Current medical research and opinion
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
Etoricoxib in the treatment of Korean patients with osteoarthritis in a double-blind, randomized controlled trial.
We evaluated the COX-2 inhibitors, etoricoxib and celecoxib, in Korean patients with osteoarthritis (OA). ⋯ NCT01554163.
-
Comparative Study Observational Study
Comparing the risk of developing uveitis in patients initiating anti-tumor necrosis factor therapy for ankylosing spondylitis: an analysis of a large US claims database.
To compare the risk of developing uveitis in patients initiating anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) agents (adalimumab, etanercept, and infliximab) for ankylosing spondylitis (AS). ⋯ The results indicated that initial adalimumab therapy is associated with a significantly lower risk of developing uveitis compared to initial etanercept therapy in patients diagnosed with AS and no prior history of uveitis; however, the risk was not different between adalimumab and infliximab. Limitations to consider when interpreting this conclusion include that disease-level clinical data, such as disease duration, were not available for inclusion in the model and that risk of uveitis beyond 1 year was not evaluated.
-
Comparative Study
A medication adherence and persistence comparison of hypertensive patients treated with single-, double- and triple-pill combination therapy.
Fixed-dose combination therapy reduces pill burden and may, therefore, improve medication adherence and health outcomes. This study compared adherence to and persistence with single-, double-, and triple-pill treatment regimens among hypertensive patients in a US clinical practice setting. ⋯ Greater pill burden was directly and significantly associated with decreased adherence and persistence with antihypertensive therapies in real-practice settings. Use of fixed-dose combinations that reduce pill burden could help patients to continue treatment and may result in improved clinical outcomes. Typical of observational studies, the potential for residual confounding of adherence estimates remains due to lack of randomization of treatment groups.
-
Although the need for combination therapy of hypertension was obvious from the early intervention trials, administration of such therapy as fixed-dose or single-pill combinations has only reached general acceptance in recent years. The main reason for this change of mind documented in the recommendation of using single-pill combinations in almost every recent hypertension guideline is our increasing knowledge about non-adherence to drug therapy. In the multifactorial origin of non-adherence, the complexity of therapy, especially in elderly patients with comorbidities and polypharmacy, has been identified as a major factor involved. So an important rule in hypertension treatment, and maybe in drug therapy in general, is to keep things as simple as possible.