Unlocking the potential of fondaparinux: guideline for optimal usage and clinical suggestions (2023).

Background: Thromboembolic disease is associated with a high rate of disability or death and gravely jeopardizes people's health and places considerable financial pressure on society. The primary treatment for thromboembolic illness is anticoagulant medication. Fondaparinux, a parenteral anticoagulant medicine, is still used but is confusing due to its disparate domestic and international indications and lack of knowledge about its usage. Its off-label drug usage in therapeutic settings and irrational drug use are also common. Objective: The aim of this guideline is to enhance the judicious clinical application of fondaparinux by consolidating the findings of evidence-based research on the drug and offering superior clinical suggestions. Methods: Seventeen clinical questions were developed by 37 clinical pharmacy experts, and recommendations were formulated under the supervision of three methodologists. Through methodical literature searches and the use of recommendation, assessment, development and evaluation grading techniques, we gathered evidence. Results: This guideline culminated in 17 recommendations, including the use of fondaparinux for venous thromboembolism (VTE) prevention and treatment, perioperative surgical prophylaxis, specific diseases, special populations, bleeding and overdose management. For different types of VTE, we recommend first assessing thrombotic risk in hospitalized patients and then administering the drug according to the patient's body mass. In surgical patients in the perioperative period, fondaparinux may be used for VTE prophylaxis, but postoperative use usually requires confirmation that adequate hemostasis has been achieved. Fondaparinux may be used for anticoagulation prophylaxis in patients hospitalized for oncological purposes, in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) after resuscitation, in patients with cirrhosis combined with portal vein thrombosis (PVT), in patients with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), and in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Fondaparinux should be used with caution in special populations, such as pregnant female patients with a history of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) or platelet counts less than 50 × 109/L, pregnant patients with a prethrombotic state (PTS) combined with recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA), and children. For bleeding caused by fondaparinux, dialysis may partially remove the drug. Conclusion: The purpose of this guideline is to provide all healthcare providers with high-quality recommendations for the clinical use of fondaparinux and to improve the rational use of the drug in clinical practice. Currently, there is a lack of a dedicated antidote for the management of fondaparinux. The clinical investigation of activated prothrombin complex concentrate (APCC) or recombinant activated factor VII (rFⅦa) as potential reversal agents is still pending. This critical gap necessitates heightened scrutiny and research emphasis, potentially constituting a novel avenue for future inquiries into fondaparinux sodium. A meticulous examination of adverse events and safety profiles associated with the utilization of fondaparinux sodium will contribute significantly to a more comprehensive understanding of its inherent risks and benefits within the clinical milieu.

Analysis of Adverse Drug Reaction Reports from a Public Hospital in Shanxi Province in 2022.

Objective: Through analyzing the characteristics and influencing factors of adverse drug reactions/adverse events (ADR/ADE) in a hospital to promote rational drug use in the clinic. Methods: A total of 1221 ADR/ADE reports collected from a hospital in 2022 were retrieved through the National Adverse Drug Reaction Monitoring Center. The effective reports were screened according to the Guiding Principles for Collection and Reporting of Individual Adverse Drug Reactions, and classified the standardized drugs. The systems/organs and main clinical symptoms affected by ADR/ADE were classified according to the WHO Glossary of Adverse Drug Reaction Terms. The severity, age and gender, occupational distribution, drug category, route of administration, drug dosage form, system/organ involved, and main clinical symptoms of ADR/ADE reports were analyzed. Results: Among 1221 ADR/ADE reports, 890 cases (75.27%) reported by doctors; 144 cases (11.79%) were serious; Precisely 49.22% of ADR/ADE occurred in patients aged 51 to 70 years old; The highest incidence of adverse reactions was 636 cases (52.09%) by intravenous infusion, 406 cases (33.25%) by oral administration. The top categories of reported cases were anti-infective drugs (29.40%) and anti-tumor drugs (27.52%); Systems/organs involved in ADR/ADE were mainly the skin and its accessories (24.96%) and blood system (21.35%). 166 cases were cured, 893 cases were symptomatic, 160 cases were unknown, and 2 cases had sequelae. Conclusion: The occurrence of ADR/ADE is related to many influencing factors such as age, drug categories, and route of administration. Therefore, it is recommended that hospitals strengthen the monitoring of ADR/ADE, especially the elderly, anti-infective drugs and intravenous administration.

