Periprocedural to 1-year safety and efficacy outcomes with the Pipeline Embolization Device with Shield technology for intracranial aneurysms: a prospective, post-market, multi-center study.

BACKGROUND: The first and second generations of the Pipeline Embolization Device (PED) have been widely adopted for the treatment of intracranial aneurysms (IAs) due to their high associated occlusion rates and low morbidity and mortality. The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the third- generation Pipeline Shield device (PED-Shield) for the treatment of IAs. METHODS: The SHIELD study was a prospective, single-arm, multicenter, post-market, observational study evaluating the PED-Shield device for the treatment of IAs. The primary efficacy endpoint was complete aneurysm occlusion without significant parent artery stenosis or retreatment at 1-year post-procedure and the primary safety endpoint was major stroke in the territory supplied by the treated artery or neurological death. RESULTS: Of 205 subjects who consented across 21 sites, 204 subjects with 204 target aneurysms were ultimately treated (mean age 54.8±12.81 years, 81.4% [166/204] female). Technical success (ie, deployment of the PED-Shield) was achieved in 98.0% (200/204) of subjects with a mean number of 1.1±0.34 devices per subject and a single device used in 86.8% (177/204) of subjects. The primary effectiveness endpoint was met in 71.7% (143/200) of subjects while the primary safety endpoint occurred in six (2.9%) subjects, two (1.0%) of which led to neurological death. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of the SHIELD study support the safety and effectiveness of the PED-Shield for IA treatment, evidenced by high occlusion rates and low rates of neurological complications in the study population. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION-URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT02719522.

Medical device active surveillance of spontaneous reports: A literature review of signal detection methods.

PURPOSE: The collection and analysis of real-world data for the active monitoring of medical device performance and safety has become increasingly important. Spontaneous reports, such as those in the Food & Drug Administration's (FDA's) Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience (MAUDE), provide early warning of potential issues with marketed devices. This review synthesizes the current literature on medical device surveillance signal detection and provides a framework for application of methods to active surveillance of spontaneous reports. METHODS: Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid Embase, Scopus, and PubMed databases were systematically searched up to January 2019. Additionally, five methods articles from pharmacovigilance were added that had potential applications to medical devices. RESULTS: Among 105 articles included, the most common source of data (84%) was registries; median time between data collection and publication was 8 years. Surgical procedure outcome signal detection articles comprised 83% while 14% were on device outcome signal detection. The most common family of methods cited (70%) was Sequential Probability Ratio. CONCLUSION: Application of any signal detection algorithm requires careful consideration of influential factors, data limitations, and algorithmic assumptions. We recommend approaches using disproportionality, statistical process control, and sequential probability tests and provide R packages to further development efforts. The small number of published examples suggest that further development of statistical methods and technological solutions to analyze large amounts of data for device safety and performance is needed. Fundamental differences in products, data infrastructure, and the regulatory landscape suggest that medical device vigilance requires its own body of research distinct from pharmacovigilance.

Acute kidney injury associated with febuxostat and allopurinol: a post-marketing study.

BACKGROUND: For patients with recurrent flares of gout, tophi, urate crystal arthropathy, and renal stones, urate-lowering therapies (ULTs, including allopurinol and febuxostat) are the first-line treatment. Due to the widespread use of these ULTs (especially in patients with impaired renal function), assessment of the associated renal risk is essential. Accordingly, we performed a disproportionality analysis of reported cases of acute renal failure (ARF) associated with allopurinol and febuxostat. METHODS: We carried out a case/non-case study of the World Health Organization's VigiBase® pharmacovigilance database between January 1, 2008, and December 31, 2018. The frequency of reports of ARF as a standardized Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities query for allopurinol and febuxostat was compared with that of all other reports for the two drugs and quoted as the reporting odds ratio (ROR) [95% confidence interval (CI)]. The results' stability was assessed in a series of sensitivity analyses (notably after the exclusion of putative competing drugs). RESULTS: Among 3509 "suspected drug" notifications for febuxostat and 18,730 for allopurinol, we identified respectively 317 and 1008 cases of ARF. Acute renal failure was reported significantly more frequently for febuxostat and allopurinol than for other drugs (ROR [95%CI] 5.67 [5.05-6.36] and 3.25 [3.05-3.47], respectively). For both drugs, the ROR was higher in women than in men, respectively 11.60 [9.74-13.82] vs. 3.14 [2.69-3.67] for febuxostat and 4.45 [4.04-4.91] vs. 2.29 [2.11-2.50] for allopurinol. The sensitivity analyses confirmed the disproportionality for these two ULTs. CONCLUSIONS: Acute renal failure was reported respectively 5.7 and 3.3 times more frequently for febuxostat and for allopurinol than for other drugs. Due to the potential consequences of ARF, physicians should take account of this disproportionality signal when prescribing the ULTs febuxostat and allopurinol.

