“In the News” – May 26 – June 08_ 2007 – Drug- and Pharmacy

“In the News” – May 26 – June 08, 2007 – Drug- and Pharmacy-Related News Brought to You by the Pharmacy Library People ―Sweeping cancer edict: take vitamin D daily: Recommendation comes on heels of U.S. study suggesting supplement slashes risk of disease by as much as 60 per cent.‖ was a headline on the first page of the online Globe and Mail on June 8th, referring to an announcement from the Canadian Cancer Society on June 8th titled ―Canadian Cancer Society Announces Vitamin D Recommendation‖ that is based on recently published research: Lappe JM, Travers-Gustafson D, Michael Davies K et al. Vitamin D and calcium supplementation reduces cancer risk: results of a randomized trial. Am J Clin Nutr 2007 Jun;85(6):1586-91. ―Millions of children denied drug that costs less than $3 a year.‖ was a headline in Newswise on June 8th, referring to: Perucca E. Treatment of epilepsy in developing countries: Cheap and effective drugs exist but are not accessible to most patients. BMJ 2007 June 9;334(7605):1175-76. ―Off-label antidepressant no help for advanced cancer patients.‖ was a headline in Physician’s First Watch on June 5th, referring to: Stockler MR, O'Connell R, Nowak AK et al. Effect of sertraline on symptoms and survival in patients with advanced cancer, but without major depression: a placebocontrolled double-blind randomized trial. Lancet Oncology In Press, Corrected Proof, Available online 4 June 2007. ―Study finds divorce increase Ritalin use in children.‖ was a headline in the online Globe and Mail on June 5th, referring to: Strohschein LA. Prevalence of methylphenidate use among Canadian children following parental divorce. CMAJ 2007 Jun 5;176(12):1711-14. ―Sildenafil may adversely affect male fertility: In vitro study.‖ was a headline in Reuters Health on May 31st, referring to: 1 Glenn DR, McVicar CM, McClure N, Lewis SE. Sildenafil citrate improves sperm motility but causes a premature acrosome reaction in vitro. Fertil Steril. 2007 May;87(5):1064-70. Epub 2007 Feb 28. ―Viagra beats stiff drink for warding off jet lag.‖ was and headline in the Chronicle Herald on May 29th, referring to: Agostino PV, Plano SA, Golombek DA. Sildenafil accelerates reentrainment of circadian rhythms after advancing light schedules. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2007 May 22; [Epub ahead of print] ―Folic acid supplements may reduce risk of first stroke.‖ was a headline in Reuters Health on May 31st, referring to a study and related editorial: Wang X, Qin X, Demirtas H, Li J, et al. Efficacy of folic acid supplementation in stroke prevention: a meta-analysis. Lancet. 2007 Jun 2;369(9576):1876-82. Carlsson CM. Lowering homocysteine for stroke prevention. Lancet. 2007 Jun 2;369(9576):1841-2. ―No money for a miracle: Patients, scientists battle over a promising pill that drug companies won’t support.‖ was a feature article on dichloroacetate (DCA) in the Globe and Mail on June 2nd. Research on the use of DCA to treat cancer was recently reported: Bonnet S, Archer SL, Allalunis-Turner J, Haromy A, et al. A mitochondria-K+ channel axis is suppressed in cancer and its normalization promotes apoptosis and inhibits cancer growth. Cancer Cell. 2007 Jan;11(1):37-51. Also have a look at the DCA discussion site at http://www.thedcasite.com/cgi/dcboard.cgi. ―Study finds soy nuts lower blood pressure.‖ was a headline in Physician’s First Watch on May 30th, referring to: Welty FK, Lee KS, Lew NS, Zhou JR. Effect of soy nuts on blood pressure and lipid levels in hypertensive, prehypertensive, and normotensive postmenopausal women. Arch Intern Med. 2007 May 28;167(10):1060-7. 2 ―Calcium and vitamin D associated with reduced breast cancer risk.