New Look … AU InforMed has been redesigned. Nothing dramatic, but some changes intended
to make it easier to read, use and file.
MedWatch …The Warnings,
Precautions, Adverse Events, and Dosage and Administration
sections of the bevacizumab (Avastin® by
Genentech) labeling have been updated.
It is indicated for combination therapy to treat metastatic carcinoma of the colon or rectum. Arterial thromboembolic events, including
cerebral infarction, transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), myocardial infarction
(MI), and angina, occurred at a higher incidence in patients receiving bevacizumab
in combination with chemotherapy as compared to those receiving chemotherapy
alone. These events were fatal in some instances. In randomized, active-controlled studies, the
overall incidence of arterial thromboembolic events was increased with the use
of bevacizumab in combination with chemotherapy (4.4% vs. 1.9%). The incidences
of both cerebrovascular arterial events (1.9% vs. 0.5%) and cardiovascular
arterial events (2.1% vs. 1.0%) were increased in patients receiving bevacizumab
in combination with chemotherapy. Read the 2005 safety summary, including links
to the Dear Healthcare Professional letter and the revised label, at:
http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/SAFETY/2005/safety05.htm#Avastin
FROM THE MEDICAL
LITERATURE …
Tsunami’s
… for those who may be interested, the CDC has posted a large reference page
related to tsunami’s and the related health effects. It includes information for travelers,
humanitarian workers, health effects and more.
Go to:
http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/tsunamis/
A heavy
topic … two articles in current issues have addressed the lack of solid
information related to popular commercial diet plans. One study was a systematic review of four
commercial weight loss programs and found that Weight Watchers had at least some
information demonstrating benefit.1
Another article reported on four diet plans that monitored 160 patients
for about 18 months. Their conclusions
were that overall adherence was low, but those that did stick to a plan lost
weight and had cardiac risk factor reductions.2
1Tsai AG, Wadden TA. Systematic review: An evaluation
of major commercial weight loss programs in the
2Dansinger ML, Gleason JA,
Vitamin E … Investigators conducted a
meta-analysis of 135,967 patients in 19 clinical trials and came to the
conclusion that high dosage vitamin E (≥150 IU/day) may increase
all-cause mortality and that dosages of ≥400 IU/day should be avoided.
Miller ER
Emergency
contraception … may not be on the path to the den of iniquity. A recent paper describes a study of 2117
women over two years, comparing the use of emergency contraception,
pregnancies,
Raine TR, Harper CC, Rocca
CH, Rischer R, Padian N, Klausner JD, Darney PD. Direct access to emergency
contraception through pharmacies and effect oon unintended pregnancy and STIs:
A randomized controlled trial. JAMA
2005 Jan 5;293(1):54-62.
Reviews of Note …
- Müller-Lissner
SA, Kamm MA, Scarpignato C, Wald A. Myths and misconceptions about chronic
constipation. Am J Gastroenterol
2005 Jan;100(1):232-42.
- DeVault
KR, Castell DO. Updated guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of
gastroesophageal reflux disease. Am
J Gastroenterol 2005 Jan;100(1):190-200.
FROM THE LAY
LITERATURE about medicine …
Mail order killing pharmacies … Nothing
new to pharmacists, but apparently the trend continues with several big
employers now requiring mail order services to be used by their employees.
Freudenheim M. Drugstores
fret as insurers demand pills by mail.
NY Times.com 2005 Jan 1.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/01/business/01drugstore.html
Medicare Formulary
… The United States Pharmacopeia (USP), as a federal advisory panel announced a
list of 146 types of prescription drugs on
Pear R. Advisory panel lists
drugs it wants new law to cover. NY
Times.com 2005 Jan 4.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/04/politics/04drug.html?pagewanted=all
I resolve …
Some uncommonly cogent advice on medicine and how to “interpret” some of the
information and direction that we receive from various sources, in the form of
some “standard” new year’s resolutions.
Anonymous. The year in
preview: Only healthy thoughts for 2005.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A45502-2005Jan3.html?referrer=email
Tort reform??? …
The Bush administration began a push for tort reform last week, an advertised
agenda item for the President. A couple
of stories indicate that this is going to be a wide ranging discussion, whether
or not it appears in the final bill. One
story from the Washington Post
indicates that there is special language in the proposed bill to specifically
protect Big Pharma from punitive damages in lawsuits. Another story from the New York Times discusses an apparent Bush viewpoint that a small
number of incompetent physicians are to blame for a large portion of
malpractice suits and they should be removed.
Pear R. Panel seeks better disciplining
of doctors.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/05/politics/05docs.html?oref=login
VandeHei J. Malpractice bill
shields drugmakers.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48417-2005Jan4.html
Update … Student Opportunities
Practice Memo … Per the last issue of AU InforMed, pharmacy students can sign
up to for the ePractice Memo and receive a special section of The Practice
Memo called "The Chain Advantage." Articles in this section
highlight opportunities in chain community pharmacy, key career and financial
tips for pharmacy students, scholarship information and more. Students can sign up for the
ePractice Memo and can receive issues of The Chain Advantage. This
issue of The Chain Advantage highlights internship, rotation, and
residency opportunities available at NACDS headquarters in
Public Health Service … a good article on
the United States Public Health Service (USPHS). It has a long and storied history, and there
are a great many opportunities for pharmacists. Some of the Public Health Service agencies
include the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), National
Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Indian Health Service (IHS). The article will be available online later
at: http://www.fda.gov/fdac/default.htm
For more information on the USPHS, go
to: www.usphs.gov
Rados C. A medical militia at
the FDA. FDA Consumer 2005
Jan-Feb;39(1):12-17.
AUBURN HSOP
FACULTY in the literature …
To accompany the two articles mentioned above in the Medical Literature section concerning the “efficacy” of diet plans …
He had had much
experience of physicians, and said “the only way to keep your health is to eat
what you don’t want, drink what you don’t like, and do what you’d druther not.”
--Mark
Twain (Samuel L. Clemens) [1835-1910] 
An electronic bulletin of
drug and health-related news highlights, a service of …
• Phone
Bernie R. Olin, Pharm.D.,
Director