[The Current State and Future Prospects of Population Pharmacokinetic Research in Post-marketing Clinical Studies in Japan].

Population pharmacokinetics (PPK) is a useful approach to the evaluation of drug pharmacokinetics in patients and is a widely used method for the evaluation of pharmacokinetics in clinical trials. PPK uses a statistical model to calculate population parameters, their variance, and covariates from sparse and unbalanced data in a large target population. Population parameters can subsequently be used to establish individual prescribing regimens for specific patients. Post-marketing clinical studies using PPK analysis have been reported by medical and academic institutions in order to complement the poor pharmacokinetics information, thus increasing the available pharmacokinetics information. However, because, in many cases, PPK information is not indicated in the package insert (PI), pharmacokinetics information such as pharmacokinetics parameters and associated variable factors is insufficient. We investigated what kind of new information was obtained in the post-marketing clinical studies using PPK analysis and whether these PPK results were described in Japan PI and/or interview form (IF). We showed that many post-marketing clinical studies were conducted as a single-center and observational study in order to supplement deficient pharmacokinetics data. Also, most PPK results obtained from post-marketing studies were not included in Japan PI and/or IF presumably due to lack of quality of PPK models. If sufficient post-marketing clinical studies using high-quality PPK models are performed, PPK models based on patients with diverse backgrounds, which take inter-individual variability into consideration, can be constructed and PPK information can contribute to the proper use of drugs and the promotion of individualized treatment strategies.

Analysis of Ornidazole Injection in Clinical Use at Post-marketing Stage by Centralized Hospital Monitoring System.

This study aims to analyze the clinical use of ornidazole injection at the post-marketing stage by centralized hospital monitoring system method, and investigate its widespread use in patients, in order to regulate and guide the rational drug use, improve the drug specificity and provide a basis for drug therapy. The study adopts a prospective, multi-center, large sample size, centralized hospital monitoring system. We selected five leading hospitals in Hubei province, and observed the inpatients who received the ornidazole injection from July 1, 2015 to October 31, 2015. The basic information of patients was recorded, as well as the drug use and adverse events. The statistical analysis was performed based on these data. A total of 4396 individuals were enrolled in this study, most of them were middle-aged female patients and the ornidazole injection was mainly used as prophylactic prior to surgery to prevent the infections, and surgical treatment of anaerobic infections, abdominal infections and pelvic infections. The irrational drug use existed mainly in the prescribing and administration process, including unreasonable dosing frequency, rapid intravenous drip speed and extended duration of drug use. Eleven cases of adverse reactions were collected during the monitoring, incidence rate of adverse reactions was 2.5‰; adverse drug reactions occurred within 30 min. The study results fully reflected the usage of ornidazole injection in the real world. Based on the study, we calculated the adverse reaction incidence of ornidazole and identified the risk factors which may affect the safety of ornidazole injection. Study results strongly recommend that the manufacturers should publish standards for inpatient use and doctors should prescribe with caution accordingly.

Long-term safety of secukinumab in patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis: integrated pooled clinical trial and post-marketing surveillance data.