The effects of pharmaceutical interventions on potentially inappropriate medications in older patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: Potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) is a particular concern in older patients and is associated with negative health outcomes. As various interventions have been developed to manage it, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the effect of pharmaceutical interventions on outcomes of PIMs in older patients. Methods: Meta-analysis of eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was conducted to report the outcomes of pharmaceutical interventions in older patients searching from the databases of Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Clinicaltrials.gov, SinoMed and Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR). The PRISMA guidelines were followed and the protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42019134754). Cochrane bias risk assessment tool and the modified Jadad scale were used to assess the risk bias. RevMan software was used for data processing, analysis and graphical plotting. Results: Sixty-five thousand, nine hundred seventy-one patients in 14 RCTs were included. Of the primary outcomes, pharmaceutical interventions could significantly reduce the incidence of PIMs in older patients (OR = 0.51, 95% CI: 0.42, 0.62; p < 0.001), and the number of PIMs per person (MD = -0.41, 95%CI: -0.51, -0.31; p < 0.001), accompanying by a low heterogeneity. Subgroup analysis showed that the application of computer-based clinical decision support for pharmacological interventions could remarkably decrease the incidence of PIMs and two assessment tools were more effective. Of the secondary outcomes, the meta-analysis showed that pharmacological interventions could reduce the number of drugs used per person (MD = -0.94, 95%CI: -1.51, -0.36; p = 0.001) and 30-day readmission rate (OR = 0.58, 95%CI: 0.36, 0.92; p = 0.02), accompanying by a low heterogeneity. However, the pharmaceutical interventions demonstrated no significant improvement on all-cause mortality and the number of falls. Conclusion: Our findings supported the efficacy of pharmaceutical interventions to optimize the use and management of drugs in older patients. Systematic review registration: https://clinicaltrials.gov/, CRD42019134754.

The impact of pharmacist practice of medication therapy management in ambulatory care: an experience from a comprehensive Chinese hospital.

BACKGROUD: With the reform of medical system in China, Beijing municipal hospitals explored a new pharmaceutical care model and set up medication therapy management services (MTMs) in ambulatory care since 2019. We were one of the first hospitals to set up this service in China. At the present, there were relatively few reports about the effect of MTMs in China. In this study, we summarized the implementation of MTMs in our hospital, explore the feasibility of pharmacist-led MTMs in ambulatory care and the impact of MTMs on patients' medical costs. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted in a university-affiliated, tertiary comprehensive hospital in Beijing, China. The patients who received at least one MTMs and with complete medical records and pharmaceutical documents from May 2019 to February 2020 were included. Pharmacists provided pharmaceutical care for patients according to the MTMs standards issued by the American Pharmacists Association, identified the numbers and classification of the patients' perceived medication-related demands, identified medication-related problems (MRPs), and developed the medication-related action plans (MAPs). All MRPs found by pharmacists, pharmaceutical interventions, and resolving recommendations were documented, and calculate the cost of treatment drugs that patients can reduce. RESULTS: A total of 112 patients received MTMs in ambulatory care, among them 81 cases with the completed record were included in this study. 67.9% of patients had five or more diseases, 83% of them co-took over 5 drugs. While performing MTMs, 128 patients' perceived medication-related demands were recorded in all, monitoring and judgment of adverse drug reaction (ADR) (17.19%) was the most common demand. 181 MRPs were found, with an average of 2.55 MPRs per patient. Nonadherence (38%), excessive drug treatment (20%), and adverse drug events (17.12%) were the top three MRPs. Pharmaceutical care (29.77%), adjustment of drug treatment plan (29.10%) and referral to the clinical department (23.41%) were the top three MAPs. Whereby the MTMs provided by pharmacists, the cost-saving of each patient was about $ 43.2 monthly. CONCLUSION: By participating in the MTMs of outpatients, the pharmacists could identify more MRPs and develop personalized MAPs timely for patients, thereby promoting rational drug use and reducing medical expenses.

