrens’ postop pain

FDA is adding its strongest warning to labels of codeine-containing products advising against their use for pain relief in children after surgery to remove tonsils or adenoids. The agency asks healthcare professionals to use alternate pain relievers instead.

Increased risk of pancreatitis reported with use of GLP-1 drugs

Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus taking glucagonlike peptide 1 (GLP-1)-based therapies may have a higher risk of acute pancreatitis, according to a recent report published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Veterans diagnosed with reflux issues often start on high doses of PPIs, rarely stop therapy

US veterans diagnosed with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) are frequently prescribed doses of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) that are much higher than recommended, according to a new study, published in the February 16, 2013 issue of Journal of General Internal Medicine.

High calcium intake linked to CVD in women

High intakes of calcium in women are associated with higher death rates from all causes and from cardiovascular disease, but not from stroke. This is the conclusion of a prospective longitudinal cohort study conducted by researchers in Sweden and published in the British Medical Journal.

FDA approves first generic Suboxone for maintenance treatment of opioid drug dependence

FDA has approved generic buprenorphine hydrochloride (HCl) and naloxone HCl dihydrate sublingual tablets (Amneal Pharmaceuticals), the first generic generic versions of Suboxone (Reckitt Benckiser Healthcare (UK)) sublingual tablets for maintenance treatment of opioid drug dependence.

Task Force issues vitamin D and calcium supplement recommendations

The US Preventive Services Task Force (Task Force) issued its final recommendation on vitamin D and calcium supplements for the prevention of fractures, of which there are several individual recommendations for people who do not live in assisted living or nursing homes.

WellPoint health plans send pill boxes to Medicare members to promote adherence

WellPoint and its affiliated health plans (WellPoint) have distributed pill boxes at no extra cost to more than 187,000 at-risk members of Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug plans across the country as a friendly reminder for them to take their medicines.

CPOE systems can reduce drug errors by almost half

Processing a prescription through an electronic ordering system decreases the likelihood of error on that order by 48%, and avert more than 17 million such incidents in US hospitals in 1 year alone, according to research published online in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association.

What to do about multidrug-resistant gonorrhea

Gonorrhea, caused by the bacterium, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, continues to be a major US public health problem in terms of its prevalence as well as the lack of effective treatments available.

FDA approves first drug in over a decade for prevention of organ rejection

FDA has approved everolimus (Zortress, Novartis) for the prophylaxis of organ rejection in adult patients receiving a liver transplant.

FDA approves first topical acne treatment in children aged 9 and up

FDA has approved the topical acne drug adapalene 0.1%/benzoyl peroxide 2.5% (Epiduo, Galderma) in children ages 9 and older, according to a news release.

Prenatal folic acid may lower risk of autism

A study by Norwegian researchers has shown that the use of folic acid supplements around the time of conception may lower the risk of autism in children. The study was published in the February 13, 2013, issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association.

IOM report focuses on impact of counterfeit, substandard drugs

A new Institute of Medicine (IOM) report addresses growing concerns in the global community surrounding the public safety matters of fake and substandard drugs.

Poor patient adherence in clinical trials may be risky

In the last 10 years, many patients have developed unexpected toxicities from prescription drugs that have been on the market for 5 to 10 years, according to the Consumer Health Information Corp.

Cortiocosteroid injection may not help tennis elbow

A single corticosteroid injection to treat unilateral lateral epicondylalgia-tennis elbow-is linked to poorer outcomes after 1 year, according to a study published February 6 in JAMA.

Breast cancer vaccine possibility to be studied through grant

The National Breast Cancer Coalition recently awarded a nearly $200,000 seed grant to two researchers who will study the viral connection to breast cancer. The research will assess the infectious agent in breast tumors compared to normal breast tissue, which could lead to a preventive vaccine.

FDA grants priority review to oncology drug radium-223 dichloride

FDA has granted priority review to oncology compound radium-223 dichloride (radium-223, Bayer HealthCare) for the treatment of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) patients with bone metastases.

Vitamin D does not reduce osteoarthritis knee pain, progression

Vitamin D supplementation does not slow progression of knee osteoarthritis or reduce pain associated with the condition, according to a study published recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Enhanced support for shared decision-making reduces costs of care

Shared decision-making with patient and health-coach involvement saves on overall costs of care. Specifically, the technique reduces hospitalizations and surgeries, according to a study published in Health Affairs (February 2013).

Debate surfaces over preferred treatments for fungal meningitis outbreak

A leading epidemiologist recently suggested alternative treatments for the fungal meningitis outbreak late last year. To date, 46 deaths have been linked to contaminated steroids from compounding pharmacies.

FDA approves new multiple myeloma drug with REMS

FDA has approved pomalidomide (Pomalyst, Celgene) to treat patients who have received at least 2 prior therapies including lenalidomide and bortezomib and have demonstrated disease progression on or within 60 days of completion of the last therapy.

Med school gift restriction policies linked to subsequent prescribing behavior

Physicians who attended a medical school with an active gift restriction policy were subsequently less like to prescribe newly marketed psychotropic medications over older, cheaper alternatives, according to a study published in the January 2013 issue of BMJ.

Calcium intake may increase CVD risk in men, but not women

Calcium from diet sources was not related to death from cardiovascular disease in women, but may increase the risk in men, according to a study published recently in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Bowel disorders require safe, effective therapies

Despite availability of many therapies indicated for bowel disorders, there is still an unmet need and heterogeneity among these patients, necessitating availability of a wide variety of therapeutics. Awareness of potential new products, their key benefits, and where they may fit into the treatment paradigm will be important when making decisions impacting patients and physicians, according to new analysis.

FDA issues draft guidance on drug development for Alzheimer’s

FDA issued a proposal designed to assist companies developing new treatments for patients in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, before the onset of overt dementia.