The International journal of risk & safety in medicine
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Public and private payers use drug compendia to make coverage determinations, yet the quality of evidence they contain has received little scrutiny. We examined compendia citations regarding antipsychotic drugs, an important drug class given their substantial costs and widespread use. Nearly three-fold as many off-label indications were recommended for atypical as for typical agents, a difference that did not appear to be due to differences in quality of evidence for typical and atypical off-label indications. Given the important role that compendia play in evidence synthesis, coverage decisions, and ultimately, prescription utilization, these data suggest greater efforts are needed to improve the quality of evidence and transparency of evidence evaluations compendia contain.
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The agricultural industry is the largest economic sector in Palestine and is characterized by extensive and unregulated use of pesticides. The objective of this study was to analyze phone calls received by the Poison Control and Drug Information Center (PCDIC) in Palestine regarding pesticide poisoning. ⋯ Pesticide poisoning is a major health problem in Palestine, and the PCDIC has a clear mission to help in recommending therapy and gathering information.
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At the time of the outbreak of the pandemic of New Influenza A (H1N1) pandemic influenza vaccines became available via an accelerated registration procedure. In 2005 large stocks of the neuraminidase inhibitor oseltamivir were built up in the Netherlands and other western countries. ⋯ There now have been reports of rare and serious side effects. The first reports on the severity of the pandemic in Australia and New Zealand indicated a mild course.
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To examine the epidemiological association between sudden deterioration leading to death and Tamiflu use. ⋯ These data suggest Tamiflu use could induce sudden deterioration leading to death especially within 12 hours of prescription. These findings are consistent with sudden deaths observed in a series of animal toxicity studies, several reported case series and the results of prospective cohort studies. From "the precautionary principle" the potential harm of Tamiflu should be taken into account and further detailed studies should be conducted.
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Drug companies aggressively market their products to increase sales and economic rewards. Different countries have different regulatory regimes for controlling promotion. In the United States control rests directly with the Food and Drug Administration whereas Canada relies on a mixture of voluntary self-regulation and an autonomous agency. ⋯ We examine these weaknesses by analyzing the promotion of OxyContin (the time release version of the opioid oxycodone) by Purdue in Canada and the United States. We then look at the association between promotion and the misuse and abuse of OxyContin in both countries. Finally, we advance specific recommendations for regulating promotion for drugs that may have a high abuse potential.