Data Briefing - The Liverpool care pathway: what do specialists think?
Source: BMJ Area: News The author of this article featured in the BMJ notes that the use of the Liverpool care pathway for end of life care has been heavily criticised in the media. The BMJ and Channel 4's Dispatches asked doctors for their views on the pathway, which are presented in the article. (Source: NeLM - News)
Source: NeLM - News - March 1, 2013 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: news

The appeal of large simple trials
Source: BMJ Area: News Clinical trials have become complex, costly, and yet are often not big enough to answer questions necessary to optimise treatment for individual patients. The author of this article investigates whether having large simple trials in the future might be a solution. (Source: NeLM - News)
Source: NeLM - News - March 1, 2013 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: news

Meta-analyses: how to read a funnel plot
Source: BMJ Area: News The author of this article uses an example of a funnel plot from a meta-analysis to explain what funnel plots are and how to interpret them. (Source: NeLM - News)
Source: NeLM - News - March 1, 2013 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: news

Final 2012/13 staff flu vaccination figures released by the Department of Health
Source: Department of Health (DH) Area: News The Department of Health has released figures relating to the uptake of the flu vaccine among frontline healthcare workers in all trusts up to 31 January 2013. The figures reveal that more frontline healthcare workers have been vaccinated against flu this year than ever before. (Source: NeLM - News)
Source: NeLM - News - March 1, 2013 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: news

Prospective cohort analysis: Pre-hospital lactated ringer's solution treatment and survival in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest
Source: PLoS Medicine Area: News The findings of this Japanese prospective, non-randomised observational study suggest that in Japanese patients experiencing out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), the pre-hospital use of lactate Ringer's (LR) solution was independently associated with a decreased likelihood of a good functional outcome 1 month after the event, but with an increased likelihood of return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) before hospital arrival. Pre-hospital use of LR solution was not associated with 1-month survival. Data for the study were obtained from national database and included a total of 531,854 pa...
Source: NeLM - News - March 1, 2013 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: news

Review: Oncogenes in non-small-cell lung cancer: emerging connections and novel therapeutic dynamics
Source: Lancet Respiratory Medicine Area: News This review aims to provide an overview of the developments in the area of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), focusing on the functional associations between key oncogenes involved in tumour formation. These mechanisms are crucial in NSCLC onset and progression and are emerging as clinically relevant diagnostic and therapeutically actionable targets. The following topics are discussed:   . Oncogene addiction: the EGFR paradigm . Molecular profiling as a guide to therapy . Molecular lesions in squamous-cell carcinomas . Tumour heterogene...
Source: NeLM - News - March 1, 2013 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: news

Care commissioning process is too laborious, report concludes
Source: BMJ, Nuffield Trust Area: News BMJ News features a story on a report by the Nuffield Trust which highlights the findings of an in-depth study of commissioning for people with long-term conditions. The study was funded by the National Institute for Health Research Health Services and Delivery Research (NIHR HS&DR) Programme. The Nuffield Trust carried out a 15 month (November 2010 to January 2012) study of commissioning practice in three high-performing primary care trust (PCT) areas (Calderdale, Somerset and the Wirral). The authors carried out detailed observation around what the trusts actually did around co...
Source: NeLM - News - March 1, 2013 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: news

FDA approves long-acting injection formulation of aripiprazole
Source: PharmaTimes Area: News According to PharmaTimes approval has been granted in the United States for a long-acting, once monthly intramuscular injection formulation of aripiprazole (Abilify® Maintena®) for the treatment of schizophrenia. Approval was based on data from a 52-week Phase III maintenance trial of the drug in patients with schizophrenia, which showed that it significantly delayed time to relapse compared to placebo, and lowered the percentage of subjects experiencing relapse, the groups note. No further trial data are provided in the PharmaTimes story. (Source: NeLM - News)
Source: NeLM - News - March 1, 2013 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: news

