British journal of clinical pharmacology
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Br J Clin Pharmacol · Sep 2010
General practitioners' views and experiences of over-the-counter simvastatin in Scotland.
Statins are widely used for the primary and secondary prevention of coronary events in high risk populations. In 2004 simvastatin was reclassified in the UK from prescription only to being available over-the-counter (OTC). ⋯ This study confirms that the majority of GPs do not support the supply of OTC simvastatin by the community pharmacist, being particularly concerned by the lack of cholesterol and blood pressure data in the CHD risk assessment prior to sale. Other methods of pharmacy based simvastatin supply including supplementary prescribing merit further evaluation.
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Br J Clin Pharmacol · Sep 2010
Perceived adverse drug reactions among non-institutionalized children and adolescents in Germany.
Drug safety in paediatric medication is a public health concern. According to previous studies, the incidence of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) varies greatly from 0.7% to 2.7% among paediatric outpatients and from 2.6% to 18.1% among paediatric inpatients. Little has been reported on the risks of drug use in the general child population. ⋯ Perceived ADRs in the general child population were clustered with gastrointestinal disorders and subcutaneous tissue disorders. They appeared to be mild and at the lower limits of the range reported in other studies. Health surveys covering the use of a diverse range of drugs might be suitable for computing ADR prevalence and identifying risk factors among non-institutionalized children. They should be taken into account together with other pharmacovigilance systems.
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Br J Clin Pharmacol · Aug 2010
Vancomycin dosing assessment in intensive care unit patients based on a population pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic simulation.
WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS SUBJECT * Despite the frequent use of vancomycin in intensive care unit (ICU) patients, few studies aimed at characterizing vancomycin population pharmacokinetics have been performed in this critical population. * Population pharmacokinetics coupled with pharmacodynamic analysis, in order to optimize drug exposure and hence antibacterial effectiveness, has been little applied in these specific patients. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS * Our population model characterized the pharmacokinetic profile of vancomycin in adult ICU patients, higher distribution volume values (V) being observed when the patient's serum creatinine (Cr(Se)) was greater than 1 mg dl(-1). * Age and creatinine clearance (CL(cr)) were identified as the main covariates explaining the pharmacokinetic variability in vancomycin CL. * Our pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) simulation should aid clinicians to select initial vancomycin doses that will maximize the rate of response in the ICU setting, taking into account the patient's age and renal function as well as the susceptibility of Staphylococcus aureus. AIM To estimate the vancomycin pharmacokinetic profile in adult ICU patients and to assess vancomycin dosages for increasing the likelihood of optimal exposure. ⋯ The cumulative fraction of response for a standard vancomycin dose (2 g day(-1)) was less than 25% for VISA strains, and 33% to 95% for susceptible S. aureus, depending on patient characteristics. CONCLUSIONS Simulations provide useful information regarding the initial assessment of vancomycin dosing, the conventional dosing regimen probably being suboptimal in adult ICU patients. A graphic approach provides the recommended dose for any selected probability of attaining the PK/PD efficacy target or to evaluate the cumulative fraction of response for any dosing regimen in this population.
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Br J Clin Pharmacol · Aug 2010
Randomized Controlled TrialDifferent effects of morphine and oxycodone in experimentally evoked hyperalgesia: a human translational study.
WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS SUBJECT * Previous studies using short-lasting experimental pain stimulations in healthy volunteers have shown differences in opioid effects regarding visceral pain stimulations. However, these differences can be more pronounced in patients due to a sensitized pain system. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to mimic the clinical situation by investigating opioid effects on experimental pain in healthy volunteers after experimentally evoked hyperalgesia. ⋯ Oxycodone had a greater analgesic effect than morphine attenuating pain from: (i) heat stimulation of skin (P= 0.016); difference between the means of 0.39 degrees C, 95% CI 0.22, 2.09. (ii) muscle pressure (P < 0.001); difference between the means of 11.93kPa, 95% CI 5.4, 18.5. (iii) oesophageal heat stimulation (P < 0.001); difference between the means of 38.54 cm(2), 95% CI 15.37, 61.71 and (iv) oesophageal electrical stimulation (P= 0.016); difference between the means of 6.69mA, 95% CI 1.23, 12.13. CONCLUSION After sensitization of the pain system different analgesic potencies of morphine and oxycodone were found in response to skin, muscle and oesophageal pain stimulation, in which oxycodone had a greater effect. As similar differential analgesic potencies of the two opioids have been found in patients with chronic pain, the experimental hyperalgesia model bridged findings from studies in healthy volunteers to patients.