Pharmacology News

Patients with atrial fibrillation who used warfarin had a higher fracture risk than those who used direct oral anticoagulants, according to a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

WASHINGTON — Physicians from across the country spoke about their hospitals’ experiences and approaches to combating the opioid epidemic at a panel at the U.S. News & World Report Annual Healthcare of Tomorrow Conference.

ATLANTA — Among patients with osteoarthritis, opioids demonstrated only moderate benefit for pain and function, while contributing no notable benefit for quality of life or depression compared with placebo, according to a presentation at the 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting.

ATLANTA — Health care providers should avoid prescribing transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation or stem cell injections in favor of more comprehensive management — including nonpharmacological interventions such as tai chi — for hip, knee and hand osteoarthritis, according to draft guidelines presented at ACR/ARP 2019.

Opioid use and overdose, and certain vaccine-preventable diseases, are among conditions related to systemic lupus erythematosus that could be avoided or minimized through high-quality, timely ambulatory care, according to findings published in Arthritis Care & Research.

Nearly one in eight pharmacies in the United States closed between 2009 and 2015, with independent pharmacies and those in low-income areas facing the highest risk for closure, according to study findings published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Cognitive behavioral therapy and antidepressants have comparable efficacy and are both viable options for the initial treatment of major depressive disorder, research has shown. Now, new findings published in the Annals of Internal Medicine demonstrate that neither approach to treatment is superior in terms of cost-effectiveness.

Eculizumab, which is only approved by the FDA for the treatment of three rare conditions, may be used frequently for off-label indications that lack strong scientific evidence, according to a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

New endoscopic techniques and changes in the pharmacologic landscape prompted an update in guidelines for managing patients with nonvariceal upper GI bleeding.

Despite the implementation of protocols to reduce opioid prescriptions during hospitalizations, approximately 90% of women who underwent cesarean delivery and did not use opioids in the hospital were discharged with an opioid prescription, according to findings from two related studies presented at Anesthesiology 2019.