The Annals of pharmacotherapy
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Review
Oral metoclopramide as an adjunct to analgesics for the outpatient treatment of acute migraine.
To compare the combination of oral metoclopramide plus an analgesic with oral triptan monotherapy in the treatment of migraine attacks in outpatients. ⋯ Combinations containing oral metoclopramide plus an analgesic may be an option for patients in whom triptans are contraindicated or who experience intolerable adverse effects, or when cost is an issue. However, patients and physicians should be aware that the combination will likely be less effective than oral triptans in treatment of migraine and its associated symptoms. To determine the role of combination therapy that includes oral metoclopramide in mild-to-moderate migraines, further studies are warranted.
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Comparative Study
Pharmaceutical expenditures as a correlate of population health in industrialized nations.
In recent years, healthcare spending has outpaced economic growth in developed countries, with pharmaceutical expenditures being a key driver of this trend. While a significant number of studies investigating the effect of healthcare resource productivity on health status have been done, only a few have disaggregated pharmaceutical expenditures from total healthcare expenditures. ⋯ Our results suggest that significant, but small, marginal gains in population health outcomes were associated with increased pharmaceutical expenditures in developed nations during the period studied.