Clinical therapeutics
-
Tigecycline, the first glycylcycline to be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, is a structural analogue of minocycline that was designed to avoid tetracycline resistance mediated by ribosomal protection and drug efflux. It is indicated for the treatment of complicated skin and skin-structure infections and complicated intra-abdominal infections and is available for intravenous administration only. ⋯ In clinical trials, tigecycline was effective for the treatment of complicated skin and skin-structure infections and complicated intra-abdominal infections. With the exception of gastrointestinal adverse events, tigecycline was generally well tolerated. With a broad spectrum of activity that includes multidrug-resistant gram-positive and gram-negative pathogens, tigecycline may be useful in the treatment of conditions caused by these pathogens.
-
Clinical therapeutics · Aug 2006
Comparative StudyCost-effectiveness analysis of linezolid compared with vancomycin for the treatment of nosocomial pneumonia caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
This study compared the cost-effectiveness of linezolid and vancomycin in the treatment of patients with nosocomial pneumonia (NP) caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). ⋯ The higher acquisition cost of linezolid was almost completely offset by improved survival and a reduction in health care costs associated with improved survival. As a result, linezolid was almost cost-neutral compared with vancomycin in the treatment of NP caused by MRSA.
-
Clinical therapeutics · Aug 2006
Comparative StudyComparison of medication adherence and associated health care costs after introduction of pioglitazone treatment in African Americans versus all other races in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a retrospective data analysis.
The aim of this study was to compare treatment adherence and health care costs in African Americans versus all other races (All Others) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus starting treatment with pioglitazone. ⋯ On multivariate analysis, this study found no significant differences in treatment adherence between African Americans versus all other races in this population of diabetic patients enrolled in a Medicaid program (query dates: July 1, 2000, to June 30, 2003). A higher adherence rate was associated with significantly lower diabetes-related and total health care costs in this population.
-
Clinical therapeutics · Aug 2006
Comparative StudyThe decision-making process of US Food and Drug Administration advisory committees on switches from prescription to over-the-counter status: a comparative case study.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and FDA advisory committees have been under increasing scrutiny as a result of media attention to safety concerns. ⋯ Variability in processes created discrepancies in the decision-making criteria used by the NDAC committees. There is a need to establish structured procedures to achieve an optimal level of uniformity and transparency in advisory committee processes.
-
Clinical therapeutics · Aug 2006
A cross-national study of prescription nonadherence due to cost: data from the Joint Canada-United States Survey of Health.
In Canada and the United States, patients who have difficulty paying for prescribed medications are less likely to obtain them and may experience increased risks for morbidity and mortality and/or increased health care costs due to nonadherence. As prescription drug costs have risen, the ability to pay for medications has emerged as a critical public health issue. ⋯ The results of this analysis suggest that people with low incomes and inadequate insurance, as well as those with poor health and/or chronic symptoms, are more likely to report failing to fill a prescription due to cost. The overall rate of cost-associated nonadherence was significantly higher in the United States than in Canada, even when other person-level factors were controlled for, including health insurance and prescription-drug coverage.