BACKGROUND: Secukinumab, a fully human immunoglobulin G1-kappa monoclonal antibody that directly inhibits interleukin (IL)-17A, has been shown to have robust efficacy in the treatment of moderate-to-severe psoriasis (PsO), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) demonstrating a rapid onset of action and sustained long-term clinical responses with a consistently favorable safety profile in multiple Phase 2 and 3 trials. Here, we report longer-term pooled safety and tolerability data for secukinumab across three indications (up to 5 years of treatment in PsO and PsA; up to 4 years in AS). METHODS: The integrated clinical trial safety dataset included data pooled from 21 randomized controlled clinical trials of secukinumab 300 or 150 or 75 mg in PsO (14 Phase 3 trials and 1 Phase 4 trial), PsA (3 Phase 3 trials), and AS (3 Phase 3 trials), along with post-marketing safety surveillance data with a cut-off date of June 25, 2017. Adverse events (AEs) were reported as exposure-adjusted incident rates (EAIRs) per 100 patient-years. Analyses included all patients who received ≥ 1 dose of secukinumab. RESULTS: A total of 5181, 1380, and 794 patients from PsO, PsA, and AS clinical trials representing secukinumab exposures of 10,416.9, 3866.9, and 1943.1 patient-years, respectively, and post-marketing data from patients with a cumulative exposure to secukinumab of ~ 96,054 patient-years were included in the analysis. The most frequent AE was upper respiratory tract infection. EAIRs across PsO, PsA, and AS indications were generally low for serious infections (1.4, 1.9, and 1.2, respectively), Candida infections (2.2, 1.5, and 0.7, respectively), inflammatory bowel disease (0.01, 0.05, and 0.1, respectively), and major adverse cardiac events (0.3, 0.4, and 0.6, respectively). No cases of tuberculosis reactivation were reported. The incidence of treatment-emergent anti-drug antibodies was low with secukinumab across all studies, with no discernible loss of efficacy, unexpected alterations in pharmacokinetics, or association with immunogenicity-related AEs. CONCLUSIONS: Secukinumab demonstrated a favorable safety profile over long-term treatment in patients with PsO, PsA, and AS. This comprehensive assessment demonstrated that the safety profile of secukinumab was consistent with previous reports in patients with PsO, PsA, and AS, supporting its long-term use in these chronic conditions.

The Missing Reality of Real Life in Real-World Evidence.

Reality is defined as a real event, a real thing, or state of affairs. Reality exists in the places where we live our daily lives, in the relationships we have with others, and in our experiences, circumstances, and situations that occur across the lifespan. As the everydayness of our lives becomes increasingly digitized, data generated from the reality that exists outside of our healthcare encounters holds much promise to fill recognized gaps in real-world evidence (RWE). In the past decade, many factors have converged to uniquely position person-generated data for use in health care delivery, payment reform, product development, and regulatory decision making. Yet, real-world data will fall short of its promise to fill gaps in RWE if what we learn does not reflect the real lives of real people from across the spectrum of social, economic, and cultural experiences.

Safety and efficacy of infliximab in the treatment of refractory uveoretinitis in Behçet's disease: a large-scale, long-term postmarketing surveillance in Japan.

BACKGROUND: Infliximab, an anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha antibody, has been reported to have excellent efficacy for refractory uveoretinitis in Behçet's disease (RUBD), and was approved for this indication in Japan. However, the long-term safety profile and efficacy in real-world clinical settings in patients with RUBD have not been fully clarified. The BRIGHT study, a prospective, large-scale, long-term postmarketing surveillance (PMS) study, was conducted to investigate the long-term safety and efficacy of infliximab in Japanese patients with RUBD. METHODS: All patients with RUBD who started infliximab treatment between January 2007 and January 2010 were enrolled. Safety was evaluated every 6 months for up to 24 months after initiation of therapy in 656 patients, and efficacy was evaluated in 650 patients. Patient characteristics were compared using the chi-square or Fisher's exact test. The frequency of ocular attacks before and after infliximab treatment was compared using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Independent associated factors for safety or efficacy were identified using multiple logistic regression analysis. A two-sided p value <0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Among the 656 patients evaluated for safety, 555 (84.6%) completed the 24-month study period. The incidence of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and serious ADRs were 32.32% and 6.10%, respectively, and the safety profile was comparable to that of Japanese PMS of infliximab for other diseases. The most common ADRs and serious ADRs were infections (11.89% and 3.66%). Tuberculosis was reported in two patients, and Pneumocystis jirovecii in one. Identified independent associated factors for infections were comorbid respiratory disease, history of allergic disease, and concomitant use of glucocorticoids. Although infusion reactions were observed in 11.13% of patients, most were non-serious. The response rate at 24 months by physician global assessment was 80.7%. Median frequency of ocular attacks per 6 months significantly decreased compared with that before infliximab treatment (2.0 to 0.0), and corrected visual acuity was maintained during the study. CONCLUSIONS: Infliximab treatment had good tolerability and efficacy in Japanese patients with RUBD in this large-scale, long-term PMS. Infliximab treatment seemed to be a good treatment option for RUBD in real-world clinical settings. TRIAL REGISTRATION: UMIN Clinical Trials Registry, UMIN000027733 . Retrospectively registered on 6 June 2017.

