Current medical research and opinion
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Comparison of gastrointestinal safety and tolerability of aceclofenac with diclofenac: a multicenter, randomized, double-blind study in patients with knee osteoarthritis.
To compare the gastrointestinal (GI) tolerability and efficacy of aceclofenac with diclofenac in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). ⋯ Aceclofenac was better tolerated in terms of incidence and severity of GI AEs and GPA requirement and was as efficacious as diclofenac. The need for GPAs increased with the increase in duration of treatment with NSAIDs. Hence, it could be concluded that usual practice of co-prescription of GPAs with aceclofenac could be avoided to improve patient compliance and reduce cost of treatment. However, long term trials with endoscopic evaluation in the wider population are required to assess the GI tolerability of aceclofenac and diclofenac in detail.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Baseline patient characteristics associated with placebo remission and their impact on remission with duloxetine and selected SSRI antidepressants.
We examined whether identification of patients with placebo-remitter characteristics and placebo-nonremitter characteristics enhances the ability to identify drug-placebo treatment differences and, perhaps, differences between agents in major depressive disorder (MDD). We hypothesized: 1) that drug-placebo differences in remission rates would be greater for both duloxetine and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) among placebo nonremitters than placebo remitters and: 2) that the difference between active treatments would also be greater in placebo nonremitters than placebo remitters. ⋯ Our study suggests that drug-placebo differences in remission rates will be greater in subjects with placebo-nonremitter than with placebo-remitter characteristics.
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Obesity has become an epidemic in the United States and its prevalence continues to increase. Adjunctive treatment with pharmacotherapy is often reserved for individuals who fail to achieve their intended weight goals with diet and exercise alone. Current approved therapies for weight loss include phentermine, diethylpropion, orlistat, and phentermine/topiramate. The objective of this paper was to review the place of lorcaserin, a novel serotonin 2C agonist, which was FDA approved in July 2012. Unlike contemporary lipase inhibitors and sympathomimetic amines, lorcaserin is purported to reduce food consumption and increase satiety. ⋯ For now, pharmacists should continue to recommend the use of lorcaserin as a complement to, not in lieu of, ongoing lifestyle and behavioral modification.
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Comparative Study
Treatment adherence with vildagliptin compared to sulphonylurea as add-on to metformin in Muslim patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus fasting during Ramadan.
To assess treatment adherence to dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor vildagliptin compared with sulphonylureas (SU) in Muslim patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who were fasting during Ramadan in the UK. ⋯ During Ramadan fasting, treatment with vildagliptin resulted in better treatment adherence compared with SU in Muslim patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Study limitations are the sample size and the lack of diet and exercise data.