Event Monitoring and Evaluation by Community Pharmacists in Japan: A Pilot Study on Fenofibrate and Pemafibrate.

BACKGROUND: The Japan Pharmaceutical Association has conducted drug event monitoring to detect drug events related to pemafibrate. As there are a few studies on the safety of pemafibrate in clinical settings, a pilot study evaluating the association between drug use and detected events was performed in Japan. AIMS: In this study, the association between detected events and the use of pemafibrate, utilizing pharmacy records maintained by community pharmacists, was investigated. We identified the newuser cohort using a test and active comparison drug and collected the baseline information. An active comparison group comprising new users was used to assess the events. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study using questionnaires regarding baseline and event data was conducted by community pharmacists belonging to the Japan Pharmaceutical Association. The incidence of event and estimated hazard ratio were calculated using the Cox proportional hazards model that was adjusted for confounding factors, such as age and sex. RESULTS: A total of 1294 patients using pemafibrate and 508 patients using fenofibrate were identified as new drug users. The most reported events involving suspected adverse reactions and add-on drugs were increased blood pressure and lipid-lowering effects with pemafibrate use, and nasopharyngitis, pruritus, dizziness, and lipid-lowering effects with fenofibrate use. No significant differences were found in commonly occurring events, except that an add-on anti-hypertensive drug has been used by pemafibrate users compared to fenofibrate users. CONCLUSION: This study conducted by pharmacists can facilitate the safety assessment of newly marketed drugs, as few drug use investigations with a comparator are carried out by the Japanese authority for pharmaceutical companies. However, further research is required.

Safety of elobixibat and lubiprostone in Japanese patients with chronic constipation: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to discuss and compare reported adverse reactions and drug add-ons associated with elobixibat and lubiprostone use in chronic constipation treatment, as the safety of these drugs has not been well examined in post-marketing clinical settings. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, using records of community pharmacies in Japan, we identified new users of elobixibat and lubiprostone. The Japan Pharmaceutical Association sent questionnaires regarding baseline and event data to community pharmacists. The incidence of events and hazard ratio (HR) associated with the study drugs were evaluated. RESULTS: New users of elobixibat (n = 979) and lubiprostone (n = 829) were identified (mean age: 74 and 77 years; females: 59% and 53%, respectively). Although the crude risk ratio of adverse events for elobixibat was 0.79 (95% confidence interval: 0.63-0.99), there was no significant difference in the HR for any of the common events, including drug add-ons (n ≥ 5), compared with those for lubiprostone. CONCLUSION: No new safety concerns have been raised in relation to elobixibat and lubiprostone use for treating chronic constipation, although the HR of different events varied. Further larger-scale study is needed as the estimates for events of small numbers were unstable.