‖ was another Physicians First Watch headline on May 30th, referring to: Lin J, Manson JE, Lee IM, Cook NR, Buring JE, Zhang SM. Intakes of calcium and vitamin d and breast cancer risk in women. Arch Intern Med. 2007 May 28;167(10):1050-9. ―New study suggests potential for a broadly-protective HIV vaccine.‖ was a headline on May 30th in Newswise, referring to: Zhang PF, Cham F, Dong M, et al. Extensively cross-reactive anti-HIV-1 neutralizing antibodies induced by gp140 immunization. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2007 May 31; [Epub ahead of print] ―Asthma not controlled in majority of patients.‖ was a headline in Newswise on May 30th, referring to: Peters SP, Jones CA, Haselkorn T, et al. Real-world Evaluation of Asthma Control and Treatment (REACT): Findings from a national web-based survey. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2007 May 2; [Epub ahead of print] ―The claim: C.L.A. supplements can help you lose weight.‖ was a headline in the New York Times on May 29th, referring to: Whigham LD, Watras AC, Schoeller DA. Efficacy of conjugated linoleic acid for reducing fat mass: a meta-analysis in humans. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 May;85(5):1203-11. ―Postmarketing studies contribute little, study finds.‖ was a headline in PharmaTimes on May 31st, referring to a freely accessible report: Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development Outlook 2007 http://csdd.tufts.edu/InfoServices/OutlookPDFs/Outlook2007.pdf WebMD Daily is an email alerting service we learned of recently thanks to Mary MacCara. It seems to be aimed at consumers so may be something to which you will want to refer your patients. It also will give YOU an idea of what health-related news 3 your patients are exposed to. The highlighted feature in the June 5th email caught our attention: Healthy 'Briefcase Breakfasts': A healthy breakfast that you eat on the go isn't impossible. We've got great ideas for healthy breakfasts that fit in your briefcase. If you scroll to the bottom of any WebMD page you will see links to the other WebMd features and the HON Code symbol which indicates that the website has been approved by the Health on the Net Foundation. ―Pesticide use linked to brain cancer.‖ was a headline in Newswise on June 5th, referring to: Provost D, Gruber A, Lebailly P et al. Brain tumors and exposure to pesticides: a casecontrol study in southwestern France. Occup Environ Med Published Online First: 30 May 2007. ―Mortality risk tied to antipsychotic use in elderly patients with dementia.‖ was a headline in Reuters Health on June 5th, referring to: Gill SS, Bronskill SE, Normand S-LT et al. Antipsychotic drug use and mortality in older adults with dementia. Ann Intern Med 2007 Jun 5;146(11):775-86. ―Early results good for biodegradable magnesium stents.‖ was a headline in Reuters Health on June 1st, referring to a study and related commentary: Erbel R, Di Mario C, Bartunek J et al and for the PROGRESS-AMS (Clinical Performance and Angiographic Results of Coronary Stenting with Absorbable Metal Stents) Investigators. Temporary scaffolding of coronary arteries with bioabsorbable magnesium stents: a prospective, non-randomized multicentre trial. Lancet 2007 Jun 2;369(9576):1869-75. Ormistona J, Webstera M. Absorbable coronary stents. Lancet 2007 Jun 2;369(9576):1839-40. Avandia® (rosiglitazone by GlaxoSmithKline) continues to be in the news. ―Diabetes drug still has heart risks, doctors warn.‖ was a headline in the June 6th online New York Times. This referred to an interim analysis of data on ―. . . hospitalizations or death from 4 cardiovascular causes.