The Role of European Healthcare Databases for Post-Marketing Drug Effectiveness, Safety and Value Evaluation: Where Does Italy Stand?

Enormous progress has been made globally in the use of evidence derived from patients' clinical information as they access their routine medical care. The value of real-world data lies in their complementary nature compared with data from randomised controlled trials: less detailed information on drug efficacy but longer observational periods and larger, more heterogeneous study populations reflecting clinical practice because individuals are included who would not usually be recruited in trials. Real-world data can be collected in various types of electronic sources, such as electronic health records, claims databases and drug or disease registries. These data sources vary in nature from country to country, according to national healthcare system structures and national policies. In Italy, a growing number of healthcare databases have been used to evaluate post-marketing drug utilisation and safety in the last two decades. The aim of this narrative review is to describe the available Italian sources of real-world data and their contribution to generating post-marketing evidence on drug use and safety. We also discuss the strengths and limitations of the most commonly used Italian healthcare databases in addressing various research questions concerning drug utilisation, comparative effectiveness and safety studies, as well as health technology assessment and other areas.

Lower Proportion of Spontaneous Adverse Event Reports for Generic Drugs by Comparison With Original Branded Drugs at the Postmarket Stage in Japan.

We investigated impacts of increased generic drug use on spontaneous adverse event reports (SAERs), because SAERs have been a major source of data for drug safety assessment at the postmarket stage. Reporting proportion of SAERs for the generic drugs was consistently and significantly lower than that for the original branded drugs. The reporting proportion targeting for 55 active product ingredients, which had the longest follow-up period after generic drug marketed, gradually decreased for the original branded drugs and increased for the generic drugs. However, these transitions did not parallel the changes in market share over the same period. These results suggest that the reporting proportion of SAERs for generic drugs may not keep pace with growth in market share. When generic drugs account for the majority of market share, utilization of multiple sources of information and data, in addition to SAERs, may be a key to assuring drug safety at the postmarket stage.

Vacunación frente a la gripe estacional en las personas mayores. Evaluación de la vacuna tetravalente. Informe de posicionamie / Seasonal flu vaccination for older people: Evaluation of the quadrivalent vaccine. Positioning repor

La gripe es un importante problema de salud pública, particularmente en las personas susceptibles de presentar complicaciones asociadas, personas mayores, niños menores de 2 años, enfermos crónicos, inmunocomprometidos y embarazadas. Pero, además, la gripe tiene un gran impacto sanitario con un aumento de la demanda asistencial y un espectacular aumento de las visitas ambulatorias, sobrecargando los servicios de urgencias y hospitalarios. Durante los brotes epidémicos, las tasas de hospitalización de las personas mayores de 65 años son máximas y la mortalidad notificada por gripe en la temporada 2017/2018 ha sido de 960 defunciones. La vacunación antigripal estacional es el método con una mayor relación coste-efectividad de prevención primaria de la gripe, reduciendo las enfermedades respiratorias relacionadas, el número de visitas a las consultas médicas, el número de hospitalizaciones y muertes en personas de alto riesgo y el absentismo laboral en adultos. En los últimos años la gripe B ha recibido escasa atención en la literatura científica y, sin embargo, en períodos interepidémicos, la gripe B puede ser una de las principales causas de epidemias de gripe estacional, causando una considerable morbimortalidad y un aumento de costes. La vacuna tetravalente, a diferencia de la trivalente, obtiene una protección inmunológica frente al segundo linaje de la gripe B y, de acuerdo con una revisión crítica de la literatura científica, proporciona una protección más amplia sin afectar a la inmunogenicidad de las otras 3 cepas vacunales comunes a las vacunas trivalente y tetravalente. La vacuna tetravalente es coste-efectiva al disminuir el número de casos de gripe y siempre es una intervención rentable, con un importante ahorro de coste para el sistema de salud y para la sociedad, disminuyendo las tasas de hospitalización y de mortalidad asociadas a las complicaciones de la gripe

