Characteristics and outcomes in patients with a prior myocardial infarction treated with extended dual antiplatelet therapy with ticagrelor 60 mg: findings from ALETHEIA, a multi-country observational study

Background Guidelines recommend extended dual antiplatelet therapy, including ticagrelor 60 mg twice daily, in high-risk post-myocardial infarction (MI) patients who have tolerated 12 months and are not at high bleeding risk. The real-world utilization and bleeding and ischaemic outcomes associated with long-term ticagrelor 60 mg in routine clinical practice have not been well described. Methods Register and claims data from the USA (Optum Clinformatics, IBM MarketScan, and Medicare) and Europe (Sweden, Italy, UK, and Germany) were extracted. Patients initiating ticagrelor 60 mg ≥12 months after MI, meeting eligibility criteria for the PEGASUS-TIMI (Prevention of Cardiovascular Events in Patients with Prior Heart Attack Using Ticagrelor Compared to Placebo on a Background of Aspirin – Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction 45) 54 trial, were included. The cumulative incidence of the composite of MI, stroke, or all-cause mortality and that of bleeding requiring hospitalization were calculated. Meta-analyses were performed to combine estimates from each source. Results A total of 7035 patients treated with ticagrelor 60 mg met eligibility criteria. Median age was 67 years and 29% were females; 12% had a history of multiple MIs. The majority (95%) had been treated with ticagrelor 90 mg prior to initiating ticagrelor 60 mg. At 12 months from initiation of ticagrelor 60 mg, the cumulative incidence [95% confidence interval (CI)] of MI, stroke, or mortality was 3.33% (2.73–4.04) and was approximately three-fold the risk of bleeding (0.96%; 0.69–1.33). Conclusions This study provides insights into the use of ticagrelor 60 mg in patients with prior MI in clinical practice. Observed event rates for ischaemic events and bleeding generally align with those in the pivotal trials, support the established safety profile of ticagrelor, and highlight the significant residual ischaemic risk in this population

The impotence of price controls: failed attempts to constrain pharmaceutical expenditures in Greece.

BACKGROUND: While the prices of pharmaceuticals are relatively low in Greece, expenditure on them is growing more rapidly than almost anywhere else in the European Union. OBJECTIVE: To describe and explain the rise in drug expenditures through decomposition of the increase into the contribution of changes in prices, in volumes and a product-mix effect. METHODS: The decomposition of the growth in pharmaceutical expenditures in Greece over the period 1991-2006 was conducted using data from the largest social insurance fund (IKA) that covers more than 50% of the population. RESULTS: Real drug spending increased by 285%, despite a 58% decrease in the relative price of pharmaceuticals. The increase in expenditure is mainly attributable to a switch to more innovative, but more expensive, pharmaceuticals, indicated by a product-mix residual of 493% in the decomposition. A rising volume of drugs also plays a role, and this is due to an increase in the number of prescriptions issued per doctor visit, rather than an increase in the number of visits or the population size. CONCLUSIONS: Rising pharmaceutical expenditures are strongly determined by physicians' prescribing behaviour, which is not subject to any monitoring and for which there are no incentives to be cost conscious

Why Does the Utilization of Pharmaceuticals Vary So Much Across Europe? Evidence from Micro Data on Older Europeans

We analyze the relative importance of population versus institutional factors in explaining cross-country variation in the utilization of pharmaceuticals among older Europeans. Use of medication is examined among all individuals aged 50+ in eleven European countries and, to better control for need, among those diagnosed with medical conditions for which there exist effective drug therapies. Organizational factors include the density of pharmacies and of physicians, retail prices, reimbursement rates, restrictions on retailing of pharmaceuticals and incentives designed to influence prescribing behaviour. Differences in population health and demographics account for almost 75% of the cross-country variation in the propensity to use pharmaceuticals among all older Europeans but this fraction falls to only 12% among those with a diagnosed condition, while, for this group, differences in the organization of the pharmaceutical and health sectors explain 32-54% of the cross-European variation in utilization of medicines. Organizational differences are more important in explaining variation in receipt of medication for serious conditions, such as asthma, arthritis, diabetes, heart attack and stroke, for which 60-80% of the crosscountry variation can be explained by population and organizational factors, and less important for asymptomatic conditions, such as high cholesterol and hypertension, for which less than 35% of the variation is explained.Pharmaceuticals, heath care, elderly, Europe

Patterns Of Speech Articulation In Subjects With Neurogenic Dysphagia And Dysarthria Patterns Of Speech Articulation In Subjects With Neurogenic Dysphagia And Dysarthria

Abstract The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine place-manner-voicing features and neuromuscular substrates of articulation and swallowing in a group of nursing home residents having concurrent dysarthria and dysphagia. Similar muscle groups function in speech articulation and swallowing, accounting for the high coincidence of dysarthria and dysphagia in neurological impairment. Subjects were forty patients residing in two skilled nursing facilities in Las Vegas, Nevada. The results described place, manner, and voicing characteristics of articulation patterns in neurologically impaired nursing home subjects with and without dysphagia. Place-of-articulation anomalies identified for the dysphagia group were most frequently at the blade-prepalatal site. Manner-of-articulation anomalies among the dysphagia group occurred most often for fricatives. Perceptual changes of soft or weak vocal loudness were most common quality anomalies among the dysphagia group subjects

Epidemiology, severity, and treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the United Kingdom by GOLD 2013

Mireia Raluy-Callado,1 Dimitra Lambrelli,1 Sharon MacLachlan,1 Javaria Mona Khalid2 1Evidera, London, United Kingdom; 2Takeda Development Centre Europe Ltd, London, United Kingdom Objectives: In 2013, the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) updated the management strategy on COPD based on severity using a combined assessment of symptoms, degree of airflow limitation, and number of exacerbations. This study quantified prevalence and incidence of COPD in the United Kingdom and estimated disease severity by GOLD 2013 categories A/B (low risk) and C/D (high risk).Methods: The Clinical Practice Research Datalink was used to identify COPD patients ≥40 years. Patient characteristics were described, and prevalence was calculated on December 31, 2013. Five-year incidence (2009–2013) was estimated, with rates standardized using 2011 UK population age and sex. To classify patients by GOLD categories, spirometry results, the modified British Medical Research Council grade, and history of exacerbations were used.Results: The prevalent cohort comprised 49,286 patients with COPD with mean age 70 years; 51.0% were male. Overall prevalence was 33.3 per 1,000 persons (95% confidence interval [CI]: 33.1–33.6); 66.4% were classified as GOLD A/B and 33.6% as C/D. The standardized prevalence of GOLD A/B was 21.9 per 1,000 persons (95% CI: 21.7–22.1) and of C/D was 11.1 (95% CI: 10.9–11.2). A total of 27,224 newly diagnosed COPD patients were identified with mean age 67 years at diagnosis; 53.0% were male. Incidence was 2.2 per 1,000 person-years (95% CI: 2.2–2.3); 68.7% were classified in categories A/B and 31.3% in C/D, of which 17.2% did not receive COPD maintenance medication.Conclusion: A third of COPD patients in the UK are considered high risk (GOLD 2013 categories C/D), and a third of patients are diagnosed for the first time at these severe stages. Given the progressive nature of the disease, results suggest that closer attention to respiratory symptoms for early detection, diagnosis, and appropriate treatment of COPD in the UK is warranted. Keywords: COPD, prevalence, incidence, GOLD 2013, primary care managemen