Atuação de um centro regional de informação sobre medicamentos na baixada fluminense de 2020 a 2022 / Performance of a regional drug information center in the baixada fluminense from 2020 to 2022 / Acción de un centro regional de información médica en la baja fluminencia de 2020 a 2022

No ano de 2020 observou-se um aumento da divulgação de informações parciais e sem embasamento científico sobre COVID-19. Nesse contexto, o Centro Regional de Informação sobre Medicamentos (CRIM) em uma Universidade Pública, torna-se um importante disseminador de informações referenciadas. Este trabalho foi realizado para identificar, por meio dos dados obtidos nos canais de comunicação em que essas ações virtuais foram desenvolvidas, o alcance atingido por cada publicação e evento. Dentre os materiais produzidos, 38,5% foram relacionados à COVID-19; 26,9% ao uso de medicamentos; 21,1% às datas representativas da área da saúde; e 13,5% às informações sobre doenças. Destacaram-se temas como: "Qual a diferença entre medicamento referência e genérico?"; "A importância de tomar o medicamento com água"; "CAFEÍNA: Uso indiscriminado"; "Interações fármacos x alimentos"; e "Imunização Infantil: Devo vacinar meu filho contra a COVID-19?". As ações de educação continuada, somadas às visualizações dos eventos produzidos totalizaram 5.160 visualizações. Destaca-se o IV Simpósio sobre Uso Racional de Medicamentos (URM) e o I Simpósio de Direitos Humanos e Saúde Mental que, em sua totalidade, somaram 3.459 visualizações. As ações reforçam a necessidade de promover práticas voltadas à informação para garantia do uso eficaz, seguro e racional de medicamentos.

In 2020, there was an increase in the dissemination of partial and scientifically unsupported information about COVID-19. In this context, the Regional Drug Information Center (RDIC) in a Public University becomes an important disseminator of referenced information. This work was carried out to identify, through the data obtained from the communication channels in which these virtual actions were developed, the reach atteined by each publication and event. Amongst the materials produced, 38.5% were related to COVID-19; 26.9% to the use of medication; 21.1% to representative dates in the health area; and 13.5% to information about diseases. Topics such as: "What is the difference between reference and generic medicine?"; "The importance of taking the medicine with water"; "CAFFEINE: Indiscriminate use"; "Drug x food interactions"; and "Childhood Immunization: Should I vaccinate my child against COVID-19?". Continuing education actions, added to the views of the events produced, totaled 5,160 views. We highlight the IV Symposium on Rational Use of Drugs (RUD) and the I Symposium on Human Rights and Mental Health which, in their entirety, totaled 3,459 views. The actions reinforces the need to promote information-oriented practices to ensure the effective, safe and rational use of medicines.

En el año 2020 se produjo un aumento en la difusión de información parcial y no se obtuvo ninguna base científica sobre el COVID-19. En este contexto, el Centro Regional de Información sobre Medicinas (CRM) de una Universidad Pública se convierte en un importante difusor de información referenciada. Este trabajo se llevó a cabo para identificar, mediante los datos obtenidos en los canales de comunicación en los que se desarrollaron estas acciones virtuales, el alcance alcanzado por cada publicación y evento. De los materiales producidos, el 38,5% estaban relacionados con el COVID-19; el 26,9% con el uso de medicamentos; el 21,1% con las fechas representativas del área de salud; y el 13,5% con información sobre enfermedades. Temas como: "¿Cuál es la diferencia entre la medicina de referencia y la genérica?"; "La importancia de tomar el medicamento con agua"; "CAFEÍNA: uso indiscriminado"; "Interacciones medicamentosas versus alimentos"; e "Inmunización infantil: ¿debo vacunar a mi hijo contra COVID-19?". Las acciones de la educación continua, sumadas a las visualizaciones de los eventos producidos, alcanzaron un total de 5.160 visitas. Se destacan el cuarto simposio sobre el uso racional de los medicamentos (UDA) y el primer simposio sobre derechos humanos y salud mental, que en su totalidad sumaron hasta 3.459 visualizaciones. Las medidas adoptadas refuerzan la necesidad de promover prácticas orientadas a la información para garantizar el uso eficaz, seguro y racional de los medicamentos.

Exploring the safe and rational use of Epimedii Folium based on the evolution of efficacy/toxicity records in ancient and modern literature / 药学学报

Epimedii Folium is a traditional non-toxic Chinese herbal medicine. However, liver injury caused by Chinese herb preparations, including Epimedii Folium, is frequently reported over the years. Based on ancient and modern literature, this paper systematically summarized and analyzed the safe application of Epimedii Folium from the perspectives of varieties, processing methods, clinical adverse reactions, pharmacological effects and toxic mechanism. Combined with our team work, we build the comprehensive prevention and control system "human-drug-application", for the safe and rational application of Epimedii Folium. This study is expected to provide support for scientific evaluation and precise prevention and control of the safety risk of Epimedii Folium.

