1 May 2007

Tamiflu° is now reimbursed in France for flu prevention in infants over the age of 1 year, even though its benefit-risk balance is increasingly uncertain.

1 May 2007

FREE DOWNLOAD The adverse effects of rivastigmine outweigh its benefits. It is better to carefully adjust ongoing antiparkinsonian treatments than to add an anticholinesterase. What is the point of exposing patients to a risk of adverse effects and drug-drug interactions when there is little if any chance of a therapeutic benefit?
Full text available for free download.

1 April 2007

FEATURED REVIEW "Prehypertension" is not a useful concept for patient management. The thresholds above which the risk-benefit balance for some treatments becomes positive remain at 160/95 mmHg (140/80 mmHg for patients with diabetes or a history of stroke).
Full review (3p) in English available for download by subscribers.

1 April 2007

The prevention of oral mucositis, a frequent adverse effect caused by some cancer treatments, relies on oral care and, in particular, the sucking of ice cubes before and during chemotherapy sessions.

1 April 2007

Dextropropoxyphene is still being sold in France, even though it has caused deaths and its combination with paracetamol has not been proved any more effective as a painkiller than paracetamol alone.

1 April 2007

The effectiveness of omalizumab is dubious and it can cause serious adverse effects. It is preferable not to use it as a long-term treatment for asthma.

1 April 2007

Drug risk management plans lack transparency and contain ambiguities.

1 April 2007

Prescrire examines clinical practice guidelines, to help readers identify which ones will help them to improve patient care.

1 April 2007

FEATURED REVIEW Two new oral rotavirus vaccines for immunisation during infancy are being marketed in France. Rotavirus vaccination during infancy is not a public health priority in western countries, but vaccination of individual infants may be useful when access to healthcare is difficult.
Full review (3p) in English available for download by subscribers.

1 March 2007

Pharmaceutical companies rarely fulfil their promises to conduct trials after a marketing authorisation has been granted. All the more reason to demand full evaluation data before granting approval.

1 March 2007

A look at well-designed drug packaging shows just how unacceptable poorly designed packaging can be.

1 March 2007

Reporting adverse effects suffered by a patient undergoing radiotherapy means that possible errors are remedied faster and won't be repeated on other patients.

1 March 2007

NSAIDs should be avoided in the early stages of pregnancy due to the increased risk of miscarriage or malformation. Paracetamol should be used instead.

1 March 2007

Managing aggressive sexual behaviour is difficult. While psychotherapy has not been thoroughly evaluated, it seems to be the best option to try first, with patients prepared to cooperate.

1 March 2007

Some cases of obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome should be investigated, due to the risk of complications or accidents.

1 March 2007

Healthy relations between health professionals and pharmaceutical companies should be taught at university, by example.

1 March 2007

The massive outcry over self medication overshadows essential questions, in particular that of weaning the French off of too much medication.

1 March 2007

Prescrire has been funded solely by its subscribers since 1993. It has been making its accounts public since 1992.

1 March 2007

FREE DOWNLOAD Restless legs syndrome does not lead to any physical complications. Various treatments have been tried but none has shown any substantial efficacy in the few available comparative trials. It is better to avoid treating patients with restless legs syndrome with pramipexole (or with ropinirole). It’s better to wait until a satisfactory treatment is available.
Full text available for free download.

1 February 2007

FEATURED REVIEW When people who are physically dependent on alcohol stop drinking, they experience alcohol withdrawal syndrome. Severe forms may include seizures, hallucinations and delirium tremens, which can be fatal. Patients who are attempting to stop drinking need close personal support, and should be monitored for early signs of withdrawal syndrome.
Full review (8p) in English available for download by subscribers.

1 February 2007

Highlighting the risk of confusion between drugs’ brand names should result in a name change for the brands concerned. This risk underscores the importance of using a drug’s international nonproprietary name (INN) when prescribing.

1 February 2007

Pharmaceutical companies are failing to come up with any real innovations, and are spending more and more money on advertising, particularly to the consumer.

1 February 2007

1 February 2007

Prescrire encourages pharmaceutical companies to present clinical evaluation data in a transparent fashion.

1 February 2007

Although packaging plays an important part in good drug use, it is often neglected by pharmaceutical companies and drug regulatory agencies.

1 February 2007

In general, simple acute cystitis clears up on its own without complications, but slowly. Antibiotic treatment reduces the duration of the discomfort. The complications of kidney infections are rare but serious, and justify early recourse to antibiotic treatment.

1 February 2007

The adverse cutaneous effects of corticosteroids are not restricted to oral administration. The minimum effective dose of inhaled corticosteroids should be prescribed, especially in older patients.

1 January 2007

The current emphasis on mental health should not be seen as an opportunity to medicalise everything or to propose insufficiently evaluated drugs.

1 January 2007

It is in the interest of pharmaceutical companies for more and more of life’s events to be deemed to require drug treatment.

1 January 2007