Resective epilepsy surgery and its impact on depression in adults: a systematic review, meta-analysis, and implications for future research.

BACKGROUND: How epilepsy surgery influences the bidirectional relationship of epilepsy and depression remains poorly defined. METHOD: For a better understanding of this question, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of risk ratio on depression prevalence before and after epilepsy surgery, using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Three databases were comprehensively screened for all studies assessing depression before and after resective surgery in adult epileptic patients until 8 October 2022. Studies were included if depression was assessed before and after epilepsy surgery regardless of the time of follow-up. A total of 1917 studies were screened for eligibility and 91 full-texts up for inclusion; 35 studies were finally included, 25 studies and 2563 patients were included in main meta-analysis and 10 for exploratory analysis. Risk of bias was assessed using Risk Of Bias In Non-randomised Studies - of Interventions (ROBINS-I) from Cochrane. To derive the pooled depression rates before and after surgery, a meta-analysis with inversed-variance was performed using random-effects logistic models with Peto's correction and a 95% CI. Heterogeneity was assessed with Cochran's Q-test along with its derived measure of inconsistency I2. RESULTS: Overall, the depression rates before and after resective epilepsy surgery were 0.70 (0.53 to 0.91) 95% CI, suggesting that the rate of depression at last follow-up evaluation tends to decrease after Resective Epilepsy Surgery (RES). Subgroup analysis suggest a positive long-term effect appears with a significant lower rates of depression already 6 months (0.61 (0.38 to 0.98)), after surgery which is maintained over time after 1 year (0.53 (0.31 to 0.90)), and after 2 years (0.62 (0.42 to 0.92)). CONCLUSION: This important finding should be taken in consideration before resective surgery for drug-resistant epilepsies. However, prospective studies should be conducted to characterise which patient, at the individual level, might be at risk of de novo or worsening of depression. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42022355386.

Invasive fungal infection incidence and risk factors in patients receiving ibrutinib in real-life settings: A nationwide population-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Data on the risk of invasive fungal infections (IFI) with ibrutinib treatment are scarce. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine IFI incidence and risk factors in ibrutinib-treated patients in real-life settings. METHODS: We constituted a cohort of ibrutinib incident users in the French National Healthcare Database. All patients ≥18 years with a first dispensing of ibrutinib between 21 November 2014 and 31 December 2019 were included. Patients were followed from the cohort entry date until IFI, ibrutinib discontinuation, death, or 31 December 2020, whichever came first. The cumulative incidence function method was used to estimate the probability of IFI accounting for competing risk of death. A multivariate cause-specific Cox proportional hazards model was used to assess independent IFI risk factors. RESULTS: Among 6937 ibrutinib-treated patients, 1-year IFI cumulative incidence was 1.3%, with invasive aspergillosis being the most frequent. Allogenic or autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) (hazard ratio [HR] 3.59, 95% confidence interval [1.74; 7.41]), previous anticancer treatment (HR 2.12, CI 95% [1.34; 3.35]) and chronic respiratory disease (HR 1.66, [1.03; 2.67]) were associated with higher risk of IFI. Besides neutropenia and corticosteroids, use of anti-CD20 agents was significantly more frequent in patients having experienced IFI (HR 3.68, [1.82; 7.45]). CONCLUSIONS: In addition to patients with ASCT history, severe neutropenia or treated with corticosteroids, our findings support active surveillance of IFIs in those with chronic respiratory disease, previously treated, or treated with anti-CD20 agents in combination with ibrutinib. Further studies are needed to optimise IFI prophylaxis in these patient subgroups.

Can requests for real-world evidence by the French HTA body be planned? An exhaustive retrospective case-control study of medicinal products appraisals from 2016 to 2021.

OBJECTIVES: In France, decisions for pricing and reimbursement for medicinal products are based on appraisals performed by the National authority for health (Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS)). During the appraisal process, additional real-world evidence can be requested as "Post-Registration Studies" (PRS) when there are uncertainties in evidence that could be resolved by additional data collection. To facilitate PRS planning, a retrospective exploratory analysis was conducted to identify the characteristics of medicinal products associated with a PRS request. METHODS: This analysis encompassed all appraisals finalized between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2021 and compared products for which the appraisal led to a PRS request with those that did not. RESULTS: Six hundred positive opinions for reimbursement were identified, with a PRS request present in 17 percent (n = 103) of cases. The independent characteristics associated with a PRS request were a mild or moderate clinical benefit score, a major to moderate or minor clinical added value score, previous availability under an early access program, and certain therapeutic areas (neurology, pulmonology, and endocrinology). These findings suggest two different profiles of PRS requests: (i) products for which there is uncertainty in the size of the clinical benefit and (ii) innovative products for which a substantial benefit is expected but uncertainties persist. CONCLUSIONS: These results will assist health technology developers to better anticipate data generation to promptly address uncertainties identified by HAS. It may also help HAS and other assessment agencies to work together to improve postlaunch evidence generation according to the characteristics of the medicinal products.

