Current medical research and opinion
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Efficacy, safety and tolerability of rivastigmine capsules in patients with probable vascular dementia: the VantagE study.
The aim was to evaluate the efficacy, safety and tolerability of rivastigmine capsules in patients diagnosed with probable vascular dementia (VaD). ⋯ VantagE (Vascular Dementia trial studying Exelon) was a 24-week, multicentre, double-blind study. VaD patients aged 50-85 years were randomized to rivastigmine capsules (3-12 mg/day) or placebo. Efficacy assessments included global and cognitive performances, activities of daily living and neuropsychiatric symptoms. Adverse events were recorded. Additional exploratory analyses determined whether heterogeneity in pathologies and symptoms extended to differential treatment effects.
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The aim of this study was to quantify the effect of non-persistence with oral glucose-lowering drugs (OGLD) on HbA(1c) goal attainment (<7%) in daily practice. ⋯ Non-persistent use of OGLD leads to a 20% decreased probability of HbA(1c) goal attainment in daily practice. This effect of non-persistence seems modest, but represents around 12 000 new and 10 000 prevalent OGLD users a year in the Netherlands in whom OGLD use could be better controlled.
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To evaluate the incremental cost effectiveness of rituximab in patients with rheumatoid arthritis that failed to respond adequately to tumour necrosis factor-alpha inhibitors (biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs; bDMARDs). A cost-utility model has been developed to simulate the long-term incremental cost and benefits of rituximab using data from clinical trials and registries. ⋯ Rituximab has lower average annual treatment costs compared to other bDMARDs and is a highly cost-effective treatment option for patients who have failed to respond adequately to one bDMARD. The cost per QALY gained of rituximab falls well below commonly accepted thresholds within the UK. Potential weaknesses of the model include the paucity of data on the efficacy of bDMARDs or non-biologic DMARDs when used as second-line options; the lack of consensus about the most appropriate therapy in patients who fail all available bDMARDs; probable underestimation of the non-drug related medical costs; indirect measurement of QALY gains with rituximab therapy; and the necessity of synthesising data from a number of clinical trials with different populations and study drugs.