Clinical Pharmacy News summary

New triptan shows promise for patients unresponsive to sumatriptan in migraine Eletriptan (Relpax), a new oral treatment for migraine, is safe and effective in patients who are poor responders to sumatriptan (Imigran), say researchers...[more]

Montelukast improves asthma control in children but results for adults remain inconclusive Results of a study suggest that the leukotriene receptor antagonist montelukast (Singulair) can improve asthma control in children. However, two other trials on the drug, which involved adults with asthma poorly controlled by regular inhaled corticosteroid therapy, have given conflicting results...[more]

New ways for pharmacists to help patients manage their medicines Developments in concordance are the focus of the June 2001 issue of the International Journal of Pharmacy Practice...[more]

Once-weekly epoetin beta as efficacious as multiple dosing Once-weekly subcutaneous epoetin beta (NeoRecormon) achieves similar efficacy in anaemia management in patients with chronic renal failure as current regimens of two or three times weekly...[more]

Benefits found for Rebif over Avonex in MS, but study design questioned A head-to-head study comparing two brands of interferon beta-1a in multiple sclerosis, conducted by Serono one of the manufacturers, has shown that patients treated with Rebif are more likely to remain relapse-free than those treated with Avonex. In response to the study, Biogen, the manufacturer of Avonex, has issued a statement saying that the data “are based on a study that lacks scientific rigour#148; and that the study presents an incomplete measure of a disease that must be treated over the long-term...[more]

Protocol to identify patients likely to stop smoking A protocol written by a practice pharmacist that helps to identify patients motivated to stop smoking has led to a 40 per cent stop rate at the practice’s smoking cessation clinic...[more]

Coxibs’ benefits confirmed Several trials have confirmed the benefits of cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors over traditional non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs...[more]

Genes determine response to arthritis drug Certain genetic polymorphisms are associated with a response to anti-tumour necrosis factor (anti-TNF) drugs, say Swedish researchers. Such genetic variations could be exploited to develop individually tailored treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, they argue...[more]

Tumour necrosis factor antibody effective over two years Adalimumab, a tumour necrosis factor (TNF) antibody currently in development, is effective and well tolerated in patients using the drug over a two-year period, according to the results of two studies...[more]

Zoledronic acid reduces incidence of cancer complications Zoledronic acid (Zometa) reduces the incidence of skeletal-related events associated with bone metastases in patients with prostate cancer, new data show. It was found to be well tolerated in such patients...[more]

Protective effect of fibre against cancer confirmed A fibre-rich diet does, after all, reduce the risk of developing colorectal cancer, a large European study has shown...[more]

Selenium deficiency could increase the severity of influenza Poor nutritional status, such as selenium deficiency, could contribute to the emergence of new viral strains that cause more severe infections, according to American researchers...[more]