Bleeding risk with concurrent use of anticoagulants and ibrutinib: A population-based nested case-control study.

Data regarding the safety of co-administration of ibrutinib with anticoagulants in real-life settings are scarce. Using a nationwide database, we conducted a nested case-control study in a cohort of new users of ibrutinib to assess the risk of clinically relevant bleeding (CRB) associated with anticoagulation. Cases were patients with a diagnosis of CRB, defined as hospitalization with a diagnosis of bleeding. The date of CRB constituted the index date. Up to four controls were matched on sex, age at index date and duration of follow-up. The risk of CRB associated with anticoagulation in patients receiving ibrutinib was estimated using conditional logistic regression models, providing odds ratios (OR) adjusted for risk factors of bleeding. Among 614 cases and 2407 matched controls, the risk of CRB was significantly higher in patients receiving both ibrutinib and anticoagulants (adjusted OR [aOR] 2.54, confidence interval [CI] 95% [1.94; 3.32]). When considering anticoagulant class, aOR was 1.99 (CI 95% [1.19; 3.33]) for VKA, 2.48 (CI 95% [1.76; 3.47]) for direct oral anticoagulants and 3.40 (CI 95% [2.01; 5.75]) for parenteral anticoagulants. In conclusion, this study found a 2.5-fold increased risk of CRB in patients receiving both ibrutinib and anticoagulants in real-life settings, and similar aOR among oral anticoagulants.

Adverse drug reaction related to drug shortage: A retrospective study on the French National Pharmacovigilance Database.

AIM: Drug shortages are a growing global health issue. The aim of the study was to evaluate the consequences of drug shortages on patient safety based on data recorded in the French National Pharmacovigilance Database. METHODS: All cases involving drug shortages reported from 1985 to the end of 2019 were extracted from the database. RESULTS: Following the selection process, 462 cases were included. The number of cases increased significantly from 2004 to 2019. Cases mainly involved drugs from the nervous system (22.1%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 17.5-27.0%), the cardiovascular system (16.4%, 95% CI 11.9-21.4%) and anti-infectives for systemic use (14.3%, 95% CI 9.7-19.2%) ATC classes. Most of the cases reported an adverse drug reaction (ADR) belonging to the SOC nervous system (21%, 95% CI 18-24%), skin and subcutaneous (14%, 95% CI 11-17%), general (13%, 95% CI 10-17%) and gastrointestinal (8%, 95% CI 5-11%) disorders. Disease worsening was observed in 15.9% of the cases, mostly related to a lack of efficacy of the replacement drug. Half of the cases were considered as serious. Evolution was favourable in 79.4% of the cases. Death and/or life-threatening situations were reported in 5.8% of the cases. Medication errors (MEs) were identified in 51 cases (11%), mostly occurring at the administration step and involving a human factor. CONCLUSION: This study emphasizes the clinical impact of drug shortage in terms of ADRs, ME and inefficiency. These observations underline the importance of a global health policy programme to limit the occurrence of drug shortages and to reinforce the information provided to patients and health care professionals in this context to limit risk.

Second-degree burn induced by high-concentration topical capsaicin with mobility sequelae: A case report.

High-concentration topical capsaicin is used as a second-line treatment for neuropathic pain. Transient, mild burning sensation and erythema are expected adverse drug reactions. Here, we report the first case of second degree burn after the application of a high-concentration topical capsaicin patch with secondary mobility sequelae. Nine months after the application, neuropathic pain still remained and the patient described mobility difficulties in daily activities, preventing her from returning to work. This report aims to raise the question of the benefit/risk ratio of high concentration topical capsaicin.

Association study between herpes zoster reporting and mRNA COVID-19 vaccines (BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273).

