To help healthcare professionals and patients choose high-quality treatments that minimize the risk of adverse effects, in early 2016 we updated our list of drugs to avoid. Prescrire's assessments of the harm-benefit bal...To help healthcare professionals and patients choose high-quality treatments that minimize the risk of adverse effects, in early 2016 we updated our list of drugs to avoid. Prescrire's assessments of the harm-benefit balance of new drugs and indications are based on a rigorous procedure that includes a systematic and reproducible literature search, identification of patient-relevant outcomes, prioritisation of the supporting data based on the strength of evidence, comparison with standard treatments, and an analysis of both known and potential adverse effects. This 2016 review of medications examined by Prescrire over a six-year period, from 2010 to 2015, identified 74 drugs that are more harmful than beneficial in all the indications for which they have been authorised in France. In most cases, when drug therapy is really necessary, other drugs with a better harm-benefit balance are available. Even in serious situations, when no effective treatment exists, there is no justification for prescribing a drug with no proven efficacy that provokes severe adverse effects. It may be acceptable to test these drugs in clinical trials, but patients must be informed of the uncertainty over their harm-benefit balance, and the trial design must be relevant. Tailored supportive care is the best option when there are no available treatments capable of improving prognosis or quality of life, beyond the placebo effect.
During pregnancy, the first-choice drugs for allergic rhinitis are nasal or oral "non-sedating" antihistamines without antimuscarinic activity, in particular cetirizine, or loratadine after the first trimester.During pregnancy, the first-choice drugs for allergic rhinitis are nasal or oral "non-sedating" antihistamines without antimuscarinic activity, in particular cetirizine, or loratadine after the first trimester.
Venlafaxine is a serotonergic and noradrenergic antidepressant. It shares the same serotonergic adverse effects as the "selective" serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants while in addition provoking noradrene...Venlafaxine is a serotonergic and noradrenergic antidepressant. It shares the same serotonergic adverse effects as the "selective" serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants while in addition provoking noradrenergic adverse effects, in particular cardiovascular disorders, yet offers no demonstrated advantages over SSRIs in terms of efficacy. Several cohort studies using data from a UK database have shown that venlafaxine overdoses are more frequently fatal than SSRI overdoses. Several meta-analyses of more than 70 published and unpublished randomised clinical trials, including about 7000 patients in total, have shown that treatment discontinuation due to adverse effects is more common with venlafaxine than with SSRI antidepressants. Venlafaxine can provoke dose-dependent blood pressure elevation, sometimes requiring treatment discontinuation. Exposure to venlafaxine during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy increases the risk of pre-eclampsia and eclampsia. A cohort study in about 50 elderly patients and analysis of several hundred reported suicide attempts by venlafaxine overdose demonstrated a risk of QT interval prolongation, which can lead to torsades de pointes, an unusual and potentially fatal type of ventricular tachycardia. Large British and Danish cohort studies found no increased risk of sudden cardiac death with venlafaxine compared with other antidepressants. However, since only 3.5% and 7% of the patients were using venlafaxine, the statistical power of these studies was relatively low. In practice, the data available as of mid-2015 from clinical trials and epidemiological studies confirm the harms foreseeable from venlafaxine's pharmacological properties: a higher risk of cardiovascular adverse effects and of fatal overdoses than with most SSRI antidepressants. Since venlafaxine and SSRI antidepressants have similar and limited efficacy, venlafaxine is best avoided. An SSRI anti-depressant is a more reasonable option, with the exception of citalopram and escitalopram which also expose patients to more cardiovascular adverse effects.
As expected, the vilanterol + fluticasone combination increases the risk of pneumonia in patients with COPD.As expected, the vilanterol + fluticasone combination increases the risk of pneumonia in patients with COPD.
codynamic interactions are also likely in view of its adverse effect profile. There is no consensus on the treatment of patients with refractory or relapsed mantle cell lymphoma, or for patients with relapsed or possibly...codynamic interactions are also likely in view of its adverse effect profile. There is no consensus on the treatment of patients with refractory or relapsed mantle cell lymphoma, or for patients with relapsed or possibly refractory chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. Ibrutinib inhibits an enzyme involved in regulating B lymphocyte activity. It has been authorised in the European Union for these conditions. Clinical evaluation of ibrutinib in mantle cell lymphoma is based on a single non-comparative trial in 111 patients, in which the median overall survival time was 22.5 months. Clinical evaluation of ibrutinib in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia is based on two randomised trials. One unblinded trial compared ibrutinib versus ofatumumab and involved 391 patients, most of whom were sufficiently fit to receive anticancer combination therapy. Ibrutinib was more effective than ofatumumab, but the choice of this comparator might not have been appropriate for most of the patients who received it. The other double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involved 578 patients with relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. Ibrutinib was added to the bendamustine + rituximab combination. No significant difference in mortality was observed between the two groups. The main adverse effects of ibrutinib were: gastrointestinal disorders such as diarrhoea; life-threatening infections and bleeding disorders; and cardiac disorders, including atrial fibrillation. Ibrutinib carries a risk of multiple pharmacokinetic interactions. Pharmacodynamic interactions are also likely in view of its adverse effect profile.
In patients with stable, moderate or severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), general exercise training, including limb exercises, provides sustained improvement in various quality of life domains, compared w...In patients with stable, moderate or severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), general exercise training, including limb exercises, provides sustained improvement in various quality of life domains, compared with care without pulmonary rehabilitation. After a COPD exacerbation, exercise training appears to reduce the risk of hospitalisation in the following months by at least half. Few studies have evaluated the adverse effects of exercise training in COPD, but based on the data available in 2015, its harm-benefit balance appears favourable.