Assessing the Efficacy of the ARMOR Tool-Based Deprescribing Intervention for Fall Risk Reduction in Older Patients Taking Fall Risk-Increasing Drugs (DeFRID Trial): Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Falls in older patients can lead to serious health complications and increased health care costs. Fall risk-increasing drugs (FRIDs) are a group of drugs that may induce falls or increase the tendency to fall (ie, fall risk). Deprescribing is the process of withdrawal from an inappropriate medication, supervised by a health care professional, with the goal of managing polypharmacy and improving outcomes. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to assess the effectiveness of a deprescribing intervention based on the Assess, Review, Minimize, Optimize, and Reassess (ARMOR) tool in reducing the risk of falls in older patients and evaluate the cost-effectiveness of deprescribing FRIDs. METHODS: This is an open-label, parallel-group randomized controlled academic trial. Individuals aged 60-80 years who are currently taking 5 or more prescribed drugs, including at least 1 FRID, will be recruited. Demographic data, medical conditions, medication lists, orthostatic hypotension, and fall history details will be collected. Fall concern will be assessed using the Fall Efficacy Scale, and fall risk will be assessed by the Timed Up and Go test and Tinetti Performance-Oriented Mobility Assessment tool. In this study, all treating physicians will be randomized using a stratified randomization method based on seniority. Randomized physicians will do deprescribing with the ARMOR tool for patients on FRIDs. Participants will maintain diaries, and monthly phone follow-ups will be undertaken to monitor falls and adverse events. Physical assessments will be performed to evaluate fall risk every 3 months for a year. The rationality of prescription drugs will be evaluated using the World Health Organization's core indicators. RESULTS: The study received a grant from the Indian Council of Medical Research-Safe and Rational Use of Medicine in October 2023. The study is scheduled to commence in April 2024 and conclude by 2026. Efficacy will be measured by fall frequency and changes in fall risk scores. Cost-effectiveness analysis will also include the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio calculation. Adverse events related to deprescription will be recorded. CONCLUSIONS: This trial will provide essential insights into the efficacy of the ARMOR tool in reducing falls among the geriatric population who are taking FRIDs. Additionally, it will provide valuable information on the cost-effectiveness of deprescribing practices, offering significant implications for improving the well-being of older patients and optimizing health care resource allocation. The findings from this study will be pertinent for health care professionals, policy makers, and researchers focused on geriatric care and fall prevention strategies. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical Trials Registry - India CTRI/2023/12/060516; https://ctri.nic.in/Clinicaltrials/pubview2.php. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): PRR1-10.2196/55638.

Association of ITPA 94C>A genetic polymorphisms with azathioprine induced adverse effects in the South Indian population.

OBJECTIVES: Azathioprine (AZA) is an effective immunosuppressant commonly used for malignancy and immune-mediated disorders. The association between genetic polymorphisms and AZA-induced adverse effects has not been elucidated. Hence this study aimed to evaluate the relationship between single nucleotide polymorphisms of ITPA (C94A) with azathioprine-induced adverse effects. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed on 120 patients who were on AZA therapy for immunobullous disorders and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Eligible patients were enrolled from outpatient Departments of dermatology and medical gastroenterology and five mL of blood was collected after obtaining written informed consent. DNA extraction and genotyping were done by phenol-chloroform method and real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), respectively. RESULTS: The minor allele frequency of ITPA (A allele) was 30.8 %. The mutant genotypes of ITPA (C94A) were found to have no significant association with overall adverse effects in the South Indian patients on AZA therapy. CONCLUSIONS: We report no significant association between ITPA rs1127354 genetic polymorphism and adverse effects in the South Indian patients on AZA therapy.

Influence of EPHX1 c.337 T>C and UGT2B7*2 genetic polymorphisms on the requirement of carbamazepine maintenance dose in persons with epilepsy (PWE) of Southern part of India: a cross-sectional genetic association study.