Horizon scanning: Drisapersen linked to serious side effects and hospitalisation according to safety data from trial investigating the drug in Duchenne muscular dystrophy
Source: BioSpace Area: News BioSpace reports that patients enrolled in an early stage trial investigating the use of drisapersen (GSK-2402968) in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) have been hospitalised due to kidney toxicity and low platelet counts. The report is based on data presented at a research meeting in Rome. GlaxSmithKline (GSK) has released some safety data from early stage clinical trials previously too and these mainly reported cases of proteinuria and decreased thrombocytes. According to the BioSpace report, four DMD) patients treated with drisapersen required hospitalisation due to thrombocytopenia and "se...
Source: NeLM - News - March 1, 2013 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: news

Analysis: Will prescriptions for cultural change improve the NHS?
Source: BMJ Area: News This BMJ article focuses on the recent Francis report, which identified serious cultural deficiencies in the NHS and recommended fundamental cultural change (see previous NeLM news story). The authors examine what research tells us about the likelihood of success. The following key points are summarised in the article:   . Organisational cultures in healthcare are manifold, complex, and dynamic . Healthcare organisations are better seen as multiple co-existing subcultures than as uniform cultural monoliths . The national policy framework and top down strategic initiat...
Source: NeLM - News - March 1, 2013 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: news

HPA: Cases of whooping cough continue to decrease
Source: Health Protection Agency (HPA) Area: News Current figures published by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) show that confirmed cases of whooping cough in England and Wales have continued to decrease with 668 cases reported in January 2013, compared to 835 cases in December 2012. Although this will be the third month in a row that cases have decreased, the overall numbers remain unusually high following a sustained outbreak during 2012 which saw a record 9,741 cases (provisional number). The press release also notes that large numbers of cases continue to be reported in those aged 15 years and older with 579 cases r...
Source: NeLM - News - March 1, 2013 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: news

FDA special feature: Don't take this with that - grapefruit interactions with medication
Source: FDA Area: News Special feature articles are timely and easy-to-read articles covering drug-related issues produced by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), primarily for patients, carers and members of the public. The current article discusses interactions with grapefruit and notes that there are presently more than fifty prescription and over-the-counter drugs known to the FDA that can have negative interactions with grapefruit. (Source: NeLM - News)
Source: NeLM - News - March 1, 2013 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: news

Systematic review and meta-analysis: Selected pregnancy and delivery outcomes after exposure to antidepressant medication
Source: JAMA Psychiatry Area: News The authors of this paper note that data on the potential risks of antidepressant use during pregnancy are conflicting. They carried out a meta-analysis to assess whether pre-natal antidepressant exposure is associated with risk for selected adverse pregnancy or delivery outcomes.   Data for the analysis were sourced through a search of various databases, including Medline, Embase and the Cochrane Library from the date the database started to 30th June 2010. Literature searches were independently carried out by 2 professional librarians with expertise in the areas of psychiatr...
Source: NeLM - News - March 1, 2013 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: news

All Wales review & guidance for prescribing intervals (repeat prescribing)
Source: All Wales Medicines Strategy Group (AWMSG) Area: News The All Wales Medicines Strategy Group (AWMSG) has published a review into repeat prescribing intervals and made the following recommendations in Wales (direct from source):   . A 28-day repeat prescribing interval is broadly recommended; however, discretion should be used for individual patients or medicines. This should be coupled with a rigorous and effective medication review process.   . Repeat prescribing systems that promote synchronised, once per month requests for long-term medication should be developed.   ....
Source: NeLM - News - March 1, 2013 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: news

NHS charges from April 2013 announced - prescription charge to increase by 20p in England
Source: Department of Health (DH) Area: News The Department of Health has announced that the NHS prescription charge in England will increase by 20p from £7.65 to £7.85 for each quantity of a drug or appliance from 1st April 2013.   However, the cost of a prescription prepayment certificate (PPC) will remain at £29.10 for a 3 month certificate and the cost of the annual certificate will remain at £104. PPCs offer savings for those needing 4 or more items in 3 months or 14 or more items in one year.   The press release notes that in England, around 90 per cent of prescription items are dispensed free...
Source: NeLM - News - March 1, 2013 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: news