Journal of managed care & specialty pharmacy
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J Manag Care Spec Pharm · Sep 2015
Persistance and Compliance with Osteroporosis Therapies Among Women in a Commercially Insured Population in the United States.
Prior research has shown that rates of persistence and compliance with osteoporosis therapies are associated with significantly fewer vertebral, nonvertebral, and hip fractures. A number of studies have examined medication-taking behavior with oral bisphosphonates and teriparatide, and these 1-year persistence rates have ranged from 39.9% to 56.7%. Limited real-world data are available regarding persistence and compliance rates with newer therapies such as denosumab, a RANK ligand inhibitor administered every 6 months as a subcutaneous injection. ⋯ In a U.S. setting, rates of persistence and compliance over 12 months were higher among women initiating denosumab compared with those initiating other osteoporosis therapies.
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J Manag Care Spec Pharm · Aug 2015
Review Meta AnalysisIdentifying the Optimal Role for Pharmacists in Care Transitions: A Systematic Review.
A transition from one health care setting to another increases the risk of medication errors. Several strategies have been applied to improve care transitions and reduce adverse clinical outcomes. Pharmacist intervention during and after hospitalization has been frequently studied and show a variable effect on these outcomes. ⋯ Although there is a need for well-designed and well-reported RCTs, the study heterogeneity enabled a best evidence synthesis to elucidate effective components of pharmacist intervention. In isolated postdischarge intervention programs, evidence tends towards collaborating with nurses and tailoring to individual patient needs. In multifaceted intervention programs, performing medication reconciliation alone is insufficient in reducing postdischarge clinical outcomes and should be combined with active patient counseling and a clinical medication review. Furthermore, close collaboration between pharmacists and physicians is beneficial. Finally, it is important to secure continuity of care by integrating pharmacists in these multifaceted programs across health care settings. Ultimately, pharmacists need to know patient clinical background and previous hospital experience.
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J Manag Care Spec Pharm · Jul 2015
Impact of COPD Exacerbation Frequency on Costs for a Managed Care Population.
There is scarce information on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) outcomes and costs for patients with differing levels of COPD exacerbations. ⋯ Infrequent exacerbators have an increased risk for future exacerbations compared with nonexacerbators and, on a total sample-level, incur greater costs compared with frequent exacerbators, demonstrating a significant economic burden.
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J Manag Care Spec Pharm · Jul 2015
Discontinuation/Interruption of Warfarin Therapy in Patients with Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation.
Use of warfarin is standard of care for stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). However, AF patients experience high rates of warfarin discontinuation/interruption, resulting in increased health risks and health care costs. As such, it is important to study the rates and predictors of warfarin discontinuation/interruption in this population. ⋯ In the U.S. clinical practice setting, more than 50% of NVAF patients discontinued or interrupted warfarin within 1 year after initiation. Aged less than 65 years, history of anemia, and history of hospitalization/emergency room visits were associated with increased risk of discontinuation/interruption. Given the high prevalence of warfarin discontinuation/interruption, health care providers should take a more active role in understanding and addressing the reasons behind patient discontinuation/interruption.
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J Manag Care Spec Pharm · May 2015
Meta AnalysisComparative Efficacy of Novel DMARDs as Monotherapy and in Combination with Methotrexate in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients with Inadequate Response to Conventional DMARDs: A Network Meta-Analysis.
Given the availability of a number of alternative biologic treatment options and other novel disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) for the treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), clinicians are faced with an increasingly challenging choice regarding optimal treatment. Biologics are usually combined with traditional DMARDs, primarily methotrexate (MTX), but some biologics and tofacitinib (together referred to in this article as novel DMARDs) have been shown to be efficacious as monotherapy as well. In real-world practice, approximately one-third of RA patients receiving biologics are on monotherapy, primarily because of intolerance of, or noncompliance with, MTX. Limited data, however, are available analyzing the effectiveness of monotherapy compared with combination therapy across novel DMARDs. ⋯ Results suggest that in combination with MTX most of the available novel DMARDs have similar levels of efficacy in DMARD-IR patients. As monotherapy, however, tocilizumab displayed higher ACR responses than aTNF or tofacitinib. ACR responses with tocilizumab plus MTX were similar to those with tocilizumab as monotherapy, whereas aTNF in combination with MTX demonstrated greater ACR responses than aTNF as monotherapy.