n°95

June 2008

Issue Contents
Editorial

Free  Clear and intelligible

p.90
Naming drugs with international nonproprietary names

Marketing Authorisations

Imatinib (some malignant haemopathies other than CML) (new drug)

p.91-94
New indications, but not robust evidence

INN common stems: -nab

p.94

INN common stems: -viroc

p.94

Meningococcal B vaccine (new drug)

p.95-97
The only vaccine against some serogroup B meningococci

Epidemiology of meningococcal infections in France: recent trends

p.96

Maraviroc (multiple antiretroviral treatment failure) (new drug)

p.98-101
Too soon to reach conclusions

The different classes of antiretroviral drugs

p.100

Carbamazepine oral syringe (new dose measuring device)

p.101
Risk of dosing errors

Recombinant parathyroid hormone (osteoporosis) (new drug)

p.102
Just a teriparatide me-too

Free  Papillomavirus vaccine types 16 and 18 (new drug)

p.103-104
Cervical cancer: just another vaccine

Fentanyl patch for stable chronic pain in children (new indication)

p.104
Used patches should be handled with care

Risedronic acid and calcium + colecalciferol (new combination)

p.105
A simple commercial ploy

Cisapride still around in France

p.105
Not acceptable

Frovatriptan (migraine attacks) (new drug)

p.106
An unnecessary triptan

Celecoxib (ankylosing spondylitis) (new indication)

p.106
No pain justifies the use of a cox-2 inhibitor

Docetaxel (metastatic gastric cancer) (new indication)

p.107
Keep using fluorouracil-based chemotherapy

Capecitabine (advanced-stage gastric cancer) (new indication)

p.107
Oral route for some patients

Meprobamate (labelling change)

p.108
No role for meprobamate in any indication

Sitaxentan (pulmonary hypertension) (new drug)

p.108
Better to continue to use bosentan

Darunavir

p.109
After multiple antiretroviral treatment failure: another option

Idursulfase

p.109
A poor risk-benefit balance in type II mucopolysaccharidosis

Adverse Effects

Nicorandil: serious gastrointestinal ulceration

p.110-111

Sodium phosphates and colonoscopy: renal failure

p.111

Sevelamer: constipation and occlusion

p.111

Dextropropoxyphene: welcome withdrawal from a French hospital's formulary

p.112

Exenatide: pancreatitis

p.112

Botulinum toxin: risk of death

p.112

Tegaserod: withdrawal from the world market

p.112-113

Varenicline: depression and suicide

p.113

Clobutinol: severe cardiac arrhythmias

p.113

Donepezil: syncope

p.113

Entacapone: hepatitis (continued)

p.113-114

Colchicine: fatal pancytopenia at therapeutic doses

p.114

Zolpidem dependence

p.114

Reviews

Arterial hypertension: second-line treatment

p.115-118
Try other single-agent treatments

Arterial hypertension: first-line treatment, in brief

p.116

Antihypertensive "treatment failure": possible causes

p.117

Diabetes and alcohol

p.118-120
Distinctive interactions

Herbal remedies for dyspepsia

p.121-123
Peppermint seems effective

Treatment of gout attacks

p.123

Outlook

Free  Editorial Self-medication: will the move from prescription-only to over-the-counter benefit the public?

p.124

Regulation Post-market follow-up studies: many studies requested but where are the results?

p.125

Free  About Prescrire 2007 Prescrire financial report

p.126-127

Safety Diethylstilbestrol: 30 years later harmful effects remain

p.128-129

France: patients take the lead

p.129

Guideline Drugs for Alzheimer's disease: lower ratings from a French government agency

p.130

The 2008 “Prescrire Encounters” in Rennes, France

p.132

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