Dawkowanie i koszt lanreotydu Autogel 120 mg stosowanego w leczeniu akromegalii w Polsce — wyniki 2-letniego badania Lanro-Study

Introduction: To evaluate, over 24 months of prospective follow-up, the dosage and costs of lanreotide AUTOGEL 120 mg (ATG120) administered as part of routine acromegaly care in Poland.Material and methods: A multicentre, non-interventional, observational prospective study on resource utilisation in Polish acromegalic patients treated with ATG120 at 4-week or extended (> 4 weeks) dosing interval. The study population consisted of adult acromegalic patients treated for at least 3 injections of ATG120. The endpoints were: percentage of patients treated with ATG120 at an extended dosing interval (> 4 weeks), mean time between injections, and the cost of ATG120 during a 24-month prospective observation. Costs were calculated in PLN from the public health-care payer and patient perspective for the year 2014.Results: 143 patients were enrolled in, and 132 completed (70% women, 81% macroadenoma, 75% previous surgery) the analysis. During two years, changes in the treatment pattern were reported in 41 patients: 17% of them had increased injection interval and 10% switched to octreotide LAR and then returned to ATG120. Sixty-three patients (48%) received ATG120 at an extended dosing interval. ATG120 was predominantly administered in an out-patient setting (84%) by a health care professional (97%).Conclusions: The results demonstrated that extended dosing interval of ATG120 is used in a substantial proportion of patients in routine clinical practice in Poland. Such findings support the potential for ATG120 in reducing treatment burden in the real-world clinical environment. (Endokrynol Pol 2015; 66 (2): 142–148)Wstęp: Ocena schematu dawkowania i kosztu lanreotydu Autogel 120 mg (ATG120) stosowanego w leczeniu akromegalii w Polsce.Materiał i metody: Wieloośrodkowe, nieinterwencyjne, obserwacyjne badanie prospektywne oceniające zużycie zasobów ochrony zdrowia w populacji polskich pacjentów z akromegalią leczonych ATG120 z zastosowaniem 4-tygodniowego lub wydłużonego (> 4 tygodni) odstępu między dawkami leku. Do badania włączani byli dorośli pacjenci, którzy otrzymali co najmniej 3 dawki ATG120. Horyzont czasowy badania wynosił 24 miesięcy. Koszt leku obliczono z perspektywy płatnika publicznego i pacjenta w 2014 roku.Wyniki: Do badania włączono 143 pacjentów, 132 z nich ukończyło badanie (70% kobiet, u 81% makrogruczolak, 75% było wcześniej leczonych chirurgicznie). W czasie 2 lat zmiany schematu leczenia dokonano u 41 chorych, u 17% z nich wydłużono odstęp między dawkami, u 10% — zmieniono lek na oktreotyd LAR a potem ponownie zastosowano ATG120. U 63 pacjentów (48%) odstęp pomiędzy dawkami ATG120 wynosił > 4 tygodnie. ATG120 był przeważnie podawany ambulatoryjnie (84%) przez fachowy personel medyczny (97%). Wnioski: Badanie wykazało, że w codziennej praktyce klinicznej u znaczącego odsetka pacjentów odstęp czasowy pomiędzy kolejnymi dawkami ATG120 jest dłuższy niż 4 tygodnie. Wynik ten potwierdza tezę, że dzięki stosowaniu ATG120 można obniżyć koszty leczenia akromegalii. (Endokrynol Pol 2015; 66 (2): 142–148

Supplementation of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in pre- and postmenopausal women — position statement of expert panel of Polish Menopause and Andropause Society

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) concentration decreases with age, therefore, DHEA has been considered a hormonethat reduces the symptoms associated with aging, so the usefulness of DHEA in premenopausal and postmenopausalwomen, and the options of hormone therapy have received a large amount of attention. The effectiveness of DHEA in thepremenopausal women remains unclear, while in postmenopausal women with coexisting estrogens deficiency is controversial.Despite many years of study, the use of DHEA is still controversial, especially regarding its effectiveness. The aimof present article was to evaluate DHEA specific effects on metabolic parameters, bone mineral density, insulin resistanceas well as the therapeutic potential of DHEA in pre- and postmenopausal women using measures of sexual activity, cognitionand well-being. The summary of this article is the position statement of expert group of the Polish Menopause andAndropause Society regarding the efficacy and safety of DHEA supplementation in women. We concluded, that currentlyavailable clinical trials and meta-analyses indicate that DHEA supplementation is effective in women with adrenal insufficiencyand chronically treated with exogenous glucocorticoids, postmenopausal women with low bone mineral densityand/or osteoporosis, premenopausal women with sexual disorders and low libido, and in women with vulvovaginal atrophydue to menopause or genitourinary syndrome of menopause. Currently available clinical trials also suggest that DHEAsupplementation is probably effective in postmenopausal women with hypoactive sexual disorders, infertile women withdiminished ovarian reserve, women suffering from depression and anxiety, and women with obesity and insulin resistance.No serious adverse effects have been reported

Attitudes and Knowledge of European Medical Students and Early Graduates about Vaccination and Self-Reported Vaccination Coverage-Multinational Cross-Sectional Survey

Vaccination is one of the most useful preventive interventions in healthcare. The purpose of our study was to gain overview of the opinions, knowledge, and engagement in vaccination practices among medical students (MS) and junior doctors (JD) in Europe. The survey was distributed from March 2016 until August 2016 via the e-mail and social media of the European Medical Students' Association. In total, 1821 responses from MS and JD from 34 countries in the European region were analysed. The majority of respondents agreed that vaccines are useful (98.7%) and effective (97.2%). Although the necessity of revaccination was supported by 99.2%, only 68.0% of the respondents went through with it. Even though the potential benefit of the flu vaccination seems to be acknowledged by our participants, only 22.1% of MS and JD declared getting the flu shot every or every other season. MS and JD were in favour of specific mandatory vaccination for medical staff (86.0%) and medical students (82.7%). Furthermore, we analysed the self-reported vaccination coverage of our participants regarding 19 vaccines. Of the respondents, 89.5% claimed to provide advice about vaccination to their friends and family. In conclusion, European MS and JD have a very positive attitude towards vaccination. However, their behaviour and knowledge demonstrate certain gaps which should be further addressed in medical education