Influenza is a significant health problem, particularly in those persons susceptible to having associated complications, older people, children less than 2 years, patients with chronic diseases, immunocompromised patients, and pregnant women. But influenza also has a large impact on the health system, with an increase in the healthcare demand and a spectacular increase in outpatient visits, overloading the emergency and hospital services. During epidemic outbreaks, the hospital admission rates of people over 65 years are at a maximum, and the mortality notified for the 2017/2018 influenza season was 960 deaths. The seasonal anti-influenza vaccine is the method with a better cost-effective ratio of primary prevention of influenza, reducing associated respiratory diseases, the number of hospital admissions, and deaths in high risk individuals, as well as work absenteeism in adults. In the last few years, influenza B has received little attention in the scientific literature, although in the periods between epidemics influenza B can be one of the main causes of seasonal epidemics, causing considerable morbidity and mortality and an increase in costs. The quadrivalent vaccine has a second-line immunological protection against influenza B, and according to a critical review of the scientific literature, it provides wider protection without affecting immunogenicity of the other three vaccine strains common to the trivalent and tetravalent vaccine. The quadrivalent vaccine is cost-effective in reducing the number of influenza cases, and is always a worthwhile intervention, with a significant cost saving for the health system and for society, by reducing the hospital admission rates and mortality associated with the complications of influenza

Safety and efficacy of Rapamune® (Sirolimus) in kidney transplant recipients: results of a prospective post-marketing surveillance study in Korea.

BACKGROUND: Few post-marketing surveillance studies have examined the safety and efficacy of Rapamune® (Sirolimus) in Asian countries. This study aimed to better understand safety and efficacy of Rapamune for kidney transplant recipients in the routine clinical practice setting in Korea. METHODS: This was an open-label, non-comparative, observational, prospective, multi-center, post-marketing surveillance study conducted at 15 Korean transplant centers between 31 August 2009 and 24 September 2015. The subjects were administered Rapamune as part of routine practice. The safety was monitored based on reporting of adverse events (AEs). Efficacy endpoints included acute rejection, graft function, graft survival, and patient survival. RESULTS: Rapamune was most commonly used for late conversion therapy after post-transplant 1 year and was substituted for anti-metabolites (63.6%) or calcineurin inhibitors (28.7%). The median treatment duration of Rapamune was 182 days. Among 209 subjects enrolled, AEs and adverse drug reactions (ADRs) were reported in 54.07% and 43.06% of subjects, respectively, in the safety analysis set. Most of the AEs were expected (96.21%), mild (75.83%), did not result in any action taken with regard to the study drug (72.99%), and resolved by the end of the study (75.36%). The most frequently reported AEs/ADRs were pharyngitis and diarrhea. Most of the serious AEs/ADRs occurred in one or two subjects. Unexpected ADRs of renal artery occlusion and cholangitis were reported by one subject each. The incidence of biopsy-proven acute rejection was 2.87%. At the end of the study, 99.51% of the subjects and their grafts had survived. The mean eGFR was 64.72 ± 19.56 mL/min. CONCLUSIONS: Rapamune had an acceptable safety profile in prevention of kidney allograft rejection in Korea.

The POST trial: initial post-market experience of the Penumbra system: revascularization of large vessel occlusion in acute ischemic stroke in the United States and Europe.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess the initial post-market experience of the device and how it is compared with the Penumbra Pivotal trial used to support the 510k application. METHODS: A retrospective case review of 157 consecutive patients treated with the Penumbra system at seven international centers was performed. Primary endpoints were revascularization of the target vessel (TIMI score of 2 or 3), good functional outcome as defined by a modified Rankin scale (mRS) score of ≤2 and incidence of procedural serious adverse events. Results were compared with those of the Penumbra pivotal trial. RESULTS: A total of 157 vessels were treated. Mean baseline values at enrollment were: age 65 years, NIHSS score 16. After use of the Penumbra system, 87% of the treated vessels were revascularized to TIMI 2 (54%) or 3 (33%) as compared with 82% reported in the Pivotal trial. Nine procedural serious adverse events were reported in 157 patients (5.7%). All-cause mortality was 20% (32/157), and 41% had a mRS of ≤2 at 90-day follow-up as compared with only 25% in the Pivotal trial. Patients who were successfully revascularized by the Penumbra system had significantly better outcomes than those who were not. CONCLUSION: Initial post-market experience of the Penumbra system revealed that the revascularization rate and safety profile of the device are comparable to those reported in the Pivotal trial. However, the proportion of patients who had good functional outcome was higher than expected.

