Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin current issue

Money, money, money

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 09:52:23 PDT

Preventing exacerbations in COPD

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 09:52:23 PDT

Acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Patients with frequent exacerbations have high levels of anxiety and depression, significantly impaired health status and faster disease progression.1^,2 Exacerbations are also the most common cause of emergency respiratory admissions to UK hospitals3 and are costly to health services.2 Here we assess whether and how drug and non-drug interventions can help in preventing exacerbations.

{blacktriangledown}Febuxostat for gout

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 09:52:23 PDT

Around 1.4% of the UK population have gout, the prevalence of which increases with age to around 3% in women and 7% in men aged over 75 years.1–3 Acute gout is intensely painful and can reduce patients’ quality of life.2^,3 It occurs when the serum uric acid concentration (SUA) rises (hyperuricaemia) and persists above the solubility threshold of monosodium urate (400µmol/L [6.8mg/dL]), leading to urate crystal formation that causes arthritis, gouty tophi (nodules) in subcutaneous tissues and renal calculi.3–5 The mainstay of treatment for chronic gout is allopurinol, which inhibits xanthine oxidase (an enzyme involved in the production of uric acid in the body). However, this drug has to be stopped in a minority of patients due to rashes or hypersensitivity.6 Febuxostat (Adenuric – Menarini/Ipsen), another xanthine oxidase inhibitor, is a newly licensed treatment for chronic hyperuricaemia in conditions where urate deposition has occurred.7 Here we consider its place for patients with gout.

How medical devices are regulated in the UK

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 09:52:23 PDT

Excluding medicines, most other healthcare products are medical devices.1 It is estimated that around 38 million people in the UK "have contact with" a medical device every day,2 and there are more than 80,000 different devices on the UK market.3 Examples include scanners, pacemakers, infusion equipment, condoms, pregnancy test kits, beds, wheelchairs and dressings.4 All but the very lowest risk devices must conform to specific European Directives. Here we look at the procedures now involved in the regulation of medical devices in the UK.

{blacktriangledown}Liraglutide for type 2 diabetes - new data

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 09:52:23 PDT