english.prescrire.org > Prescrire International > N°80 - December 2005

n°80

December 2005

Issue Contents
Editorial

Free  A campaign to use International Nonproprietary Names

p.202
The INN must supersede the trade name. It makes things clearer for everyone, helps to rationalise drug use, reduces waste, and prevents confusion and accidents

Marketing Authorisations

Pregabalin (in neuropathic pain and partial epilepsy) (new drug)

p.203-206
Very similar to gabapentin

Strontium (in postmenopausal osteoporosis) (new drug)

p.207-211
Too many unknowns

Pemetrexed (in pleural mesothelioma) (new drug)

p.212-215
A first encouraging trial

Cetuximab (in metastatic colorectal cancer) (new drug)

p.215-217
An inappropriate evaluation

Duloxetine (for stress urinary incontinence) (new drug)

p.218-220
Too much risk, too little benefit

Fosamprenavir

p.221
Just an amprenavir precursor

Tick-borne meningoencephalitis vaccine

p.221
For children aged one and over: a simplified injection

Imiglucerase

p.221
In type 3 Gaucher

Adverse Effects

Hepatitis C and didanosine: risk of lactic acidosis

p.222-223
The risk of lactic acidosis associated with nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors is increased by concurrent treatment for hepatitis C.

Cancer risk with topical pimecrolimus and tacrolimus

p.223
It is better to avoid topical application of these immunosuppressants, which have a net negative risk-benefit balance

Hypersexuality due to dopaminergic drugs

p.224
These disorders are dose-dependent, and subside when the dose is reduced or the drug is discontinued

Bupropion (amfebutamone): caution during pregnancy

p.225

Neuroleptics: increased mortality in elderly patients

p.225

Cox-2 inhibitors delisted in Belgium

p.225

Reviews

Treatment of hepatitis C in HIV-infected patients

p.226-229
Regularly reassess the benefits and risks
HIV/HCV-co-infected patients treated for hepatitis C must receive close clinical and laboratory monitoring, and the individual risk-benefit balance must be regularly reassessed.

Chemotherapy of metastatic colorectal cancer

p.230-233
Fluorouracil plus folinic acid and irinotecan or oxaliplatin

Outlook

Free  Health professionals and patients: adopt the INN!

p.234-235
Prescrire has long advocated the use of the international non proprietary name (INN), as an important tool in the appropriate use of medicines

Free  Therapeutic advance: a comparison of assessments made by Prescrire and by the Swedish regulatory agency

p.236
A study has compared Prescrire

Free  Advertising boosts prescribing of new drugs

p.237
Two recent surveys show that publicity campaigns (through sales reps, ads in medical journals) have a major impact on the number of prescriptions for recent drugs in France

Free  Pharmaceutical companies: books on the current crisis

p.238

ISDB - Request for help following the earthquake in Pakistan

p.239

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