North American Solitaire Stent Retriever Acute Stroke registry: post-marketing revascularization and clinical outcome results.

BACKGROUND: Limited post-marketing data exist on the use of the Solitaire FR device in clinical practice. The North American Solitaire Stent Retriever Acute Stroke (NASA) registry aimed to assess the real world performance of the Solitaire FR device in contrast with the results from the SWIFT (Solitaire with the Intention for Thrombectomy) and TREVO 2 (Trevo versus Merci retrievers for thrombectomy revascularization of large vessel occlusions in acute ischemic stroke) trials. METHODS: The investigator initiated NASA registry recruited North American sites to submit retrospective angiographic and clinical outcome data on consecutive acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients treated with the Solitaire FR between March 2012 and February 2013. The primary outcome was a Thrombolysis in Myocardial Ischemia (TIMI) score of ≥2 or a Treatment in Cerebral Infarction (TICI) score of ≥2a. Secondary outcomes were 90 day modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score, mortality, and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage. RESULTS: 354 patients underwent treatment for AIS using the Solitaire FR device in 24 centers. Mean time from onset to groin puncture was 363.4±239 min, mean fluoroscopy time was 32.9±25.7 min, and mean procedure time was 100.9±57.8 min. Recanalization outcome: TIMI ≥2 rate of 83.3% (315/354) and TICI ≥2a rate of 87.5% (310/354) compared with the operator reported TIMI ≥2 rate of 83% in SWIFT and TICI ≥2a rate of 85% in TREVO 2. Clinical outcome: 42% (132/315) of NASA patients demonstrated a 90 day mRS ≤2 compared with 37% (SWIFT) and 40% (TREVO 2). 90 day mortality was 30.2% (95/315) versus 17.2% (SWIFT) and 29% (TREVO 2). CONCLUSIONS: The NASA registry demonstrated that the Solitaire FR device performance in clinical practice is comparable with the SWIFT and TREVO 2 trial results.

A decade of marketing approval of gene and cell-based therapies in the United States, European Union and Japan: An evaluation of regulatory decision-making.

There is a widely held expectation of clinical advance with the development of gene and cell-based therapies (GCTs). Yet, establishing benefits and risks is highly uncertain. We examine differences in decision-making for GCT approval between jurisdictions by comparing regulatory assessment procedures in the United States (US), European Union (EU) and Japan. A cohort of 18 assessment procedures was analyzed by comparing product characteristics, evidentiary and non-evidentiary factors considered for approval and post-marketing risk management. Product characteristics are very heterogeneous and only three products are marketed in multiple jurisdictions. Almost half of all approved GCTs received an orphan designation. Overall, confirmatory evidence or indications of clinical benefit were evident in US and EU applications, whereas in Japan approval was solely granted based on non-confirmatory evidence. Due to scientific uncertainties and safety risks, substantial post-marketing risk management activities were requested in the EU and Japan. EU and Japanese authorities often took unmet medical needs into consideration in decision-making for approval. These observations underline the effects of implemented legislation in these two jurisdictions that facilitate an adaptive approach to licensing. In the US, the recent assessments of two chimeric antigen receptor-T cell (CAR-T) products are suggestive of a trend toward a more permissive approach for GCT approval under recent reforms, in contrast to a more binary decision-making approach for previous approvals. It indicates that all three regulatory agencies are currently willing to take risks by approving GCTs with scientific uncertainties and safety risks, urging them to pay accurate attention to post-marketing risk management.

Effectiveness Evaluation of Additional Risk Minimization Measures for Adolescent Use of Aripiprazole in the European Union: Results from a Post-Authorization Safety Study.