Several cases of herpes zoster (HZ) following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination (BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273) have been reported, and the first epidemiological evidence suggests an increased risk. We used the worldwide pharmacovigilance database VigiBase to describe HZ cases following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination. We performed disproportionality analyses (case/non-case statistical approach) to assess the relative risk of HZ reporting in mRNA COVID-19 vaccine recipients compared to influenza vaccine recipients and according to patient age. To 30 June 2021, of 716 928 reports with mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, we found 7728 HZ cases. When compared to influenza vaccines, mRNA COVID-19 vaccines were associated with a significantly higher reporting of HZ (reporting odds ratio 1.9, 95% CI 1.8-2.1). Furthermore, we found a reduced risk of reporting HZ among under 40-year-old persons compared to older persons (reporting odds ratio 0.39, 95% CI 0.36-0.41). Mild and infrequent HZ reactions may occur shortly after mRNA COVID-19 vaccination, at higher frequency than reported with influenza vaccination, especially in patients over 40 years old. Further analyses are needed to confirm this risk.

Safety profile of drugs for advanced melanoma: A report based on 2008-2018 US Food and Drug Administration Data.

We describe the safety profiles of all drug classes used for the treatment of advanced melanoma from the US Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System over 2008-2018. Adverse reactions reported in 25 900 pharmacovigilance cases are described for chemotherapies, immunomodulators, targeted therapies and immunotherapies. There was a sharp increase in the number of cases over time, with peaks associated with the launch of new treatments. The adverse reactions diversified over time; notably, skin (alopecias, dermatitis) and retinal disorders were frequently associated with targeted therapies and endocrine disorders (hypothalamus, thyroid and adrenal dysfunctions) with immunotherapies. Less well-known reactions were also detected, such as neuropsychiatric disorders with targeted therapies and gastrointestinal ulcers, pneumothorax and pleural effusions with immunotherapies. The findings highlight the need for various health professionals (including medical specialists or trained nurses) to enhance management of complications.

Medicine misuse: A systematic review and proposed hierarchical terminology.

AIMS: Although medicine misuse is a public health issue, it has multiple meanings in the medical literature. This study aimed to characterize, classify and identify the most appropriate definitions of medicine misuse. METHODS: A systematic review was performed in Medline, ISI Web of Science, SocINDEX, PsycInfo, PsycArticles and Psychological and Behavioral Sciences Collection, using keywords related to "misuse", "appropriateness" and "medicine" between 1 November 2008 and 25 August 2020. Additional searches were conducted in websites of regulatory agencies and public health institutions. Two authors independently selected studies providing both definitions and examples of misuse, while a third resolved disagreements. Definitions were used to propose a hierarchical classification based on initiator, intent, purpose and context of medicine misuse. The study is registered on PROSPERO: CRD42018115789. RESULTS: Of 3404 identified records, 51 were included. A total of 71 definitions and 74 examples of misuse were retrieved. When the prescriber is initiator and according to intent, potential medicine misuse referred to "intentional or unintentional prescribing not in line with clinical evidence". Based on context, they could prescribe medicines not clinically justified, i.e. overprescribing, or prescribe indicated medicines incorrectly, i.e. misprescribing. Among other groups of definitions, those overlapping with drug abuse or medication use errors were considered out-of-scope. CONCLUSION: This systematic review provides a comprehensive overview of the terms and definitions used to characterize medicine misuse and could serve as a basis for a terminology that makes clear distinctions between misuse, abuse and errors.

Patterns of use and safety of ibrutinib in real-life practice.

AIMS: To provide real-life data on patterns of use and safety of ibrutinib. METHODS: A cohort study including all patients initiating ibrutinib between 21 November 2014 and 21 November 2018, and followed for 1 year was conducted. Patient characteristics, ibrutinib use and adverse drug reactions (ADRs) were collected from medical records. Kaplan-Meier analysis estimated the probability of developing ibrutinib-associated serious ADRs (SADRs) with a 95% confidence interval (CI). A Cox proportional hazards model was used to investigate factors associated with SADR occurrence. RESULTS: In total, 102 patients were included in the study. The median age was 70.3 years (interquartile range 64.7-75.6), the male/female gender ratio was 2.9. Almost half the patients (47.1%) were prescribed ibrutinib for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). Forty-three patients (42.1%) permanently discontinued ibrutinib in the first year, mostly for progression (51.2%) or ADRs (32.6%). Forty-eight patients (47.1%) experienced at least one ibrutinib-associated SADR. Haematological, infectious and vascular disorders were the most frequent SADRs. The probability of developing ibrutinib-associated SADR was 35.1% (95% CI 26.3-45.7%) at 3 months, 44.8% (35.2%; 55.8%) at 6 months and 54.3% (44.0%; 65.2%) at 12 months. Age ≥80 years (hazard ratio [HR] 2.03; 95% CI 1.02-4.05) and CLL (HR 1.81; 95% CI 1.01-3.25) were significantly associated with a higher risk of SADR occurrence. CONCLUSION: This study found a high cumulative incidence of ibrutinib-associated SADRs within the first year of treatment. In view of the risk of SADR, patients aged ≥80 years or treated for CLL deserve special attention.

