Drug Formulary Review articles from August 2004

Drug Formulary Review archives from August 2004

Protocol reduces anti-rejection medication for lung transplant patients: rates of opportunistic infection have not increased.
August 1, 2004... Surgeons at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have reduced the number of anti-rejection pills that some lung transplant patients receive--and the patients seem to be tolerating the change well. Standard treatment for lung...

NovoSeven shows promise for hemorrhagic stroke: drug given within four hours after onset.
August 1, 2004... New research is showing that recombinant factor VIIa [rFVIIa] (NovoSeven) shows promise in the treatment of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). The Phase IIb study demonstrated that the use of the hemophilia drug in ICH patients led to a...

Researchers examine the issue of patient compliance: ways to document compliance will be one result.
August 1, 2004... Researchers who recently studied the working memory of pharmacists are now turning to the issue of patient compliance. Indicators show that pharmacists who make medication errors and patients who do not adhere to their medication regimens may...

Be aware of common food-drug interactions: interactions may affect effectiveness of therapy.
August 1, 2004... Various food-drug interactions can result in an increase or decrease in the effectiveness of the object drug. That's why pharmacists need to know the most potentially important food-drug interactions and the appropriate way to manage the...

Cost-related underuse of heart meds may have adverse outcomes.
August 1, 2004... Middle-aged and older Americans with heart disease who cut back on their prescribed medications because of cost were 50% more likely to suffer heart attacks, strokes, or angina than those who did not report cost-related medication underuse,...

Many consumers do not favor off-label drug use.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Many consumers say they don't want physicians to prescribe drugs for off-label use, but a recent survey shows they are confused about the issue. For example, more than half of Americans (51%) in a recent poll wrongly believe that a physician...

Medicare extends access to self-administered drugs.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The Department of Health and Human Services has announced a new Medicare demonstration program that will save seniors and people with disabilities substantial money on medicines they take for serious and chronic diseases. The demonstration...

Pfizer expands access to its prescription medications.
August 1, 2004... Pfizer has announced that it will launch a comprehensive initiative to significantly expand access to its prescription medicines across the United States, with a specific focus on enabling America's 43 million uninsured to obtain Pfizer...

Pharmacists are critical link to people with pain.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Pain is the No. 1 cause of adult disability in the United States. Each year, 50 million people suffer from severe chronic pain, and another 25 million experience acute pain from injuries or surgeries. Yet despite important scientific advances...

Telithromycin (Ketek) formulary evaluation: Part 1: mechanism of action, in vitro activity, resistance profile, pharmacokinetics, indication, and dosage.
August 1, 2004... Telithromycin is the first of the ketolides, a new class of antibacterial drugs that are derived from macrolide antibiotics. Chemical deviations from the macrolides The only chemical modification necessary to classify a drug as a...

Chiron Corp. has initiated a new Phase II study of aldesleukin (Proleukin).(In The Pipeline)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... * Chiron Corp. has initiated a new Phase II study of aldesleukin (Proleukin) interleukin-2 (IL-2) plus rituximab in rituximab-naive patients with low-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma to determine the combination's potential in patients receiving...

Vertex Pharmaceuticals has initiated a Phase I clinical trial for VX-950.(In The Pipeline)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... * Vertex Pharmaceuticals has initiated a Phase I clinical trial for VX-950, an investigational oral protease inhibitor for the treatment of hepatitis C virus infection.

Aspreva Pharmaceuticals has initiated a global Phase III study of mycophenolate mofetil (CellCept).(In The Pipeline)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... * Aspreva Pharmaceuticals has initiated a global Phase III study of mycophenolate mofetil (CellCept) for myasthenia gravis.

Peninsula Pharmaceuticals has announced that patient enrollment has begun in the fifth pivotal Phase III trial of its lead product candidate.(In The Pipeline)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... * Peninsula Pharmaceuticals has announced that patient enrollment has begun in the fifth pivotal Phase III trial of its lead product candidate, doripenem for injection, in patients with hospital-acquired pneumonia.

