Current medical research and opinion
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Thorough QT study of the effects of vildagliptin, a dipeptidyl peptidase IV inhibitor, on cardiac repolarization and conduction in healthy volunteers.
This randomized, double-blind study evaluated the effects of vildagliptin, a dipeptidyl peptidase IV inhibitor for treating type 2 diabetes, on cardiac repolarization and conduction. ⋯ Vildagliptin did not prolong QT interval or affect cardiac conduction at the highest daily therapeutic dose or a fourfold higher dose.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Evaluation of a new safety peripheral IV catheter designed to reduce mucocutaneous blood exposure.
We evaluated performance and clinical acceptability of a new peripheral intravenous catheter (PIVC) designed to reduce blood exposure. ⋯ The PIVC with blood control demonstrated reduced blood leakage during insertion and was rated no different for clinical acceptability and insertion performance compared to the conventional PIVC. Clinicians agreed that the new design replaced the need for venous compression to control blood flow during IV catheter insertion.
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Some patients with epilepsy require treatment with >1 adjunctive antiepileptic drug (AED) to achieve adequate seizure remission. The purpose of this analysis was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of adding adjunctive pregabalin to an AED regimen that included levetiracetam in patients with refractory partial-onset epilepsy. ⋯ In this population of patients with refractory partial-onset seizures, adding pregabalin to an AED regimen with levetiracetam produced further seizure reductions. The safety profile of pregabalin in patients receiving levetiracetam and ≥1 other AEDs did not appear to be compromised by the number of concomitant AEDs.
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Multicenter Study
Sublingual fentanyl orally disintegrating tablet in daily practice: efficacy, safety and tolerability in patients with breakthrough cancer pain.
Breakthrough cancer pain (BTcP) affects more than half of patients with cancer pain and has severe detrimental impacts on quality of life (QoL). This study evaluated the efficacy, QoL impact and safety of sublingual fentanyl orally disintegrating tablet (sublingual fentanyl ODT), for the treatment of BTcP in a clinical setting. ⋯ Under the conditions of a phase IV study, sublingual fentanyl ODT was effective and well-tolerated for the treatment of BTcP in opioid-tolerant cancer patients. Study treatment was associated with significant improvements in BTcP intensity and QoL scores, and patients reported rapid onset of action in the majority of episodes.
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Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an irreversible and often progressive disease that requires lifelong adherence to complicated drug therapy regimens. The well established Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) guidelines recommend specific drug therapy protocols, yet patient adherence to drug therapy and physician adherence to prescribing guidelines is reported to be suboptimal. In this claims based analysis of COPD patients, drug therapy treatment patterns including inhaled corticosteroids and long acting bronchodilator use were evaluated by COPD severity level. ⋯ This analysis suggests less than optimal compliance with recommended drug therapy treatment for COPD patients based on GOLD guidelines. This study further suggests the utility of claims data analyses for providing reasonable aggregate distributions of COPD severity which allows for health plans and disease management programs to stratify COPD patients by severity level and examine opportunities for improved drug therapy management. Study findings should be considered in the context of the study limitations.