Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a progressive, debilitating illness that affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. It is presumed to be an autoimmune disorder of the central nervous system (CNS) that results in acute focal inflammatory demyelination and axonal loss with limited remyelination, culminating in chronic multifocal sclerotic plaques. This leads to a disruption of nerve signals within the CNS, causing symptoms that may affect vision, sensation, and body movements.

…Read the rest of this article

Selecting the best strategy for remedying medication errors is not easy. Even when system-based causes have been identified, often the most effective action is not obvious and the best error-prevention tools to use in each situation are not clear. In this article, examples of these tools are listed in order of their effectiveness for creating lasting changes for safe medication use.

…Read the rest of this article

Peginterferon alfa-2a is contra-indicated in the following groups:

• patients with hypersensitivity to any of the components of the product, those with autoimmune hepatitis, and those with decompensated hepatic disease before or during treatment with this drug
• neonates and infants because of the ingredient benzyl alcohol, which has been reported to be associated with an increased incidence of neurological and other sometimes fatal complications

…Read the rest of this article

The safety and efficacy of Pegasys® were assessed in three randomized, open-labeled, active-controlled clinical studies. All of the patients were adults, had compensated liver disease and detectable HCV, and had not been treated with interferon previously. All patients received therapy by subcutaneous (SQ) injection for 48 weeks and were monitored for an additional 24 weeks to assess the durability of their responses.

…Read the rest of this article

It is estimated that between 2.7 million and 4.0 million people in the U.S. have chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Since the early 1980s, the use of injected drugs has been the greatest risk factor for HCV infection. Drug use currently accounts for 60% of cases of newly acquired infection, and 20% to 50% of these cases involve patients with chronic infection.

…Read the rest of this article

NSAIDs represent one of the most widely prescribed classes of drugs in the U.S. Although data on NSAIDs abound in randomized, controlled trials, they are limited in terms of patients’ experiences in actual practice. Ours is one of the first studies to examine patient-reported, NSAID-related experiences and behaviors in a primary care setting. We limited our study population to patients 50 years of age and older because of their increased risk of NSAID-related gastropathy.

…Read the rest of this article

RESULTS

Of the 467 patients identified by their physicians as meeting the study’s inclusion criteria, 447 (96%) agreed to participate. The most frequent reason given for not participating was “not enough time.” Of the patients who completed a baseline survey, 440 (98%) completed the two follow-up surveys according to the timeline in the study protocol. All analyses include only these 440 subjects.

…Read the rest of this article