Journal of managed care & specialty pharmacy
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J Manag Care Spec Pharm · Jan 2015
Comparative StudyHealth care costs among renal cancer patients using pazopanib and sunitinib.
Pazopanib was noninferior to sunitinib in progression-free survival in a phase III, open-label, randomized clinical trial comparing the efficacy and safety of the 2 drugs for treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC). A secondary analysis of this trial conducted on patient-reported health care resource utilization (HCRU) endpoints revealed significantly fewer monthly telephone consultations and emergency department visits among patients treated with pazopanib over the first 6 months of treatment. ⋯ The findings suggest that health care costs were lower among patients with advanced RCC treated first-line with pazopanib versus sunitinib.
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J Manag Care Spec Pharm · Jan 2015
Comparative StudyCost-effectiveness of pazopanib versus sunitinib for renal cancer in the United States.
Current first-line treatments for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) include the multityrosine kinase inhibitors pazopanib and sunitinib. Both agents had similar progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in the COMPARZ trial (Comparing the Efficacy, Safety and Tolerability of Pazopanib versus Sunitinib); however, the adverse event profiles of the 2 agents are different. In the PISCES trial (Patient Preference Study of Pazopanib versus Sunitinib in Advanced or Metastatic Kidney Cancer), patients and physicians preferred pazopanib primarily because it offered better health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and caused less fatigue. ⋯ Results of this study suggest that pazopanib is cost-effective compared with sunitinib as the first-line treatment of patients with mRCC in the United States.
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J Manag Care Spec Pharm · Jan 2015
Impact of tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine use in wound management on health care costs and pertussis cases.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends the use of tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine for routine wound management in adolescents and adults who require a tetanus toxoid-containing vaccine who were vaccinated ≥ 5 years earlier with tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid (Td) vaccine, and who have not previously received Tdap. ⋯ Vaccination of adolescents and adults with Tdap for wound management may result in an increase in PMPM costs for health plans of < $0.01 to $0.03. Given the potential reduction in pertussis cases at the population level, vaccination with Tdap for routine wound management could be considered as another strategy to help address the pertussis public health concern in the United States.
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J Manag Care Spec Pharm · Jan 2015
Tablet splitting: is it worthwhile? Analysis of drug content and weight uniformity for half tablets of 16 commonly used medications in the outpatient setting.
Tablet splitting is a well-established medical practice in clinical settings for multiple reasons, including cost savings and ease of swallowing. However, it does not necessarily result in weight-uniform half tablets. ⋯ Tablet splitting could be safer and easier when drug- and patient-specific criteria have been met. Tablet size, shape, and hardness may also play a role in the decision to split a tablet or not. Tablets containing drugs with a wide therapeutic index and long half-life might be more suitable candidates for division. Dose variation exceeded a proxy USP specification for more than one-third of sampled half tablets of bromazepam, carvedilol, bisoprolol, and digoxin. Drug content variation in half tablets appeared to be attributed to weight variation due to fragment or powder loss during the splitting process.
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The increased use of central nervous system depressants (CNSD) and psychotropics are one of the many factors that contribute to suicidal behavior in soldiers. U. S. ⋯ Innovative notes within the electronic health record summarized relevant findings regarding soldiers' medications, which allowed providers to quickly pinpoint and adjust medication regimens. With each identified high-risk soldier, we decreased the potential for postdeployment medication issues. Additionally, the PC generated over $70,000 in relative value units for the hospital.