Current medical research and opinion
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Serum uric acid (sUA) levels are causally associated with the risk of gout flares. Our aim was to assess the magnitude of the association and time to first flare among patients in a managed care setting. ⋯ These findings confirm that higher sUA levels are associated with an increased risk of gout flares in a dose-response manner over 2 years. This data supports the need to treat to sUA target levels as recommended by recent gout care guidelines. Claims-based algorithms were used to identify gout flares; although this would not be expected to influence estimates of risk by sUA level, there may have been over- or under-estimation of the incidence of flares.
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To describe the usage of different biologic agents for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Japan over time and to identify factors that affects the decision to initiate treatment with biologic agents. Determinants of a switch to another biologic agent for patients who are already on biologic treatment were also analyzed. ⋯ The lower likelihood of elderly patients to be initiated on biologic treatment might be explained by the risk aversion of Japanese physicians' and patients who are afraid of the potential side effects of biologics. This finding is also consistent with the notion of an age bias that impedes elderly patients from optimal access to biologic treatment. Because claims data does not contain clinical parameters such as disease activity the results should be validated in a clinical context.
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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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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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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.