Advances in therapy
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Advances in therapy · Jun 2020
Comparative StudyHealthcare Resource Use and Costs Associated with Opioid Initiation Among Patients with Newly Diagnosed Endometriosis with Commercial Insurance in the USA.
To compare all-cause and endometriosis-related healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) and healthcare costs by service categories (outpatient, inpatient, emergency room [ER], pharmacy) among patients with newly diagnosed endometriosis using opioids compared to patients with endometriosis not using opioids. ⋯ This analysis observed significantly higher all-cause HCRU and costs for opioid users compared to non-opioid users among patients with newly diagnosed endometriosis. While observed endometriosis-related costs were significantly higher in opioid users compared to non-opioid users during a 24-month follow-up period, endometriosis-related HCRU varied by service categories for these two populations over this time period.
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Advances in therapy · Jun 2020
Comparative StudyPersistence and Adherence to ICS/LABA Drugs in UK Patients with Asthma: A Retrospective New-User Cohort Study.
Asthma is associated with significant economic burden. Inhaled corticosteroid and long-acting beta2-agonist (ICS/LABA) combination therapies are considered mainstays of treatment. We describe real-world use of ICS/LABAs by comparing treatment persistence and adherence among patients with asthma in the United Kingdom initiating fluticasone furoate/vilanterol (FF/VI) versus budesonide/formoterol (BUD/FM) or beclometasone dipropionate/formoterol (BDP/FM). ⋯ In this study, patients who initiated FF/VI were less likely to discontinue treatment and showed greater treatment adherence versus patients who initiated BUD/FM or BDP/FM.
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Advances in therapy · Jun 2020
Anti COVID-19 Drugs: Need for More Clinical Evidence and Global Action.
The World Health Organization (WHO) called the outbreak of coronavirus infectious disease-2019 (COVID-19) a "Public Health Emergency of International Concern" (PHEIC). According to the WHO, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), currently there are no medicines or vaccines that have been claimed to be useful in the prevention or treatment of COVID-19. Several existing antiviral drugs, previously developed or used as treatments for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and malaria, are being investigated as COVID-19 treatments and some of them are being used in clinical trials. ⋯ Until now, it is still unclear which drug can successfully fight against the disease. Therefore, for the better safety of patients with COVID-19, further clinical trials and large randomized controlled studies are needed to validate the effective role, safety profile, and adverse effects of all the potential drugs. Such a measure requires action at the global level.