GENERIC DRUG: PRESCRIBER’S PERSPECTIVE

Objective: Knowledge of doctors and their understanding of generic drugs could facilitate in recognizing potential barriers to larger generic medicine prescriptions. Hence, the primary objective of this study was focused to explore knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of doctors toward generic medicines. Methods: It is a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study. The study participants are the doctors working in the hospital during the study period (2016–2017). The questionnaire designed for this study comprised of thirty-five questions related to the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of generic medicine and about demographic details of the participants. Results: A total of 86 questionnaires were distributed among the health care professionals and the response rate is 37%. The majority of doctors who participated in this survey perceived that generic medicine is effective, safe and need to have the same active component, dose and bioequivalent as the brand name medicines. Most of the doctors (72%) were of the view that generic drugs were manufactured in poor quality than branded medicines. More than three-quarters of doctors (78%) prescribed generic drugs. Conclusion: Majority of the participants had an honest angle about the efficaciousness and safety of generic and though they sometimes prescribe generic medicine, however a high range of doctors (72%) were of the opinion that generic was of poorer quality than brand medicine. To have a better understanding of the generic drug, the doctor must be well informed about the generics during their academic career resulting in savings to healthcare budgets

Intrathoracic solitary fibrous tumor - an international multicenter study on clinical outcome and novel circulating biomarkers

Intrathoracic solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) is a rare disease. Radical resection is the standard of care. However, estimating prognosis and planning follow-up and treatment strategies remains challenging. Data were retrospectively collected by five international centers to explore outcome and biomarkers for predicting event-free-survival (EFS). 125 histological proven SFT patients (74 female; 59.2%; 104 benign; 83.2%) were analyzed. The one-, three-, five- and ten-year EFS after curative-intent surgery was 98%, 90%, 77% and 67%, respectively. Patients age (>/=59 vs. 10 cm vs. 5 vs. < 5 HR 3.91, CI 1.40-10.89, p = 0.009) were prognostic after univariate analyses. After multivariate analyses tumor-dignity and fibrinogen remained as independent prognosticators. Besides validating the role of age, tumor-dignity, tumor-size, stage and resection margins, we identified for the first time inflammatory markers as prognosticators in SFT

A comparative randomised controlled parallel group study of efficacy and tolerability of labetalol versus methyldopa in the treatment of new onset hypertension during pregnancy. Int J Life Sci Pharma Res 2012;2:L23-31. DOI: 10.5455/2320-1770.ijrcog2013020

ABSTRACT Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy remain one of the major causes of maternal and perinatal mortality in developing as well as developed countries and can result in hospital admission, pre-eclampsia and possible premature delivery. Antihypertensive drugs are often used to lower blood pressure to prevent this progression to adverse outcomes for the mother and the fetus. Methyldopa has often been used as control while comparing the effects of different dugs. Labetalol has also been successfully used for treatment of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy. Hence, we wanted to compare the efficacy and tolerability of labetalol versus methyldopa in pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH) in an Indian population. We carried out a prospective randomised controlled parallel group study on 90 outpatients as well as inpatients of the antenatal ward of Obstetrics and Gynaecology department of our tertiary care teaching hospital. Pregnant patients (20-40 weeks gestational age) newly diagnosed with blood pressure of ≥140/90mmHg and single ton with vertex presentation were included in the study. All patients with a history of hypertension, diabetes, Rh iso-immunisation, depression, congestive heart failure, heart block or bronchial asthma, patients at risk of major obstetric complications -antepartum haemorrhage, malnutrition, twins and hydramnios during the current pregnancy and patients who had already received antihypertensive drugs were excluded. 45 patients each were randomised to either of the two treatment arms -oral methyldopa or oral/IV labetalol. Difference in BP measurements pre-and post-treatments (on 8 th day) were analysed by applying paired&apos;t&apos; test for the difference in pre-and post-treatment values. For inter group analysis, we applied chi-square test, using Epi Info statistical software version 3.3. A P-value &lt; 0.05 was regarded as significant with 95% confidence limits. Adverse events were documented and subjected to causality analysis by Naranjo&apos;s scale. There was no statistically significant difference in antihypertensive efficacy between the methyldopa and labetalol groups. Adverse drug reactions were possible to probable and occurred less with labetalol. However, despite equal efficacy and better tolerability, effect on fetal and maternal outcomes determines whether labetalol is better than methyldopa in PIH