Current medical research and opinion
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To compare the effects of an erlotinib-based targeted dual agent with erlotinib alone in previously treated patients with advanced non-small lung cancer (NSCLC). ⋯ Compared with erlotinib alone, the erlotinib-based targeted dual agent showed a minimal magnitude of improvement in PFS but did not improve OS. The role of erlotinib-based combinations in previously treated patients with NSCLC seemed insignificant.
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Patients with chronic pain may experience difficulty swallowing, in part due to worsening disease, comorbid conditions, iatrogenic etiology, or age. Patients or caregivers may manipulate extended-release (ER) opioid formulations to facilitate oral dosing due to a lack of therapeutic options that allow for sprinkle or enteral feeding tube administration. If crushed or broken, current oral ER opioids can be associated with adverse sequelae, including risk of potentially fatal overdose. ⋯ Oxycodone DETERx is the first ER oxycodone formulation that can be administered either intact, sprinkled onto soft foods, or via NG/G tubes, thereby providing options for treating pain in patients who have difficulty swallowing.
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Therapeutic compliance with rivaroxaban in preventing stroke in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation: CUMRIVAFA study.
To assess compliance with treatment with rivaroxaban in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation. ⋯ The percentage of compliance with rivaroxaban was high. A profile of variables that need to be modified in current medical practice, associated with non-compliance, was detected.
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This study evaluates real-world evidence regarding the frequency of anti-vascular-endothelial-growth-factor (VEGF) injections during the first year of therapy of treatment-naïve patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD), diabetic macular edema (DME) and retinal vein occlusion (RVO) from the Danish National Patient Registry. There was a switch in anti-VEGF treatment for naïve nAMD patients during the study period, following the introduction of aflibercept, which was expected to reduce the injection frequency relative to ranibizumab due to a perception of prolonged treatment duration of aflibercept. ⋯ In contrast to the decrease in injection frequency predicted with a switch to aflibercept treatment for nAMD, our study showed that injection frequencies increased significantly from 2012 to 2014 in patients initiating therapy across the three diseases.
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Little data exists regarding the effectiveness and safety of rivaroxaban or apixaban versus warfarin in nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) patients treated outside of clinical trials. ⋯ Rivaroxaban and apixaban were associated with less ICH than warfarin and both are likely associated with reductions in the combined endpoint. Further investigation to validate the numerically higher rate of ischemic stroke with apixaban versus warfarin is required.