Current medical research and opinion
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To retrospectively compare the 12-month healthcare utilisation and direct medical costs associated with the use of escitalopram, generic SSRIs, and venlafaxine in patients with severe depression in the United Kingdom (UK). ⋯ Despite some limitations associated with the system of data collection in the GPRD (need to apply proxies for severity assessment and external unit costs to resource consumption), the results of this real-life study brings additional evidence of escitalopram appearing to be a cost-effective treatment for patients suffering from severe depression as diagnosed in routine practice and could be considered for first-line treatment in these patients.
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Comparative Study
Cost effectiveness of pregabalin in the treatment of fibromyalgia from a UK perspective.
Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition associated with widespread pain, sleep disturbance and disability. Disease related costs are high and effective treatment options few. ⋯ This model found pregabalin 300 mg and 450 mg to be cost effective compared with placebo and, within the limits of available evidence, against duloxetine using standard UK criteria in patients with fibromyalgia experiencing severe pain.
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This study aimed to investigate the most important consequences of diabetes medication, as measured by the patients' willingness to pay (WTP). ⋯ People with type 2 diabetes were willing to pay a considerable amount of money each month to lose weight, reduce or avoid hypoglycaemic events and reduce HbA(1C).
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Efficacy of a comprehensive program for reducing stress in women: a prospective, randomized trial.
This study evaluated the efficacy of a comprehensive stress management program in reducing perceived stress among women who reported moderate-to-high stress levels. ⋯ Despite study limitations, including reduction of stress in Group 3, this study demonstrates that this comprehensive stress management program is effective in reducing stress among women with moderate to high stress levels.
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Control of elevated blood pressure has been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events. The angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB), telmisartan, has been shown to provide effective 24-hour blood pressure control. Additional antihypertensive efficacy can be achieved by combining telmisartan with the thiazide diuretic hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ). ⋯ The combination of telmisartan/HCTZ is an effective and well-tolerated treatment option for patients with hypertension.