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Spotlight

Every month, the subjects in Prescrire’s Spotlight.

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Practicalities

 Editorial  A drug is more than just an active substance mixed with excipients. There is more to consider than its pharmacological properties or its economic success. A drug is also a physical product that is part of the patient's daily life. And its packaging components, such as its box, the blister packs, bottle, vial or syringe, and the patient leaflet, are an integral part of this.
1 September 2023

Nivolumab (Opdivo°) in advanced gastric or oesophageal cancer

 Marketing Authorisations   Nivolumab, a monoclonal antibody directed against PD-1, has been authorised for patients with metastatic or inoperable gastric or oesophageal adenocarcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma. In these situations, does nivolumab represent a therapeutic advance compared to the treatments already available, and, in particular, does it extend survival?
Full article (3 pages) available for download by subscribers
1 September 2023

Dulaglutide, exenatide, liraglutide and other GLP-1 receptor agonists: thyroid cancer

 Adverse Effects  In 2022, a French research team published a case-control study which investigated the association between exposure to a GLP-1 receptor agonist and the risk of developing thyroid cancer.
Full article available for download by subscribers
1 September 2023

Glucarpidase (Voraxaze°) for high-dose methotrexate toxicity

 Marketing Authorisations   Glucarpidase has been granted marketing authorisation in the European Union for reducing plasma concentrations of methotrexate in patients who have received high-dose methotrexate for cancer treatment when elimination is delayed due to impaired renal function. In this situation, does glucarpidase reduce an excessively high plasma concentration of methotrexate? Does it limit the serious dose-dependent adverse effects of this cytotoxic drug? And what are its adverse effects?
Full article (2 pages) available for download by subscribers
1 September 2023

Prescrire's annual review of drug packaging: progress is too slow

A drug's packaging contains a set of components for use by patients, their caregivers and healthcare professionals. It is important that packaging is well designed with a view to ease of use and the prevention of errors with dangerous consequences.
Full article (4 page) available for download (free)
1 September 2023

R&D costs: secrecy at every level

In France, the pharmaceutical industry has managed to turn a law to ensure transparency about the public funding it receives into a promotional opportunity.
Full article available for download (free)
1 September 2023

Conditional marketing authorisation: easier to grant than to revoke

Progesterone is ineffective at preventing preterm delivery, but proved difficult to withdraw from the market. It is not the only example of this phenomenon.
Full article available for download (free)
1 September 2023

Interdisciplinary collaboration

 Editorial  Many healthcare professionals routinely provide care for a specific patient by working together or as part of a multidisciplinary team. When well organised, such collaborations are synergistic, and beneficial for patients.
1 July 2023

Daridorexant (Quviviq°) in insomnia

 Marketing Authorisations   The clinical evaluation of daridorexant in patients with chronic insomnia was not designed to demonstrate a potential advance compared with already available sleep-inducing drugs. While its mechanism of action is indeed different, there is no evidence that it represents a tangible clinical advance for patients.
Full article (4 pages) available for download by subscribers
1 July 2023

Clinical trials in children: many results go unreported

A group of US researchers have determined the proportion of clinical trials in children that were stopped prematurely, as well as the proportion of completed trials whose results were not reported.
1 July 2023

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