Comparison of two analysis methods of opioid consumption sum in medical institutions / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE To compare the similarities and differences of the two methods in analyzing the use of opioids in third grade class A medical institutions and provide a reference for the management of opioids in medical institutions. METHODS Two methods， Defined Daily Dose （DDD） and Oral Morphine Equivalent （OME）， were used to count the opioid prescription data of five comprehensive medical institutions of third grade class A （named H1-H5） in Shanxi province in 2020， calculate consumption sum of opioid， annual per capita consumption sum， patient cost burden and drug consumption sum ratio， compare the index results presented by the two analysis methods， and explore the application scenarios of the advantages of each of the two evaluation methods. RESULTS The ranking of consumption sum of opioid and patient cost burden calculated by the two methods was the same in the five sample medical institutions， but the ranking of per capita consumption sum was different. Taking the 5 medical institutions as a whole， the top 4 rankings of consumption sum ratio for each species of opioid compared by both methods were the same， i. e. remifentanil＞sufentanil＞oxycodone＞morphine. The ratio of remifentanil was close to 50%. When comparing the ranking of consumption sum ratio in each medical institution， the ranking calculated by the two methods was different for those medical institutions except for H1 medical institutions. The consumption sum ratio of fentanyl calculated by DDD method was significantly higher than that of OME method； whereas consumption sum ratio of remifentanil calculated by OME method was significantly higher than that of DDD method. Perioperative patients had the highest consumption sum ratio， about 50%. The consumption sum ratio of critically ill patients in H3 jwsydey@163.com medical institutions and inpatient patients with cancer pain and other patients in H5 medical institutions calculated by DDD method was significantly higher than that by OME method. There were differences in the order of cost burden of different types of patients calculated by two methods. CONCLUSIONS DDD method can accurately reflect the dosage of opioid drugs and facilitate the monitoring and management of the dosage； OME method can more reflect the analgesic effect and compare the cost burden of patients.

Systematic Review on Safety of Chinese Medicines Combined with Tripterygium wilfordii Preparations in Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis and Exploration on Underlying Network Regulatory Mechanisms of Enhancing Efficacy and Reducing Toxicity / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo systematically evaluate the safety of Chinese medicines combined with Tripterygium wilfordii polyglycoside tablets/Tripterygium wilfordii tablets （TWPT/TWT） in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis （RA）， and to explore the network regulatory mechanisms of enhancing efficacy and reducing toxicity of commonly used combination regimes. MethodThe literature involving the adverse reactions of TWPT/TWT in treating RA was searched and collected from three Chinese databases （CNKI， Wanfang Data， VIP） and three English databases （PubMed， Cochrane Library， Embase） from the inception of the databases to July 2021. All studies were assessed by the Cochrane risk of bias tool， and the data were extracted and analyzed by Stata 15.0. Furthermore， Integrative Pharmacology-based Research Platform of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2.0 （TCMIP v2.0，http：//www.tcmip.cn/） was used to construct a "drug target-symptom gene of efficacy and toxicity" interaction network， to explore the underlying network regulatory mechanisms of enhancing efficacy and reducing toxicity of common T. wilfordii preparation combinations. ResultA total of 2 132 articles on Chinese medicines combined with TWPT/TWT in the treatment of RA were retrieved， and 18 of them were finally included. The systematic review showed that the adverse reactions of TWPT/TWT against RA mainly occurred in the digestive system， blood system， and reproductive system， of which digestive system had the highest incidence of damages. However， the combination with Chinese medicines effectively alleviated the adverse reactions caused by TWPT/TWT ［RR （95% CI）=0.45 （0.30， 0.66）， P<0.01］. In addition， the subgroup analysis indicated that the age of RA patients， course of disease， combination regimen， medication dosage and duration of treatment all affected the occurrence of adverse reactions of TWPT/TWT. It was found in clinical studies that total glucosides of paeony （TGP） and TWPT/TWT was most widely combined， and the effect of TGP in reducing TWPT/TWT-induced hepatotoxicity was also more significant than that of other Chinese medicines. Moreover， taking this combination regime as an example， this paper explored the "efficacy-toxicity" association mechanisms of TGP-TWPT/TWT against RA. The "drug target-symptom gene of efficacy and toxicity" interaction network revealed that the core network targets of TGP-TWPT/TWT enhanced efficacy and reduced toxicity mainly through regulating immunity-inflammation-related pathways， metabolic pathways and cell signal transduction. Especially， interleukin-4 （IL-4） and interleukin-13 （IL-13）， which were involved in the "immunity-inflammation" module， were the common targets of TGP-TWPT/TWT to enhance efficacy and reduce toxicity. The endogenous sterols， bile acids and bile salts， insulin secretion and other metabolic pathways in the "body metabolism" module were closely associated with the mechanisms of TWPT/TWT inducing hepatotoxicity and TGP reducing hepatotoxicity. While cell function regulation pathways， such as stem cell factor （SCF）/tyrosine kinase receptor （KIT） signaling pathway and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt）signaling pathway were involved in both anti-RA effects and hepatotoxicity of TWPT/TWT. ConclusionClinical application of suitable Chinese medicines combined with TWPT/TWT in the treatment of RA can effectively improve the rheumatism and reduce the adverse reactions of TWPT/TWT， and TGP-TWPT/TWT has the most significant toxicity-reducing effect. Further biological network-based investigation indicates that the toxicity-reducing mechanism of TGP-TWPT/TWT may be related to the regulation of interleukin signaling pathway and bile acid metabolism pathway， and the synergistic efficacy-enhancing effect of the combination may be achieved by acting on interleukin signaling pathway and cell function regulation pathway.