INTRODUCTION: Two risk minimization (RM) tools-a healthcare professional frequently asked questions (HCP-FAQs) brochure and a patient/caregiver information brochure (PCIB)-were developed for HCPs and for adolescents (aged ≥ 13 years) receiving aripiprazole for bipolar I mania and their caregivers. OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the effectiveness of these RM tools in improving the awareness and education of HCPs and patients/caregivers. METHOD: The RM tools were distributed to HCPs (identified in agreement with the marketing authorization holder [MAH] and local regulatory authorities), who in turn distributed the PCIBs to patients/caregivers. A web-based survey was then conducted targeting HCPs and patients/caregivers. RESULTS: The response rate was low: 118 of 23,282 invited HCPs and 16 patients/caregivers completed the survey. Overall, 42% (49/118) of HCP respondents were aware of aripiprazole RM tools; of these, 59% (29/49) of HCPs read them at least once and 66% (19/29) of these used the RM tools while discussing the benefit-risk profile of aripiprazole with patients/caregivers. In total, 30 of the 118 HCPs (25%) were aware of the PCIB, and 26 distributed it to their patients/caregivers, whereas seven HCPs advised them to read the brochure. Overall, 15 of the 16 patients/caregivers were aware of the PCIB, and 13 read/referred to it. Of these, 12 found the PCIB useful, and five monitored their weight while receiving aripiprazole and reported potential risks immediately to their HCP. CONCLUSION: The response rate to the survey was low, and the tools displayed limited utility and effectiveness in improving awareness and education in a small number of responders. Therefore, the aripiprazole risk management plan was amended, and the tools were discontinued.

[Antibiotic consumption and antimicrobial resistance in human and veterinary medicine : An overview of established national surveillance systems in Germany]. / Antibiotikaverbrauch und Antibiotikaresistenz in der Human- und Veterinärmedizin : Überblick über die etablierten nationalen Surveillance-Systeme.

The German Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy (DART) assigns a key role in combatting and reducing the further development and spread of antimicrobial resistance to the setup and development of instruments for the monitoring and surveillance of antimicrobial resistance and antibiotic consumption. The strategy follows the One Health approach, which targets human and veterinary medicine alike. An ongoing collection of appropriate data on antimicrobial resistance and antibiotic consumption and its distribution in time and space, will provide the basis for the identification of problems, the deduction of interventions, and finally the evaluation of their effectiveness. This article presents an overview of established surveillance systems in human and veterinary medicine with a national scope, including those that enable Germany to meet its own legal commitments as well as those within European and international action plans.

La farmacovigilancia, nuestra aliada en la práctica diaria / Pharmacovigilance, our ally in daily practice

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Postmarketing studies for novel drugs approved by both the FDA and EMA between 2005 and 2010: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES: To characterise postmarketing studies for drugs that were newly approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional analysis of postmarketing studies registered in ClinicalTrials.gov until September 2014 for all novel drugs approved by both regulators between 2005 and 2010. Regulatory documents from both agencies were used. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: All identified postmarketing studies were classified according to planned enrolment, funding, status and geographical location, and we determined whether studies studied the originally approved indication. RESULTS: Overall, 69 novel drugs approved between 2005 and 2010 were eligible for inclusion. A total of 6679 relevant postmarketing studies were identified; 5972 were interventional (89.4%). The median number of studies per drug was 55 (IQR 33-119) and median number of patients to be enrolled per study was 60 (IQR 28-183). Industry was the primary sponsor of 2713 studies (40.6%) and was a primary or secondary sponsor in 4176 studies (62.5%). In all, 2901 studies (43.4%) were completed, 487 (7.3%) terminated, 1013 (15.2%) active yet not recruiting, 1895 (28.4%) recruiting and 319 (4.8%) not yet recruiting. A total of 80% of studies were conducted in only one country and 84.4% took place in Europe and/or North America; 2441 (36.5%) studied another indication than the originally approved indication. Studies designed in the originally approved indication were found to be more industry-sponsored than others 68.7%vs53.7%; P<0.0001. CONCLUSIONS: Postmarketing pharmaceutical research was highly variable and predominantly located in North America and Europe. Postmarketing studies were frequently designed to study indications other than the originally approved one. Although some findings were reassuring, others question the lack of coordination of postmarketing research.