Medarex has announced that under the U.S. Orphan Drug Act, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug designation to Medarex's fully human anti-CTLA-4 antibody, MDX-010.(In The Pipeline)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... * Medarex has announced that under the U.S. Orphan Drug Act, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug designation to Medarex's fully human anti-CTLA-4 antibody, MDX-010, for the treatment of high-risk Stage II, Stage...

Array BioPharma has initiated a Phase I clinical trial.(In The Pipeline)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... * Array BioPharma has initiated a Phase I clinical trial for its small molecule anticancer compound, ARRY-142886 (AZD6244).

Angstrom Pharmaceuticals has initiated a Phase II clinical trial of its proprietary lead product, A6.(In The Pipeline)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... * Angstrom Pharmaceuticals has initiated a Phase II clinical trial of its proprietary lead product, A6, for the prevention of clinical relapse in patients with ovarian cancer.

Alexion Pharmaceuticals has announced that it and its collaboration partner for pexelizumab, Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals, have received written confirmation from the FDA.(In The Pipeline)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... * Alexion Pharmaceuticals has announced that it and its collaboration partner for pexelizumab, Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals, have received written confirmation from the FDA indicating agreement with the protocols for two independent Phase...

Valeant Pharmaceuticals has begun the second of two global Phase III clinical trials for its antiviral compound, Viramidine.(In The Pipeline)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... * Valeant Pharmaceuticals has begun the second of two global Phase III clinical trials for its antiviral compound, Viramidine, a nucleoside (guanosine) analog. The compound is being studied in oral form for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C...

CoTherix has begun a Phase II trial of iloprost inhalation solution (Ventavis).(In The Pipeline)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... * CoTherix has begun a Phase II trial of iloprost inhalation solution (Ventavis) in combination with bosentan (Tracleer) in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension.

InterMune has initiated the Direct Trial, a Phase III clinical trial designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of daily Interferon alfacon-1 (Infergen).(In The Pipeline)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... * InterMune has initiated the DIRECT Trial, a Phase III clinical trial designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of daily Interferon alfacon-1 (Infergen) in combination with ribavirin for the treatment of patients chronically infected with...

Xanthus Life Sciences has initiated Phase I clinical trials for Symadex.(In The Pipeline)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... * Xanthus Life Sciences has initiated Phase I clinical trials for Symadex (formerly C-1311) in patients with advanced solid tumors.

Advanced Magnetics has initiated a Phase III multicenter study for ferumoxytol.(In The Pipeline)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... * Advanced Magnetics has initiated a Phase III multicenter study for ferumoxytol, the company's investigational intravenous iron replacement therapeutic. The study is a Phase III clinical trial in anemic chronic kidney disease patients who are...

Pharmacyclics is enrolling patients in a multicenter Phase II clinical trial of motexafin gadolinium (Xcytrin) Injection.(In The Pipeline)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... * Pharmacyclics is enrolling patients in a multicenter Phase II clinical trial of motexafin gadolinium (Xcytrin) Injection, the company's lead cancer therapeutic candidate, for the treatment of patients with recurrent low-grade nonHodgkin's...

deCODE genetics has completed enrollment for its 10-week Phase IIa clinical trial of DG031.(In The Pipeline)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... * deCODE genetics has completed enrollment for its 10-week Phase IIa clinical trial of DG031, its developmental compound for the prevention of heart attack. The trial is designed to examine the effect of various doses of DG031 on biomarkers...

Therion Biologics Corp. has initiated a Phase III clinical trial for Panvac-VF.(In The Pipeline)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... * Therion Biologics Corp. has initiated a Phase III clinical trial for Panvac-VF, Therion's lead vaccine candidate, for the treatment of metastatic pancreatic cancer in patients who have not responded to treatment with gemcitabine.

CE questions.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Pharmacists participate in this continuing education program by reading the article, using the provided references for further research, and studying the CE questions. Participants should select what they believe to be the correct answers. ...