Assessment of prescribing pattern of drugs and completeness of prescriptions as per the World Health Organization prescribing indicators in various Indian tertiary care centers: A multicentric study by Rational Use of Medicines Centers-Indian Council of Medical Research network under National Virtual Centre Clinical Pharmacology activity.

OBJECTIVE: The rational use of medicines as per the World Health Organization (WHO) should be practiced globally. However, data regarding the completeness of the prescriptions and their rational use is lacking from developing countries like India. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the prescribing patterns of drugs and completeness of prescriptions as per WHO core drug use and complementary indicators to provide real-life examples for the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) online prescribing skill course for medical graduates. METHODS: Prescriptions of the patients, fulfilling inclusion criteria, attending Outpatient Departments of various specialties of tertiary care hospitals, were collected by thirteen ICMR Rational use of medicines centers located in tertiary care hospitals, throughout India. Prescriptions were evaluated for rational use of medicines according to the WHO guidelines and for appropriateness as per standard treatment guidelines using a common protocol approved by local Ethics committees. RESULTS: Among 4838 prescriptions, an average of about three drugs (3.34) was prescribed to the patients per prescription. Polypharmacy was noted in 83.05% of prescriptions. Generic drugs were prescribed in 47.58% of the prescriptions. Further, antimicrobials were prescribed in 17.63% of the prescriptions and only 4.98% of prescriptions were with injectables. During the prescription evaluation, 38.65% of the prescriptions were incomplete due to multiple omissions such as dose, duration, and formulation. CONCLUSION: Most of the parameters in the present study were out of the range of WHO-recommended prescribing indicators. Therefore, effective intervention program, like training, for the promotion of rational drug use practice was recommended to improve the prescribing pattern of drugs and the quality of prescriptions all over the country.

Applying the health belief model to the rational use of drugs for hemodialysis patients: A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Non-rational use of drugs is a common problem among people with chronic disease. The Health Belief Model (HBM) can develop beliefs and behaviors related to rational drug use. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effect of HBM-based training on the rational use of drugs in hemodialysis patients. METHODS: This randomized controlled trial was conducted in 132 people receiving hemodialysis treatment. The data were collected using a Demographic Survey and the Rational Use of Drugs Scale (RUDS). Patients in the study groups were provided with HBM-based rational use of drugs training. The first training session took an average of 30-35 min for each patient, and the second (summary) took an average of 15-20 min RESULTS: The mean RUDS pretest score was 60.29 ± 10.17 in the intervention group and 62.85 ± 9.94 in the control group. The mean RUDS posttest scores were 78.80 ± 8.16 in the intervention group and 63.48 ± 9.77 in the control group. The difference between the pretest scores in these groups was not statistically significant (p > 0.05), whereas the difference between the posttest scores was found to be significant (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: It was observed that training based on the HBM increased the RUD scores. Thus, HBM may be recommended for use as a guide for rational drug use training, especially for patients undergoing hemodialysis. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The HBM can be an effective and cost-efficient strategy for standardized rational drug use training and supporting hemodialysis patients.

