Impact of 5-HT3 receptor antagonists on chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting: a retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND: 1(st) generation 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor antagonists (5-HT(3) RAs), and palonosetron, a 2(nd) generation 5-HT(3) RA, are indicated for the prevention of chemotherapy (CT)-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) associated with moderately (MEC) and highly emetogenic CT agents (HEC). This study explores the impact of step therapy policies requiring use of an older 5-HT(3) RA before palonosetron on risk of CINV associated with hospital or emergency department (ED) admissions. METHODS: Patients who received cyclophosphamide post breast cancer (BC) surgery or who were diagnosed with lung cancer on carboplatin (LC-carboplatin) or cisplatin (LC-cisplatin) were selected from PharMetrics’ (IMS LifeLink) claims dataset (2005-2008). Patients were followed for 6 months from initial CT administration for CINV events identified through ICD-9-CM codes. Patients were grouped into those initiated with older, generic 5-HT(3) RAs (ondansetron, granisetron, and dolasetron) and those initiated and maintained on palonosetron throughout study follow-up. CINV events and CINV days were analyzed using multivariate regressions controlling for demographic and clinical variables. RESULTS: Eligible patients numbered 3,606 in BC, 4,497 in LC-carboplatin and 1,154 in LC-cisplatin cohorts, with 52%, 40%, and 34% in the palonosetron group, respectively. There was no significant difference between the two 5-HT(3) RA groups in age or Charlson Comorbidity Index among the two MEC cohorts (BC and LC-carboplatin). Among the LC-cisplatin cohort, palonosetron users were older with more males than the older 5-HT(3) RA group (age: 60.1 vs. 61.3; males, 66.9% vs. 56.9%). Compared to the older 5-HT(3) RAs, the palonosetron groups incurred 22%-51% fewer 5-HT(3) RA pharmacy claims, had fewer patients with CINV events (3.5% vs. 5.5% in BC, 9.5% vs. 12.8% in LC-carboplatin, 16.4% vs. 21.7% in LC-cisplatin), and had lower risk for CINV events (odds ratios 0.62, 0.71, or 0.71, respectively; p < 0.05). The BC and LC-carboplatin palonosetron groups experienced 50% and 30% fewer CINV days than the generic 5-HT(3) RA group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with breast or lung cancer initiated and maintained on palonosetron were at significantly lower risk for potentially costly CINV versus those on older 5-HT(3) RAs. Further studies on impact of step therapy policy are warranted in order to minimize the clinical and economic burden of CINV

Oral anticoagulant decreases stroke recurrence in patients with atrial fibrillation detected after stroke

Background: Atrial fibrillation detected after stroke (AFDAS) has a lower risk of ischemic stroke recurrence than known atrial fibrillation (KAF). While the benefit of oral anticoagulants (OAC) for preventing ischemic stroke recurrence in KAF is well established, their role in patients with AFDAS is more controversial. This study aimed to evaluate the association between OAC use and the risk of recurrent ischemic stroke in patients with AFDAS in a real-world setting. Methods: This nationwide retrospective cohort study was conducted using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. Patients hospitalized with a first-ever ischemic stroke and AFDAS confirmed within 30 days after hospitalization were assigned to OAC and non-OAC cohorts. Inverse probability of treatment weighting was applied to balance the baseline characteristics of the cohorts. The primary outcome was ischemic stroke recurrence. Secondary outcomes were intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), death, and the composite outcome of “ischemic stroke recurrence, ICH, or death.” Multivariate Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: A total of 4,508 hospitalized patients with stroke and AFDAS were identified. Based on OAC use, 2,856 and 1,652 patients were assigned to the OAC and non-OAC groups, respectively. During the follow-up period (median duration, 2.76 years), the OAC cohort exhibited a lower risk of ischemic stroke recurrence (aHR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.70–0.99), death (aHR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.58–0.73), and composite outcome (aHR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.63–0.78) than did the non-OAC cohort. The risk of ICH (aHR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.62–1.50) was not significantly different between the two cohorts. Conclusion: OAC use in patients with AFDAS was associated with reduced risk of ischemic stroke recurrence, without an increased risk of ICH. This supports current guidelines recommending OACs for secondary stroke prevention in patients with AF, regardless of the time of diagnosis

Oral anticoagulant decreases stroke recurrence in patients with atrial fibrillation detected after stroke

