This post features two clinical guidelines on the management of community acquired pneumonia.
The British Thoracic Society updated this year many recommendations, including when to order a chest X-ray, and antibiotic management.
The guidelines issued by the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the AmericanThoracic Society have relevant recommendations concerning empirical antimicrobial therapy and its duration.
FDA issued a safety warning about the hazards of topical anesthetics [Posted 01/16/2009] FDA issued a public health advisory to remind patients, healthcare professionals, and caregivers about potentially serious hazards of using skin numbing products, also known as topical anesthetics, for relieving pain from mammography and other medical tests and conditions. FDA is concerned about…
The Scottish Medicines Consortium issued on 5th December 2008 an advice on aliskiren (Rasilez, Tekturna in the US): Aliskiren (Rasilez) is not recommended for use within NHS Scotland for the treatment of essential hypertension. Aliskiren has shown comparable efficacy to other antihypertensive agents in terms of blood pressure reduction, though its effects on mortality and…
From Australian Prescriber: Sitaxentan sodium Thelin (CSL) 100 mg tablets Approved indication: pulmonary hypertension Australian Medicines Handbook section 6.7.2 Pulmonary hypertension results from intimal hypertrophy narrowing small pulmonary arteries. The increase in pulmonary vascular resistance leads to right ventricular failure. Primary pulmonary hypertension is less common than the pulmonary hypertension associated with other conditions such…
From Australian Prescriber: Panitumumab Vectibix (Amgen) vials containing 20 mg/mL in 5 mL, 10 mL or 20 mL volume Approved indication: metastatic colorectal carcinoma Australian Medicines Handbook section 14.2.1 Panitumumab is a humanised monoclonal antibody for the treatment of metastatic colorectal carcinomas expressing the epidermal growth factor receptor. It is indicated for patients whose tumours…
The following pharmacological definition has been taken from the Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics Department Glossary at Boston University School of Medicine. Clinical Therapeutic Index: Some indices of relative safety or relative effectiveness cannot be defined explicitly and uniquely, although it is presumed that the same quantifiable and precise criteria of efficacy and safety will be…
From JournalWatch: Alpha-Blocker Does Not Ease Symptoms of Chronic Prostatitis Alfuzosin, an alpha-adrenergic–receptor blocker, does not improve symptoms in men with chronic prostatitis–chronic pelvic pain syndrome, according to a New England Journal of Medicine study.
Press release about the positive opinion of the CHMP for Fablyn (lasofoxifene): COMMITTEE FOR MEDICINAL PRODUCTS FOR HUMAN USE SUMMARY OF POSITIVE OPINION for FABLYN International Nonproprietary Name (INN): lasofoxifene On 18 December 2008 the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) adopted a positive opinion, recommending to grant a marketing authorisation for the…
Press release about the positive opinion of the CHMP for the antiplatelet agent Efient (prasugrel): COMMITTEE FOR MEDICINAL PRODUCTS FOR HUMAN USE SUMMARY OF POSITIVE OPINION for EFIENT International Nonproprietary Name (INN): prasugrel On 18 December 2008 the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) adopted a positive opinion, recommending to grant a marketing…
The FDA will require manufacturers of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) to inclued a warning about the increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviours when using these drugs. This is a transcript of the original press release dated Dec. 16, 2008: FDA Requires Warnings about Risk of Suicidal Thoughts and Behavior for Antiepileptic Medications The U.S. Food…
Beta-1 vs Beta-2 receptor location “You have 1 heart and 2 lungs”: Beta-1are therefore primarily on heart Beta-2 primarily on lungs Thanks to Medexcel
From JournalWatch: FDA Panel Votes to Ban Two Drugs for Asthma An advisory panel to the FDA voted Thursday to ban two long-acting beta agonists, Serevent (salmeterol) and Foradil (formoterol), for treating asthma in adults and children. When taken without an inhaled corticosteroid, these drugs can
This week Therapeutics initative podcast deals with NSAIDS: NSAIDS: Considering the Risks and Benefits (Therapeutics Initiative Podcast – December 10th) In our 33rd episode we follow-up our discussion of osteoarthritis by examining the risks and benefits of oral anti-inflammatories including Cox-2 inhibitors. We review the effects on pain relief and the theory of anti-inflammation. We…
From FDA’s patient safety news website: Statin Use and the Risk of ALS A recent FDA analysis provides new evidence that using statins does not increase the risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a neurodegenerative disease also known “Lou Gehrig’s Disease.” Cholesterol-lowering statins such as Lipitor (atorvastatin calcium) and Zocor (simvastatin) have been shown to…
