Advances in therapy
-
Advances in therapy · Jun 2019
Three Years Down the Road: The Aftermath of the CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain.
The 2016 CDC guidelines for opioid prescribing by primary care physicians have exposed some shortfalls in our thinking about opioid use and stranded many chronic pain patients with inadequate analgesia. Opioid prescribing rates started to decline in 2012, but still remain high. The response from providers to the 2016 guidelines have led to unintended consequences. ⋯ Chronic pain patients deserve consideration, yet emerge as the silent epidemic within the opioid crisis. To be sure, there is much good in the CDC guidance or any guidelines that urge caution and care in opioid prescribing. Pain specialists must speak out to advocate for patients dealing with pain, to educate patients and prescribers about analgesic options, and to make sure that pain is adequately treated particularly in vulnerable populations.
-
Advances in therapy · Jun 2019
Randomized Controlled TrialEfficacy of Triamcinolone Acetonide Extended-Release in Participants with Unilateral Knee Osteoarthritis: A Post Hoc Analysis.
Osteoarthritis (OA) is common and its prevalence is increased in military service members. In a phase 3 randomized controlled trial (NCT02357459), a single intra-articular injection of an extended-release formulation of triamcinolone acetonide (TA-ER) in participants with unilateral or bilateral knee OA demonstrated substantial improvement in pain and symptoms. Bilateral knee pain has emerged as a confounding factor in clinical trials when evaluating the effect of a single intra-articular injection. Furthermore, unilateral disease is frequently first to emerge in active military personnel secondary to prior traumatic joint injury. In this post hoc analysis, we assessed efficacy and safety of TA-ER in a subgroup of participants with unilateral knee OA. ⋯ TA-ER provided 5-6 months' pain relief that consistently exceeded saline-placebo and TAcs, suggesting that TA-ER injected intra-articularly into the affected knee may be an effective non-opioid treatment option. Although the participants included in this analysis did not fully represent the diverse demographics of active service members, the substantial unmet medical need in the military population suggests that TA-ER may be an important treatment option; additional studies of TA-ER in active military patients are needed.
-
Advances in therapy · Jun 2019
Randomized Controlled TrialRoxadustat Treatment of Chronic Kidney Disease-Associated Anemia in Japanese Patients Not on Dialysis: A Phase 2, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.
This study evaluated efficacy and safety/tolerability of roxadustat, an oral hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase inhibitor, in Japanese anemic non-dialysis-dependent chronic kidney disease (NDD-CKD) patients. ⋯ Roxadustat was well tolerated and effective in correcting Hb levels within 6 weeks in Japanese anemic NDD-CKD patients.
-
Advances in therapy · Jun 2019
Comparative StudyOutcomes Associated with Treatment of Chronic Pain with Tapentadol Compared with Morphine and Oxycodone: A UK Primary Care Observational Study.
This study compared adverse outcomes and resource use for patients with a diagnosis of pain treated with tapentadol prolonged-release (PR) versus those treated with morphine controlled-release (CR) and oxycodone CR. ⋯ Grünenthal Ltd.
-
Advances in therapy · May 2019
Economic Burden of Illness Among Commercially Insured Patients with Systemic Sclerosis with Interstitial Lung Disease in the USA: A Claims Data Analysis.
Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a common manifestation of scleroderma/systemic sclerosis (SSc). However, the direct and indirect economic burdens of SSc-ILD remain unclear. This study assessed and compared healthcare resource utilization (HRU), direct healthcare costs, work loss, and indirect costs between patients with SSc-ILD and matched controls with neither SSc nor ILD in the USA. ⋯ Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.