Added Therapeutic Value of Medicinal Products for French and German Health Technology Assessment Organizations: A Systematic Comparison.

OBJECTIVES: Determining the price and reimbursement of a new medicine is a national competence within the Member States of the European Union that is carried out by health technology authorities and is based mainly on the added therapeutic value (ATV). The primary objective of this study was to compare the ATVs granted by the French (Haute Autorité de Santé, HAS) and the German (Institut für Qualität und Wirtschaftlichkeit im Gesundheitswesen, IQWIG) authorities. The secondary objective was to analyze the reasons for the discrepancies observed. METHODS: Retrospective cohort of all ATVs assigned by HAS and IQWIG for the period 2011 to 2017. ATV assessments were classified as major, considerable, minor, no benefit, or not quantifiable. The concordance between the authorities was evaluated, and a qualitative analysis of highly discordant assessments was performed. RESULTS: One hundred and ninety-one drugs were evaluated by both agencies. The overall percentage of agreement was 50.3%. It was 73.1% for no benefit of ATVs, 37.5% for minor ATVs, 31.2% for considerable ATVs, and 5% for major ATVs. Highly conflicting assessments (n = 35) mainly concerned antineoplastic drugs (n = 14) and anti-infectives (n = 14). The main reasons for inconsistency concerned the following: a different appreciation of the subgroup analysis of efficacy data (n = 15), the appropriateness of comparators (n = 15), the surrogate endpoints (n = 10), methodological differences (n = 8), and the benefit/risk criteria that were used (n = 6). CONCLUSION: In the context of the common assessment of ATVs promoted by the European Commission, the harmonization between member states regarding the way evaluation criteria are assessed deserves to be addressed.

Risk of bradyarrhythmia related to ticagrelor: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

CONTEXT: Ticagrelor was related to bradycardia in DISPERSE-II trial. This risk has been integrated into the European risk-management plan, and its use is warned in at-risk patients. Nevertheless, this risk was not systematically assessed nor measured. OBJECTIVES: To estimate the risk of bradyarrhythmia associated with ticagrelor. STUDY DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis. DATA-SOURCE: MEDLINE, Scopus, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, ISI web of Science, clinicaltrial.gov, clinicaltrialsregister.eu. STUDY SELECTION: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies in patients treated with ticagrelor or comparator(s). META-ANALYSIS: Risk of bias in each RCT was assessed using Cochrane tool. Relative Risks (RR) with 95 % confidence intervals (95 %CI) were calculated for each RCT, and pooled using fixed-effect or random-effects models, when appropriate. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed. A potential publication bias was searched. RESULTS: Among 82 eligible studies, event data were missing for 56 studies, due to detected reporting bias (i.e. inability to confirm zero events). Fifteen RCTs were selected and the combined RR of bradyarrhythmia was 1.15 (95 %CI 1.05-1.26), and 1.29 (1.02-1.65) for severe bradyarrhythmia. The risk appeared to be dose dependent. Restricting the analysis only to RCTs performed in patients without previous bradyarrhythmia resulted in a non-increased risk. CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis confirmed the risk of bradyarrhythmia or severe bradyarrhythmia related to ticagrelor, and its use in patients without previous bradycardia was effective in preventing it. The evidence coming from this meta-analysis was low to moderate due to missing outcome in 2/3 of eligible studies. Waiting for access to these data, the use of ticagrelor in patients with risk factors of bradycardias should be avoided.

Human papillomavirus vaccine and demyelinating diseases-A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Approved in 2006, human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines were initially targeted for girls aged 9-14 years. Although the safety of these vaccines has been monitored through post-licensure surveillance programmes, cases of neurological events have been reported worldwide. The present study aimed to assess the risk of developing demyelination after HPV immunization by meta-analysing risk estimates from pharmacoepidemiologic studies. A systematic review was conducted in Medline, Embase, ISI Web of Science and the Cochrane Library from inception to 10 May 2017, without language restriction. Only observational studies including a control group were retained. Study selection was performed by two independent reviewers with disagreements solved through discussion. This meta-analysis was performed using a generic inverse variance random-effect model. Outcomes of interest included a broad category of central demyelination, multiple sclerosis (MS), optic neuritis (ON), and Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), each being considered independently. Heterogeneity was investigated; sensitivity and subgroup analyses were performed when necessary. In parallel, post-licensure safety studies were considered for a qualitative review. This study followed the PRISMA statement and the MOOSE reporting guideline. Of the 2,863 references identified, 11 articles were selected for meta-analysis. No significant association emerged between HPV vaccination and central demyelination, the pooled odds ratio being 0.96 [95% CI 0.77-1.20], with a moderate but non-significant heterogeneity (I2 = 29%). Similar results were found for MS and ON. Sensitivity analyses did not alter our conclusions. Findings from qualitative review of 14 safety studies concluded in an absence of a relevant signal. Owing to limited data on GBS, no meta-analysis was performed for this outcome. This study strongly supports the absence of association between HPV vaccines and central demyelination.

