Medical News: FDA Approves Once-Daily Liraglutide – in Primary Care, Diabetes from MedPage Today
Pharma
Meridia (sibutramine hydrochloride) – Update
Oops.
Sibutramine is not to be used in patients with a history of cardiovascular disease, including:
* History of coronary artery disease (e.g., heart attack, angina)
* History of stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA)
* History of heart arrhythmias
* History of congestive heart failure
* History of peripheral arterial disease
* Uncontrolled hypertension (e.g., > 145/90 mmHg)
Tocilizumab (Actemra) – Think RA
Watch Those Meds
Watch Your Diabetic Medications
Conclusions Our findings suggest a relatively unfavourable risk profile of sulphonylureas compared with metformin for all outcomes examined. Pioglitazone was associated with reduced all cause mortality compared with metformin. Pioglitazone also had a favourable risk profile compared with rosiglitazone; although this requires replication in other studies, it may have implications for prescribing within this class of drugs.
Drugs, Falls, and the Elderly
HSDD – Flibanserin
The drug was originally developed as an antidepressant. Animal experiments had suggested it might have a more rapid effect than serotonin reuptake inhibitors, but it failed to substantially reduce depression symptoms in a clinical trial.
However, the potential to increase female sexual desire became apparent during the study. Reportedly, trial participants were reluctant to return unused pills when the study was over.
Lose Weight (and possibly your life) with Meridia
Preliminary analysis of data from a placebo-controlled study of sibutramine (Meridia) suggested an excess risk of cardiovascular events including myocardial infarction and cardiac death among patients taking the diet drug, according to the FDA.
Ziprasidone (Geodon) – Think Bipolar
Ziprasidone comes with a long list of precautions and contraindications:
* It should not be used in patients with a known history of QT prolongation, recent acute myocardial infarction, or uncompensated heart failure, and should not be used with other QT-prolonging drugs.
* It should also be avoided in elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis, as studies have shown that ziprasidone increases the risk of death in such patients.
* Discontinuation should be considered in patients showing signs of tardive dyskinesia.
* Treatment should be stopped immediately in patients with symptoms of neuroleptic malignant syndrome, which include hyperpyrexia, muscle rigidity, diaphoresis, tachycardia, irregular pulse or blood pressure, cardiac dysrhythmia, and altered mental status.
* Patients and clinicians should be alert for hyperglycemia, rash, seizures, and orthostatic hypotension with ziprasidone.
Drugs and Falls
More than 30% of people ages 65 years and older experience a fall annually. Falls are associated with more than 40% of nursing home admissions, so research into risk factors “is urgently needed,” according the the researchers.
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