‖ from an ongoing clinical trial being conducted in the UK. Along with three related editorials this was released online by the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) on June 5th and will be published in the NEJM print edition of July 5th. Here are the four citations: Home PD, Pocock SJ, Beck-Nielsen H et al for the RECORD Study Group. Rosiglitazone evaluated for cardiovascular outcomes — an interim analysis. N Engl J Med 207 Jun 5; [epub ahead of print] Drazen JM, Morrissey S, Curfman GD. Rosiglitazone — continued uncertainty about safety. N Engl J Med 2007 Jun 5; [epubahead of print] Nathan DM. Rosiglitazone and cardiotoxicity — weighing the evidence. N Engl J Med 2007 Jun 5; [epub ahead of print] Psaty BM, Furberg CD. The record on rosiglitazone and the risk of myocardial infarction. N Engl J Med 2007 Jun 5; [epub ahead of print] In addition, Advisories titled ―Cardiac safety of Avandia® (rosiglitazone maleate)‖ in the form of letters from GlaxoSmithKline – one for the Public and one for Health Professionals were posted on the Health Canada website on May 30th and June 1st, respectively. On June 7th, these two news reports were posted online in the New York Times: ―F.D.A. issues strictest warning on two diabetes drugs.‖ by Gardiner Harris and ―Doctor says he was assailed for challenging drug’s safety.‖ By Stephanie Saul. An editorial, written by American Society of Clinical Endocrinologists (ASCE) President, Richard Hellman, was released early on June 1st on the ASCE website: Hellman R. The perfect storm-drug safety and rosiglitazone. Endocrine Pract 2007 May/Jun;13(3):217-18. The American Society of Clinical Oncology held their 43rd Annual Meeting in Chicago from June 1st to 5th. At least three drug-related presentations from that meeting generated headlines. In each case we will link you to a meeting abstract: - ―Nexavir first to show benefit in liver cancer patients.‖ was a headline in PharmaTimes World News on June 5th, referring to: Llovet J, Ricci S, Mazzaferro V et al for the SHARP Investigators Study Group. Sorafenib improves survival in advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC): Results of a Phase III randomized placebo-controlled trial (SHARP trial). Journal of Clinical 5 Oncology, 2007 ASCO Annual Meeting Proceedings Part I. Vol 25, No. 18S (June 20 Supplement), 2007: LBA1 Nexavar® (sorafenib) is currently approved and marketed in the US (Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals and Onyx Pharmaceuticals) and Canada (Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals) for advanced renal cell carcinoma. If you are interested in reading more about this drug, here are two recent reviews found via PubMed. The second, published in The Oncologist is freely accessible to all: Flaherty KT. Sorafenib: delivering a targeted drug to the right targets. Expert Rev Anticancer Ther. 2007 May;7(5):617-26. Strumberg D, Clark JW, Awada A et al. Safety, pharmacokinetics, and preliminary antitumor activity of sorafenib: a review of four phase I trials in patients with advanced refractory solid tumors. Oncologist. 2007 Apr;12(4):426-37. - ―Shark cartilage shows no benefit as a therapeutic agent for lung cancer.‖ was a headline in Newswise on June 2nd, referring to: Lu C, Lee JJ, Komaki R et al. A phase III study of Æ-941 with induction chemotherapy (IC) and concomitant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for stage III non- small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (NCI T99-0046, RTOG 02-70, MDA 99-303). Journal of Clinical Oncology, 2007 ASCO Annual Meeting Proceedings Part I. Vol 25, No. 18S (June 20 Supplement), 2007: 7527 - ―Herb shows potential to reduce cancer-related fatigue.‖ was a headline in Newswise on June 2nd, referring to: Barton DL, Soori GS, Bauer B et al. A pilot, multi-dose, placebo-controlled evaluation of American ginseng (panax quinquefolius) to improve cancer-related fatigue: NCCTG trial N03CA. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 2007 ASCO Annual Meeting Proceedings Part I. Vol 25, No. 18S (June 20 Supplement), 2007: 9001 ―Hormone curbs fast food consumption and tendency to binge eat.