Clinical Evidence of Treatment of Constipation with Oral Chinese Patent Medicine： A Scoping Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

This study systematically and comprehensively sorted out the application status of Chinese patent medicines for the treatment of constipation in the clinic， to provide scientific evidence for future research directions and clinical drug use in this field. Based on the method of scoping review， the Chinese patent medicines for the treatment of constipation were retrieved from three drug lists to obtain the medicines that needed to be evaluated. A comprehensive and systematic search was carried out on the included studies on the treatment of constipation by Chinese patent medicines through eight Chinese and English databases， and the included studies were integrated and analyzed. The results were displayed in combination with charts. Thirty-four Chinese patent medicines and 118 studies were included in this study. According to the efficacies， Chinese patent medicines were divided into 4 categories， namely eliminating accumulation， purging fire， promoting Qi， and moistening bowels， involving 125 Chinese medicines. The overall attention of constipation research is on the rise. Marenwan （granules or soft capsules） gained the highest attention， with 42 studies， followed by Qirong Runchang oral liquid， with 21 studies， and Biantong tablets （capsules）， with 19 studies. There are 10 studies on Congrong Tongbian oral liquid. Seventeen Chinese patent medicines had no corresponding clinical research. There were 8 study design types， and all drugs were mainly randomized controlled trials except Danggui Longhui pill. Among the intervention types， the comparison between Chinese patent medicines and western medicines was the most. The highest outcome indicators were efficacy， safety evaluation， and main symptoms or scores， and there was a lack of a unified core outcome indicator set. There were few studies on adverse reactions and the economy. Only 11.86% of the studies were funded. Clinically， Chinese patent medicines are widely used in the treatment of constipation， and the amount of related research shows an increasing trend. However， some Chinese patent medicines lack corresponding clinical evidence， and the published research has problems such as unrigorous design， ununified criteria for efficacy evaluation， lack of comprehensive evidence studies， and insufficient funds. It is hoped that more investment will be made in this field in the future， and more attention will be paid to drugs with relatively blank research and constipation syndromes with few treatments. Comprehensive evidence studies such as systematic reviews should be carried out actively. And the study design should be standardized to provide reliable evidence for the treatment of constipation with Chinese patent medicines.

Oral Chinese Patent Medicines for Hyperlipidemia： A Scoping Review of Clinical Evidence / 中国实验方剂学杂志

To summarize the status quo of clinical evidence on oral Chinese patent medicine in the treatment of hyperlipidemia through scoping review and thereby provide a reference for clinical application and decision-making in health care. Proprietary Chinese medicines for the treatment of hyperlipidemia （dyslipidemia） were retrieved from relevant catalogs and then screened based on their instructions. Articles on the selected Chinese patent medicines were searched from Chinese and english electronic databases and screened according to the inclusion criteria， followed by data extraction and analysis. The results were described with text and graphs. ①A total of 32 Chinese patent medicines and 1 010 related articles were screened out. ②All the included Chinese patent medicines were made from Chinese medicinal materials， of which 5 were Chinese medicinal extracts，and the remaining 27 were pure Chinese medicinal preparations （the compositions of 1 prescription is confidential）. ③As indicated in the instructions， all the 32 Chinese patent medicines can be used to treat hyperlipidemia with the main syndrome of combined phlegm and blood stasis， and the main effect of them is activating blood and resolving stasis. ④Among the 32 medicines， Xuezhikang tablets （Capsules） and Gypenosides Tablets have the lowest price. ⑤For the 328 key clinical studies， 248 were randomized controlled trials and 80 non-randomized controlled trials. ⑥As for the sample size， randomized controlled trials generally included 28-579 cases， and non-randomized controlled trials 24-152 cases. Clinical studies with more than 200 cases accounted for 9.3% （12/129）. ⑦The most common method was the comparison of the intervention effect of Chinese patent medicine and western medicine （36.5%） and Atorvastatin Calcium Tablets was the preferred western medicine control. The observation duration was generally 56 days （8 weeks）. ⑧In clinical practice， the absolute value of blood lipid decrease and （total） effective rate were often used to evaluate the efficacy， and the effective rate was generally determined based on Clinical Guidelines for New Chinese Medicines. The overall quality of clinical studies on oral Chinese patent medicines is uneven and there is a lack of high-quality clinical evidence. Moreover，there are the risks of unreasonable use and uneasy use of Chinese patent medicine.It is recommended that researchers on proprietary Chinese medicine should further broaden the research ideas，focus on the top-level design of the research plan， and standardize the research process，thereby provide high-quality research evidence for the clinical use of proprietary Chinese medicine. Moreover， more efforts should be made to establish a sound mechanism for information collection and feedback of proprietary Chinese medicine， so as to reduce the risk of uneasy use.We hope that in-depth investigation and discussion should be launched by price， economy， quality evaluation， and other departments headed by the supervision department to make the price of Chinese patent medicine reasonable and fair， thereby promoting the rational use of Chinese patent medicine.

