Clinical therapeutics
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Clinical therapeutics · Aug 2007
A retrospective evaluation of the use of gabapentin and pregabalin in patients with postherpetic neuralgia in usual-care settings.
Both gabapentin and pregabalin are approved for the management of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), although dosing and pharmacokinetic differences between these medications may affect their use in actual practice. ⋯ In these patients with PHN in the usual-care setting, opioid use increased after the initiation of gabapentin and decreased after the initiation of pregabalin. Few of those prescribed gabapentin received a prescription for a therapeutic dose, whereas a greater proportion of patients who were prescribed pregabalin received a prescription for a therapeutic dose.
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Clinical therapeutics · Aug 2007
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyEfficacy and safety of inhaled zanamivir in the prevention of influenza in community-dwelling, high-risk adult and adolescent subjects: a 28-day, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
Influenza can cause significant morbidity and mortality in subjects at high risk for complications, including the elderly (age >or=65 years) and those with chronic respiratory, cardiovascular, or metabolic conditions. Effective prophylaxis can significantly reduce the disease burden in this population. Previous studies conducted primarily in non-high-risk subjects have reported the efficacy of inhaled zanamivir in preventing influenza. ⋯ Zanamivir, administered once daily for 28 days, was efficacious in preventing infection with the predominant circulating strains in the 2000- 2001 influenza season in the Northern Hemisphere (influenza A/New Calendonia/20/99-1ike and influenza B/ Sichuan/379/99-like) in these high-risk community- dwelling subjects aged >or=12 years. Zanamivir was well tolerated, with a safety profile comparable to that of placebo. No emergence of resistant virus was detected.
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Clinical therapeutics · Aug 2007
Meta AnalysisNegative binomial meta-regression analysis of combined glycosylated hemoglobin and hypoglycemia outcomes across eleven Phase III and IV studies of insulin glargine compared with neutral protamine Hagedorn insulin in type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus.
This analysis first modeled the interaction between hypoglycemia and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) in clinical trials that compared insulin glargine (glargine) with human neutral protamine Hagedorn insulin (NPH) in patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus. The model was then used to compare rates of hypoglycemia associated with use of these insulins. ⋯ Based on the results of this analysis, calculated unadjusted hypoglycemia event rates appear to underestimate the differences between glargine and NPH. In most of the present analyses, unadjusted rates were significantly lower with glargine than NPH. Adjustment for end-point HbA1c resulted in greater relative reductions in the risk of hypoglycemia for glargine compared with NPH. The adjusted risk reduction with glargine was highest in the Phase IV studies.
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Clinical therapeutics · Aug 2007
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyGoserelin acetate 10.8 mg plus iron versus iron monotherapy prior to surgery in premenopausal women with iron-deficiency anemia due to uterine leiomyomas: results from a Phase III, randomized, multicenter, double-blind, controlled trial.
Women with symptomatic uterine leiomyomas (fibroids) may have iron-deficiency anemia (IDA); therefore, surgery places them at risk of blood-borne morbidity from perioperative transfusions. Such women might benefit from a preoperative treatment that restores hematologic normality and alleviates fibroid symptoms. ⋯ A single, preoperative injection of goserelin acetate 10.8 mg in addition to PO iron 325 mg TID was associated with improved Hb levels in these premenopausal women with IDA due to uterine leiomyomas.
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Clinical therapeutics · Aug 2007
Randomized Controlled TrialPharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of buprenorphine after a single intravenous administration in healthy volunteers: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study.
Buprenorphine is used as an analgesic for postoperative and chronic pain. The usual sublingual dose is 0.2 to 0.8 mg, and the usual parenteral dose is 0.3 mg for acute postoperative pain. The pharmacokinetic and related pharmacodynamic properties of buprenorphine at these doses have not been characterized. ⋯ A clinically relevant analgesic dose of 0.002 mg/kg (0.15 mg/70 kg) of buprenorphine had a significant effect on nociception and psychomotor performance in these healthy male volunteers. A 2-compartment model satisfactorily characterized buprenorphine pharmacokinetics, and we found evidence of enterohepatic circulation.