Detection of drug safety signals from clinical trials data: Role of SUSARs.

One of the main goals of safety management in clinical trials is to detect suspected unexpected serious adverse reactions (SUSARs). The unexpectedness concerns the nature, frequency or severity of an adverse reaction. Drug safety signals could thus be retrieved, and a study was performed to investigate whether SUSARs allow signal detection in pharmacovigilance. Data from six academic safety units were collected from 2005 to 2016. Characteristics of SUSARs were analysed and signals were identified i) by evaluating the presence of other causes, ii) by assessing the summary of product characteristics (SPC), iii) by searching for specific safety information in Pubmed and health agencies, and iv) by investigating the narrative of each case. Pharmacological plausibility was evaluated by compatible mechanism of reaction and time-to-onset. During the study period, 211 SUSARs were collected. They mostly concerned general disorders (26.1%) and protein kinase inhibitors (24.6%). After eliminating SUSARs with other causes or those considered as expected, 50 SUSARs (23.7%), involving a total of 115 drug-reaction pairs, concerned potential safety signals. Among these pairs, 12 (10.4%) were considered as pharmacologically plausible. This study indicates that one quarter of SUSARs collected in academic clinical trials refers to potential safety signals, especially for oncologic drugs. One tenth of drug-reaction pairs was considered to have a pharmacological plausibility and could merit further evaluation. This is the first study suggesting that SUSARs could be a source of safety signals and that their routine analysis should be complementary to spontaneous reporting.

Pharmacological treatments of cardiovascular diseases: Evidence from real-life studies.

The management of chronic cardiovascular diseases has evolved greatly in the last decades. Over the last thirty years, the management of acute coronary syndrome has improved, leading to an important lowering of the mortality in the acute phase of the event. Consequently, the optimal management of the secondary prevention of acute coronary syndrome has greatly evolved. Moreover, the increased number of pharmacological alternatives for patients affected by chronic heart failure and by non-valvular atrial fibrillation reserves a number of challenges for their correct management. Moreover, these diseases are without any reasonable doubt the largest contributor to global mortality in the present and will continue to be it in the future. The aim of this study was to provide the most updated information of the real-life drug use and their effectiveness. This review was performed to assess the potential knowledge gaps in the treatments of these diseases and to indicate potential perspective of pharmaco-epidemiological research in this area.

Impact of pioglitazone regulatory withdrawal on antidiabetic drug use and health in diabetic patients.

PURPOSE: In 2011, pioglitazone was withdrawn from the French market owing to a potential risk of bladder cancer. This study aimed at assessing the impact of this pioglitazone withdrawal (PW) considering (i) trends in antidiabetic uses and (ii) changes in hospitalization/death rates in diabetic patients following PW. METHODS: We first considered the general population of the Echantillon Généraliste des Bénéficiaires (EGB), a 1/97th representative sample of the French healthcare insurance system beneficiaries, for the 2010-2014 period. In this, for each non-insulinic antidiabetic drug class, changes within the numbers of monthly supplied drug units for 1000 subjects were studied through times series and Unobserved Component Models. Second, we identified from the EGB a cohort of patients who were delivered a non-insulinic antidiabetic between 01 April 2011 and 01 August 2011 (date of PW). In this, post-withdrawal incidences of all-cause hospitalization and death were compared amongst pioglitazone users and non-users using proportional subdistribution hazards models. RESULTS: PW was accompanied by an increase in metformin (+ 11.7; 95% CI 1.1-22.3) and glinide (+ 11.0; 95% CI 1.2-20.8) numbers of monthly supplied units for 1000 subjects. No significant change was found for GLP-1 agonists, DPP-4 inhibitors, sulphonylureas or alpha-glucosidase inhibitors. In the cohort of non-insulinic antidiabetic users at the time of PW (1093 pioglitazone users, 17,900 non-users), being a pioglitazone user at PW was not associated with a subsequently higher rate of hospitalization. CONCLUSIONS: If PW was accompanied with significant changes in the use of some antidiabetics, no adverse impact of PW on hospitalization or death rates of diabetic type 2 patients was found.