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Every month, the subjects in Prescrire’s Spotlight.
2012 : 1 | 30 | 60 | 90
Latex condoms sometimes cause irritation and allergies, and so condoms made from other materials which do not have this drawback are used instead. However, non-latex condoms have been shown to break more frequently than latex ones.
1 September 2012
Self-monitoring of blood glucose levels does not play a big part in preventing complications associated with type-2 diabetes, but it does increase anxiety and mood disorders.
It is crucial for patients and those around them to be given detailed information about the serious harms associated with oral isotretinoin. In France, a patient leaflet has been produced to add to this information.
Posters and videos from the 2012 "Prescrire Encounters", which were held in Angers, France on 25-26 May 2012, are available online.
1 August 2012
Two UK websites allow patients and those close to them, as well as healthcare professionals, to share the diversity of personal experiences around health and illness.
Healthcare professionals are increasingly working together, with each other as well as with patients, in the name of better care.
For healthcare professionals, developing technical and interpersonal skills takes on a new dimension when continuing education is shared with members of different professions, or even with patients.
In France the neighbourhood healthcare centres known as "maisons de santé" are gaining ground, often as a way to work collaboratively and to offer new services.
Using the INN (International Nonproprietary Name), a drug’s real name, ensures that key information gets across.
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In a published response to Andrew Jack's article "Mea culpa: are multi-billion dollar fines forcing drug companies to clean up their act?" (BMJ online, 18 July 2012), Prescrire points out that the need to root out undue influence does not stop there.
23 July 2012
In a published response to the article "New EU drug safety committee ends national reporting of drug reactions" (BMJ online, 9 July 2012), Prescrire argues in favour of a cautious approach.
19 July 2012
FEATURED REVIEW Does paracetamol exposure in utero increase the risk of birth defects, particularly cryptorchidism persisting beyond one year of age? To answer this question, we conducted a review of the literature using the standard Prescrire methodology. Full review (5 pages) available for download by subscribers.
1 July 2012
FREE DOWNLOAD It is unacceptable to expose patients with simple gastroesophageal reflux or nausea and vomiting to a risk of severe ventricular arrhythmia and sudden death. Full text available for free download.
The soaring prices of new anti-cancer drugs are unrelated to development costs or to the clinical benefits these drugs offer.
Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are in widespread use but can provoke serious alcohol intoxication when accidentally swallowed by a child.
This text in the July issue of Prescrire International is based on a lecture given at the annual Prescrire Awards ceremony in Paris by Marc-André Gagnon PhD, Assistant Professor in Public Policy at Carleton University (Canada) and Research Fellow in Ethics at Harvard University (USA).
VIDEO View the presentation (in French) given by Marc-André Gagnon at the annual Prescrire Awards ceremony in Paris on 26 January 2012.
In the absence of proven efficacy based on robust clinical criteria, and given the risk of severe adverse effects, the use of aliskiren to treat arterial hypertension cannot be justified.
Given their adverse effects, topical corticosteroids should not become trivialised, especially in infants.
Flurbiprofen is not the first-line nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) for treating period pains. The French drug regulatory agency was right to refuse to encourage its use as self-medication.
FEATURED REVIEW Two trials in metastatic melanoma suggest that ipilimumab is beneficial. But the benefits in previously untreated patients are not particularly noteworthy, and serious adverse effects can undermine the quality of survival. Use of ipilimumab should be limited to clinical trials designed to better assess the harm-benefit balance and to determine the optimal dosage. Full review (3 pages) available for download by subscribers.
1 June 2012
FREE DOWNLOADThe differences in the regulatory histories of bevacizumab in breast cancer between the United States and Europe clearly illustrate the issues associated with the evaluation of cancer drugs. Full text available for free download.
Increasing the dose, withdrawal syndrome sometimes resulting in hospitalisation, and abuse: three good reasons for re-evaluating the harm-benefit balance on a case-by-case basis for these substances used to treat some forms of epilepsy, neuropathic pain and generalised anxiety.
Pharmaceutical companies use key opinion leaders from the world of medicine in their promotional strategies.
The data available at the beginning of 2012 on women exposed to papillomavirus vaccines during the first three months of pregnancy do not give cause for concern. In the light of the global data available, severe adverse effects in women are rare.
The ISDB's 9th General Assembly in Vancouver affirms the organisation's continued vitality and its commitment to independent information.
FEATURED REVIEW Acquired colour vision disorders may be caused by ocular, neurological or metabolic disorders, but they can also be drug-induced. In some cases, these disorders may precede or reveal the onset of severe and sometimes irreversible eye damage. The drugs implicated mainly include: phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors such as sildenafil; digoxin; anti-infectives including interferon alfa; ethambutol; metronidazole; and some antimalarials. Full review (3 pages) available for download by subscribers.
1 May 2012
FREE DOWNLOAD Every year, Prescrire's analysis of drug packaging confirms the importance of taking packaging into account in assessing a drug's harm-benefit balance. Full text available for free download.
Plantar warts have a high healing rate over time. Treatments make little difference.