n°100

April 2009

Issue Contents
Editorial

Free  Gambling with patients' well-being

p.48
The thalidomide case

Marketing Authorisations

Thalidomide (elderly myeloma patients) (New Indication)

p.49-52
Some improvement in first-line treatment

Ambroxol lozenges (sore throat) (New Drug)

p.52
Better to just suck on hard candy

Free  Duloxetine (generalised anxiety) (New Indication)

p.53
No thanks!

Editors' Opinion

p.53
Psychopanacea?

Ambrisentan (pulmonary hypertension) (New Drug)

p.54
Too risky in mildly symptomatic disease

Bosentan (pulmonary hypertension) (New Indication)

p.55
Too risky in mildly symptomatic disease

Editors' Opinion

p.55
Marketing authorisation unjustified
for patients with mildly symptomatic pulmonary arterial hypertension

Cilostazol (intermittent claudication) (New Drug)

p.56-59
Too little efficacy, too many risks

Sorafenib (hepatocellular carcinoma) (New Indication)

p.59
For some patients

Alemtuzumab (first-line in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia)(New Indication)

p.60
Continue to use chlorambucil

Rimonabant (marketing withdrawal)

p.61
Half-measures

Phenylbutazone (reappearance in France)

p.61
A NSAID to avoid

Human polyvalent immunoglobulin (multifocal motor neuropathy) (New Indication)

p.62
Slightly more muscle strength

INN common stems : -imod

p.62

INN common stems : -nicline

p.62

Febuxostat (hyperuricaemia) (New Drug)

p.63-65
Risk of gout attacks

Adverse Effects

Postmenopausal hormone therapy and breast cancer

p.66-67
An overall decrease attributable to reduced use of hormone therapy

Drug-induced hypoglycaemia

p.67
The most frequent cause is drug therapy for diabetes

Topical becaplermin

p.68
Cancer

Glucosamine plus vitamin K antagonists

p.68
Bleeding

Tiotropium

p.68
Stroke

Somatropin

p.68
Tumours and diabetes

Neuroleptics

p.68-69
Necrotising enterocolitis

Sorafenib

p.69
Gastrointestinal perforation

Trimetazidine

p.69
Abnormal movements and hallucinations

Exenatide

p.69
Pancreatitis

Reviews

Drug-eluting coronary stents

p.70-74
Many meta-analyses, little benefit

Coronary revascularisation, in brief

p.72-73

Irritable bowel syndrome

p.75-79
A mild disorder; purely symptomatic treatment

Varying diagnostic criteria for "irritable bowel syndrome"

p.78

Prescrire's advice

p.79
Relieving symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome

Outlook

Free  2008 Prescrire Awards

p.80-83

2008 Prescrire Drug Awards

p.81

2008 Prescrire Packaging Awards

p.82

2008 Prescrire Information Awards

p.83

Free  A look back at 2008: pharmaceutical quality problems

p.84-88

Drug evaluation: agencies must do more to protect patients

p.86

Transparency, pharmacovigilance and information: respect the rules protecting patients' interests!

p.87

A wide gap between healthcare provision and patients' needs

p.88

Dexfenfluramine:lawsuits in France and elsewhere

p.89-90

Free  The Non Merci... Charter 2009

p.91
The Non Merci... Charter 2009

Masthead

Free  Issue masthead

p.46

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