OBJECTIVES: Carbamazepine (CBZ) is a first-line antiseizure drug used for focal onset seizures. It exhibits inter-individual variability in plasma carbamazepine levels and there are both genetic and non-genetic factors having a role in the requirement of CBZ maintenance dose. The aim was to study the influence of EPHX1 c.337 T>C and UGT2B7*2 genetic polymorphisms on CBZ maintenance dose requirement in persons with epilepsy. METHODS: Persons with epilepsy (PWE) of both gender of age 15-65 years on carbamazepine monotherapy who had been taking same maintenance dose for one year were eligible. Five milliliter of venous blood was collected in 10% EDTA under aseptic precautions. After centrifugation, the cellular component was used for DNA extraction and genotyping. For three genotypes of EPHX1 c.337 T>C and UGT2B7*2, the differences in mean carbamazepine dose were analyzed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). An unpaired t-test was used to draw a comparison between the genotypes and CBZ maintenance dose requirement for dominant and recessive models of EPHX1 c.337 T>C and UGT2B7*2. A value of p<0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. RESULTS: For UGT2B7*2 (rs 7439366), CT required a higher dose (CT 626 mg/day and TT 523 mg/day) but not found to be significant (p-value 0.167). PWE carrying CT genotype of EPHX1 c.337 T>C had 62 mg higher dose when compared to homozygous mutant CC (590 mg/day for CT and 528 mg/day for CC) but p-value was not found to be significant (p-value 0.835). CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study done in 115 PWE showed there was a lack of association between SNPs of EPHX1 c.337 T>C, UGT2B7*2 and CBZ maintenance dose requirement in Southern part of India and this finding has to be confirmed in a larger sample size.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Materiovigilance among Nurses at a Tertiary Care Hospital in South India: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background and Objective: Inadequate knowledge and underreporting of medical device-associated adverse events (MDAEs) were observed among health-care professionals (HCPs) in studies carried out in other countries. In India, HCP's knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) regarding materiovigilance have not been explored extensively. Hence, the present study was carried out to assess KAP of materiovigilance among nurses working in a tertiary care teaching hospital in South India. Materials and Methods: This is a descriptive, cross-sectional study conducted among nurses. A self-administered, validated questionnaire was distributed to 420 nurses. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software version 21.0. Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare KAP score of materiovigilance among the study participants. Results: A total of 400 (95.2%) responses were received. About 65.7% (n = 263) of nurses were having adequate knowledge about the various aspects of materiovigilance and 80.5% (n = 322) of nurses had a positive attitude toward MDAE reporting. However, only 18 (4.5%) of nurses have reported about MDAEs. Further, factors such as uncertainty on how to report a MDAE and concerns about their legal issues significantly led to underreporting of MDAEs. Conclusion: The transition of adequate knowledge and positive attitude to good practice of MDAE reporting was lacking among the study participants. Hence, with due consideration of these deficits and the various factors influencing MDAE reporting, it is necessary to conduct periodical workshops and training sessions for HCPs to enhance their spontaneous reporting of MDAEs.

Agreement Among Different Scales for Causality Assessment in Drug-Induced Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Identification of the offending drug is crucial and challenging in cases of severe cutaneous adverse drug reactions (CADR) like Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN). Poor reproducibility and varying levels of agreement have been observed among different causality assessment tools (CATs) in assessing severe CADRs. This study was conducted to examine the agreement among four different CATs in assessing cases of drug-induced SJS, TEN and SJS/TEN overlap. METHODS: All cases of drug-induced SJS, TEN and SJS/TEN overlap, which were reported between January 2012 and January 2020, were identified from the ADR register at an ADR monitoring centre. Causality assessment was done in these reported cases using the following CATs: The World Health Organization-Uppsala Monitoring Centre (WHO-UMC) scale, Naranjo algorithm, Liverpool algorithm and Algorithm of drug causality for epidermal necrolysis (ALDEN). Weighted kappa (κw) test was used to evaluate the agreement among four CATs. RESULTS: A total of 30 cases of drug-induced SJS, TEN and SJS/TEN overlap were included in our analyses. The most common offending groups of drugs were anticonvulsants (46.7%), antimicrobials (40%) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (13.3%). Of the anticonvulsants, phenytoin (13.3%), carbamazepine (10%), and valproate (10%) were the commonly reported offending drugs. Poor agreement was observed among the four different causality assessment scales. CONCLUSION: Discrepancies were observed among four different CATs in assessing drug-induced SJS and TEN. A CAT, which is more specific to drug-induced SJS and TEN, simple, user-friendly with limited subjective interpretation, incorporating new immunological and pharmacogenetic markers, is necessary.

National guidelines for gene therapy product (2019): A road-map to gene therapy products development and clinical trials.

The "National Guidelines for Gene Therapy Product (GTP) Development and Clinical Trials" prepared by the Indian Council of Medical Research and Department of Biotechnology in 2019 came as a welcome step in the process of regulation of gene therapy research, as there was a lack of Indian guidelines earlier specific to gene therapy. Indian researchers have taken their step in setting the path of gene therapy research, and this guideline serves to provide the standards starting from its development up to translation to new drug including the ethical, scientific, and regulatory requirements to be followed during the conduct of trial. The Indian guidelines were framed with reference to United States-Food and Drug Administration and European Union guidelines on gene therapy. It is the responsibility of all the stakeholders involved in the development of GTP to adhere to the national guidelines. This review provides an outline of the Indian regulatory guidelines on GTP.