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Spotlight

Every month, the subjects in Prescrire’s Spotlight.

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  The 2022 Prescrire Prize is awarded in Paris
  to 6 healthcare-related books or projects

The recipients of the 2022 "Prix Prescrire" awards were announced in Paris on 6 October 2022, by the editors of the independent medical journal La Revue Prescrire. The prize recognises books, other works or initiatives of particular interest to the general public and/or healthcare professionals.
06 October 2022

Viral vector covid-19 vaccines authorised in the European Union: a review of their adverse effects

FEATURED REVIEW The first-choice options for the prevention of covid-19 are the messenger RNA (mRNA) covid-19 vaccines, with the two viral vector vaccines, covid-19 vaccine ChAdOx1-S (Vaxzevria° from AstraZeneca) and covid-19 vaccine Ad26.COV2-S (Jcovden° from Janssen-Cilag), as second choices. What adverse effects are known to occur with these viral vector vaccines?
Full review (3 pages) available for download by subscribers.
1 October 2022

In the October issue of Prescrire International: Trastuzumab deruxtecan (Enhertu°) in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer

FREE DOWNLOAD Evaluation of trastuzumab deruxtecan (Enhertu°), authorised for treatment of some inoperable or metastatic breast cancers, was mainly based on one non-comparative trial, with a primary endpoint that is not necessarily objective.
Full text available for free download.
1 October 2022

An African covid-19 vaccine, despite foot-dragging by drug companies

 Editorial  As part of a WHO technology-transfer initiative, the South African biotech company Afrigen succeeded in producing a small quantity of a copy of Moderna's covid-19 vaccine elasomeran (Spikevax°). Since then, Afrigen has been working on the development and large-scale production of formulations that would be cheaper and less heat-sensitive than the original vaccine, to facilitate its use in Africa.
1 October 2022

Oral contraception: estetrol + drospirenone (Drovelis°), a combination to avoid

Yet another combined oral contraceptive has been marketed in Europe: a combination of estetrol and drospirenone (Drovelis°). But it is probably better to avoid the combination of an insufficiently evaluated oestrogen and a progestogen with worrying adverse effects.
1 October 2022

Antibiotic resistance: a growing threat

Action is needed on various fronts to tackle microbial resistance, including reducing the use of antibiotics in intensive animal-rearing, rationalising their use in humans, and developing antibiotics with new mechanisms of action.
1 October 2022

Oral use of injectable drugs: uncertain efficacy and known risks

Healthcare professionals sometimes administer an injectable form of a drug by mouth when no suitable oral liquid form exists. It is a risky and often ineffective practice. There is an old saying in France that if a substance can be injected it can also be swallowed, but despite its appeal, this idea is misleading and dangerous.
1 October 2022

Mycophenolic acid and pregnancy: genotoxicity, malformations, spontaneous abortions

FEATURED REVIEW Mycophenolic acid is used as an immunosuppressant to prevent graft rejection after certain types of organ transplant. What is known as of mid-2022 about the possible harms to children of in-utero exposure to this drug?
Full review (4 pages) available for download by subscribers.
1 September 2022

In the September issue of Prescrire International: late-onset neutropenia linked to rituximab (Mabthera° or other brands)

FREE DOWNLOAD Among 104 reports to French regional pharmacovigilance centres involving severe late-onset neutropenia linked to rituximab, the time to onset varied from 1.5 to 15 months after the last dose. These cases of neutropenia expose patients to a risk of serious infections.
Full text available for free download.
1 September 2022

Moderate use of medicines

 Editorial  There are many reasons for moderate use of medicines. First and foremost, to reduce the risk of adverse effects and drug interactions. But also to use drugs for what they are: just one of several therapeutic options, not the answer to everything.
1 September 2022

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