Current medical research and opinion
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To examine medication dosing patterns of duloxetine and pregabalin among patients with fibromyalgia. ⋯ Among patients with fibromyalgia, duloxetine and pregabalin initiators had different dosing patterns. The average daily dose for duloxetine was relatively stable over time, while pregabalin patients had significant dose increase over the 12-month post-index period.
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Comparative Study
Adherence and persistence to a regimen of basal insulin in a pre-filled pen compared to vial/syringe in insulin-naïve patients with type 2 diabetes.
This study was conducted to compare adherence and persistence of patients initiating basal insulin therapy with Levemir FlexPen versus those initiating basal insulin therapy with NPH via vial and syringe. ⋯ These results suggest that persistence and adherence with insulin may be improved for patients initiating basal insulin therapy with Levemir FlexPen versus NPH vial.
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Pain is still one of the most prevalent and distressing symptom in patients with chronic pain. Opioids are the most potent existing analgesics available in clinical practice. However, they are not always effective, particularly in the non-cancer population. ⋯ Several different drug-development strategies have attempted to reduce side effects by exploiting anatomic barriers to drug distribution and to provide different analgesic mechanisms, as in the case of the oxycodone-naloxone combination or tapentadol. New delivery systems have been developed for a more effective management of breakthrough pain. Pharmacogenetics could play a critical role in personalizing pain management in the future.
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This commentary critically evaluates the limitations of genetic risk predictions in multifactorial disease, with specific reference to age-related macular degeneration (AMD). AMD is a common blinding disease with 33 million people worldwide experiencing vision impairment. ⋯ In the case of complex multifactorial disease such as AMD, to have the same predictive certainty that exists for monogenic disorders, we must account for all gene-environment interactions. We discuss sensitive vision tests that reflect causal gene-environment mechanisms and their potential in AMD risk prediction.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Impact of rosiglitazone therapy on the lipid profile, glycemic control, and medication costs among type 2 diabetes patients.
To investigate the impact of rosiglitazone therapy on lipid profiles, glycemic control, and costs associated with cholesterol-lowering and diabetic medications among Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients in a standard practice setting. ⋯ Addition of rosiglitazone to an existing antidiabetic medication regimen improved glycemic control to a lesser extent than metformin/sulfonylurea, and also deteriorated patients' lipid profiles, leading to significantly greater daily costs. Economic evaluations of alternative therapies should consider such costs to estimate the full impact of different therapeutic approaches in diabetes.