‖ was a headline in Newswise on June 7th, referring to: Smith SR, Blundell J, Burns C et al. Pramlintide treatment reduces 24-hour caloric intake and meal sizes, and improves control of eating in obese subjects: A 6-week translational research study. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2007 May 15; [Epub ahead of print] (Pramalintide, marketed in the US as Symlin® by Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc., San Diego, CA, is not available in Canada per Health Canada’s Drug Product Database and cannot be found in Health Canada’s Notice of Compliance Database.) 6 ―Folic acid supplements do not appear to reduce risk of colorectal tumors.‖ was a headline in Newswise on June 5th, referring to a study and related editorial: Cole BF, Baron JA, Sandler RS et al for the Polyp Prevention Study Group. Folic acid for the prevention of colorectal adenomas: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA. 2007 Jun 6;297(21):2351-9. Ulrich CM, Potter JD. Folate and cancer--timing is everything. JAMA. 2007 Jun 6;297(21):2408-9. Short Snappers - Cholesterol and statins always are in the news. Dal-affiliated Charmaine Cooke, presented ―Role of statins in prevention of cardiac disease‖ on May 29th at the 4th Canadian Therapeutics Congress. She recommended these two commentaries and remarked that they had so far generated 16 ―rapid responses‖ (letters) to the BMJ website: Grundy SM. Should women be offered cholesterol lowering drugs to prevent cardiovascular disease? Yes. BMJ. 2007 May 12;334(7601):982. Kendrick M. Should women be offered cholesterol lowering drugs to prevent cardiovascular disease? No. BMJ. 2007 May 12;334(7601):983. An article in Drug Therapeutics Bulletin discusses five different statins and their standard doses and their effectiveness: [No authors listed] Which statin, what dose? Drug Ther Bull. 2007 May;45(5):33-7. On May 31st, Medscape released a CE activity for health professionals (including pharmacists) titled ―LDL-C – How low should you go‖? that will be available on the Medscape website until May 31, 2008. - A title for a new CE activity in Medscape titled ―Guidelines for dosing regimens in chronic kidney disease.‖ referred to the following recent and practical review: Munar My, Singh H. Drug dosing adjustments in patients with chronic kidney disease. Am Fam Physician 2007 May 15;75(10):1487—96. - The role of the pharmacist was the theme of a recent BMJ editorial: Ballantyne PJ. The role of pharmacists in primary care. BMJ. 2007 May 26;334(7603):1066-7. - Kwan Y, Fernandes OA, Nagge JJ, et al. Pharmacist’s medication assessments in a surgical preadmission clinic. Arch Intern Med. 2007 May 28;167(10):1034-40. 7 - Weymiller AJ, Montori VM, Jones LA, et al. Helping patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus make treatment decisions. Arch Intern Med. 2007 May 28;167(10):1076-82 - CADTH has issued a new report: ―Infliximab and Etanercept in rheumatoid arthritis: Systemic review of long-term clinical effectiveness, safety, and cost-effectiveness.‖ Report in Brief. Ottawa: Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health; 2007. - New and interesting from the June issue of Annals of Pharmacotherapy: Wang J, Mullins CD, Mamdani M, Rublee DA, Shaya FT. New diagnosis of hypertension among celecoxib and nonselective nsaid users: A population-based cohort study. Ann Pharmacother. 2007 Jun;41(6):937-43. Epub 2007 May 8. Slover CM, Rodvold KA, Danziger LH. Tigecycline: a novel broad-spectrum antimicrobial. Ann Pharmacother. 2007 Jun;41(6):965-72. Epub 2007 May 22. Chattaway JM, Klepser TB. Propylthiouracil versus methimazole in treatment of Graves' disease during pregnancy. Ann Pharmacother. 2007 Jun;41(6):1018-22. Epub 2007 May 15. Feig DS, Briggs GG, Koren G. Oral Antidiabetic Agents in Pregnancy and Lactation: A Paradigm Shift? (July/August). Ann Pharmacother. 2007 May 29; [Epub ahead of print] 8