Clinical therapeutics
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Clinical therapeutics · Feb 2008
Randomized Controlled TrialEffect of levetiracetam on cardiac repolarization in healthy subjects: a single-dose, randomized, placebo- and active-controlled, four-way crossover study.
Nonantiarrhythmic drugs may have the potential to prolong the QT interval, leading to potentially fatal ventricular tachycardias, including torsades de pointes. ⋯ This randomized, placebo- and active-controlled study in healthy adult subjects found no clinically relevant changes in the QTc interval after a single levetiracetam dose of 1000 or 5000 mg.
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Clinical therapeutics · Feb 2008
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyAntiplatelet profiles of the fixed-dose combination of extended-release dipyridamole and low-dose aspirin compared with clopidogrel with or without aspirin in patients with type 2 diabetes and a history of transient ischemic attack: a randomized, single-blind, 30-day trial.
Clopidogrel, aspirin (ASA), and the fixed-dose combination of extended-release dipyridamole and ASA (ER-DP+ASA) are widely used in post-stroke regimens. ⋯ In these patients with type 2 diabetes and a history of TIA, patterns of platelet inhibition differed significantly according to whether treatment was with ER-DP+ASA or clopidogrel with or without ASA. The antiplatelet activity of clopidogrel was more potent and occurred earlier (15 days), whereas ER-DP+ASA was associated with moderate downregulation of multiple activation-dependent platelet receptors that occurred later (30 days).
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Clinical therapeutics · Feb 2008
Comparative StudyTreatment failure rates and health care utilization and costs among patients with community-acquired pneumonia treated with levofloxacin or macrolides in an outpatient setting: a retrospective claims database analysis.
Macrolide antibiotics and fluoroquinolones are extensively used in the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). ⋯ Multivariate-adjusted rates of treatment failure in outpatients with CAP were significantly lower in those treated with levofloxacin relative to those treated with a macrolide. The lower rates of treatment failure with levofloxacin were consistently observed across all patients and in the subgroups aged > or =50 and > or =65 years. Rates of emergency department visits were also significantly lower among levofloxacin-treated patients, whereas overall CAP-related hospitali-zations and costs did not differ significantly between the 2 treatment groups.
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Clinical therapeutics · Feb 2008
Comparative StudyCost-effectiveness analysis of emtricitabine/tenofovir versus lamivudine/zidovudine, in combination with efavirenz, in antiretroviral-naive, HIV-1-infected patients.
The aim of this study was to compare the cost per unit of effectiveness (successful treatment episode) of 2 highly active antiretroviral therapy combinations-emtricitabine/tenofovir DF + efavirenz (TVD + EFV) and lamivudine/zidovudine + efavirenz (COMB + EFV)-in antiretroviral-naive, HIV-1-infected patients from the perspective of costs to society. ⋯ Based on the results of this analysis, patients who started treatment of HIV-1 infection with combination TVD + EFV had significantly lower health care resource utilization and overall treatment costs compared with the COMB + EFV combination.
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Infliximab is a chimeric immunoglobulin G1kappa monoclonal antibody that binds with high affinity and specificity to the soluble form of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, preventing it from binding to cellular receptors. Infliximab also binds to membranebound TNF-alpha found on inflammatory cell surfaces, inducing apoptosis. Currently, infliximab is used for the induction and maintenance of remission in Crohn's disease (CD), with documented success. Infliximab's efficacy in the treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC) is now being investigated due to the similarities in the pathophysiology of CD and UC. ⋯ Current data suggest that infliximab is an effective alternative treatment option for patients with moderate to severe UC with an inadequate response to conventional glucocorticoid treatment. Further trials are needed to assess infliximab's impact on the treatment and progression of UC, the HRQL of patients with UC, and the economic impact on the health care system.