BackgroundAtrial fibrillation detected after stroke (AFDAS) has a lower risk of ischemic stroke recurrence than known atrial fibrillation (KAF). While the benefit of oral anticoagulants (OAC) for preventing ischemic stroke recurrence in KAF is well established, their role in patients with AFDAS is more controversial. This study aimed to evaluate the association between OAC use and the risk of recurrent ischemic stroke in patients with AFDAS in a real-world setting.MethodsThis nationwide retrospective cohort study was conducted using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. Patients hospitalized with a first-ever ischemic stroke and AFDAS confirmed within 30 days after hospitalization were assigned to OAC and non-OAC cohorts. Inverse probability of treatment weighting was applied to balance the baseline characteristics of the cohorts. The primary outcome was ischemic stroke recurrence. Secondary outcomes were intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), death, and the composite outcome of “ischemic stroke recurrence, ICH, or death.” Multivariate Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).ResultsA total of 4,508 hospitalized patients with stroke and AFDAS were identified. Based on OAC use, 2,856 and 1,652 patients were assigned to the OAC and non-OAC groups, respectively. During the follow-up period (median duration, 2.76 years), the OAC cohort exhibited a lower risk of ischemic stroke recurrence (aHR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.70–0.99), death (aHR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.58–0.73), and composite outcome (aHR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.63–0.78) than did the non-OAC cohort. The risk of ICH (aHR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.62–1.50) was not significantly different between the two cohorts.ConclusionOAC use in patients with AFDAS was associated with reduced risk of ischemic stroke recurrence, without an increased risk of ICH. This supports current guidelines recommending OACs for secondary stroke prevention in patients with AF, regardless of the time of diagnosis

Diffusion of healthcare technology: Adoption of fentanyl patch by physicians in Illinois.

Diffusion of healthcare technology: Adoption of fentanyl patch by physicians in Illinois

Potential access and revealed access to pain management medications

The area configuration of healthcare resources, such as the number of hospitals per hundred thousand population, has often been used in healthcare planning and policy making to estimate the global access (potential access) of health services to a local population. However, the actual utilization of the "available" healthcare resources (revealed access) is usually much more limited. The objectives of this study were to examine the availability of healthcare resources by measuring the potential access and the revealed access for outpatients who need to access pharmacies to fill prescriptions of Schedule II (CII) opioids for pain management, and to explore the difference between rural and urban residents in these two types of access. About 191,700 prescriptions for CII opioids dispensed in 1997 in the state of Michigan, USA were analyzed. Revealed accessibility was measured by the distance between the paired zip codes of the pharmacy and the patient listed on each prescription. Potential accessibility was measured by the distance from a patient's zip code to that of the nearest community pharmacy that could dispense the opioid prescriptions. The analyses on revealed access showed that 50% of the CII prescriptions were dispensed by pharmacies located within a 5-mile radius of patients' residences, 75% of prescriptions were dispensed within about a 10-mile radius, and 90% were within 20 miles. If patients were free to access the nearest pharmacy for dispensing (a hypothetical situation under potential access), the median, 75th percentile, and 90th percentile distances could reduce to 2, 3, and 5 miles, respectively. Similar differences between revealed and potential access were observed in both rural and urban areas and for every major opioid drug group. We conclude that policymakers should recognize the discrepancy between potential and revealed accessibility and move beyond only considering area configuration of healthcare resources to evaluating and improving access to care.Opioids Potential accessibility Revealed accessibility Geographic information system Community pharmacy USA

Trend and area variation in amphetamine prescription usage among children and adolescents in Michigan

The increased use of stimulant medications for children and teenagers is an ongoing issue of professional and public concern. Unlike methylphenidate, the growth of prescriptions and patterns of utilization of amphetamines for pediatric populations have not been well documented. The study objectives were to describe the trends of amphetamine prescription utilization among pediatric age groups in Michigan and to compare area variations. A population-based computerized data set from the state of Michigan was used to extract all outpatient prescriptions for Schedule II amphetamines dispensed from 1990 to 1997. The prescribing rates by age groups and by counties were computed with the projected population size of corresponding years, and mapped and analyzed with spatial statistical methods. Counties that did not conform to the global spatial dependence pattern in the prescription rate were identified using Moran scatter plot. A total of 236,661 outpatient prescriptions for amphetamines were dispensed in Michigan during the time frame, including less than 1% for methamphetamine, 24.5% for amphetamine, and 74.8% for dextroamphetamine. The prescribing rate was highest among children 10-14 years old (380 prescriptions per 10,000 people) in 1997, followed by children 5-9 years old (253 prescriptions per 10,000). Over the 8-year period, the prescribing rates of amphetamines increased significantly, ranging from 380% for children 2-4 years to 817% for teenagers older than 14 years. The rates among counties ranged from 60 to 1648 per 10,000 children 5-14 years old, with the highest prescribing rates in the northwestern regions of Michigan. Although spatial dependence explained 36% of the variance, the area variations that are unaccounted for are still considerable. In conclusion, there were substantial increases and unexplained area variations in amphetamine usage in Michigan during the study period. Both phenomena require awareness and evaluation from researchers, policy makers, clinicians, and the public.Amphetamine Prescribing rate Area variation Children and adolescents Spatial analysis USA