WHO/INRUD Core drug use indicators and commonly prescribed medicines: a National Survey from Sri Lanka.

BACKGROUND: Identification of internationally comparable indicators of medicines use are important for a country to implement strategies and regulations to improve usage of medicines. Sri Lanka established a new National Medicines Regulatory Authority in 2015 and this survey evaluated the medication use indicators in Sri Lanka, according to the International Network on Rational Use of Drugs (INRUD), prior to its implementation. METHODS: This descriptive-cross-sectional study was conducted in 80 pharmacies, representing all 25 districts of the country. Three pharmacy categories were included; privately owned pharmacies, 'Rajya Osusala' pharmacies operated by the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation (SPC) of Sri Lanka and SPC Franchisee pharmacy outlets. Selection of pharmacies from respective districts were done proportionate to estimated population. Data were collected to identify WHO/INRUD core drug use indicators and the commonly prescribed medicines. RESULTS: Total of 2328 prescriptions were included ('Rajya Osusala 559; SPC Franchise 711; private pharmacies 1058). Altogether 7,255 medicines were prescribed, and the 3 most commonly prescribed medicines were atorvastatin, losartan and metformin. Average number of medicines per encounter was 3.1±1.9 (Median: 3; range 1-12) Highest average number of medicines per encounter was reported in prescriptions received at 'Rajya Osusala' pharmacies (3.6±2.2), significantly higher than in other categories of pharmacies (p<0.001). Percentage of medicines prescribed by generic name was only 35.5%, highest at the 'Rajya Osusala' pharmacies (40.6%), significantly higher than other categories of pharmacies. The overall percentage of medicines prescribed from essential medicine list (EML) was 68.8%, without any significant variation between different categories of pharmacies. The percentage of medicines actually dispensed and accurately labelled were 92.4 and 98.5% respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The average number of medicines per encounter was higher than the WHO recommended value but the usage of antibiotic and injectable drugs were within recommended standards. Generic prescribing, was very much lower. The EML prescribing, labelling and percentage dispensed medicines fared much better although lower than the WHO recommended 100% compliance. This island wide study has provided national wide data before the implementation of key changes in regulation of medicines in Sri Lanka and a repeat survey will be useful to identify impact of the new legislations.

Questionnaire-based Pan-India survey for impact assessment of National Formulary of India.

OBJECTIVES: The National Formulary of India (NFI), a ready reckoner for medicines among healthcare-professionals aims for promoting rational drug use. This needs periodic update based on evidence-based medicines and suggestions from end-users. This study assessed the level of awareness among health-care professionals and sought suggestions for enhancement of utility/content of NFI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This pan-India cross-sectional, questionnaire-based survey was conducted between November-2020 and March-2021. A Google-doc-based validated questionnaire (20 questions) was circulated through E-mail/social media groups and to 311 medical institutes/hospitals/clinics across India through the adverse drug reaction monitoring centers under the Pharmacovigilance Program of India. RESULTS: A total of 461 participants (39-interns, 167-resident doctors, and the rest practicing physicians/doctors) affiliated to 224 institutes/hospitals/clinics had responded. About 46% respondents consulted NFI for drug-related information and 82.3% stated that NFI provides balanced unbiased information. About 95% respondents were aware of NFI's content and 76% mentioned usefulness of NFI in their clinical practice; however, 34.4% had misconceptions about NFI, 28.7% had a false belief that NFI is a legal document to safeguard health-care providers and 22.2% had never used it. Suggestions to enhance NFI's utility included digital accessibility, incorporation of information like drugs for basic medical emergencies (71.3%), disposal of expired-pharmaceutical products (38.7%), pharmaceutical price control policy (36.3%), and drug-procurement practices in hospitals (35.6%). CONCLUSION: As per the survey findings, NFI is an effective tool for instant access to precise and unbiased drug-related information, and fostering rational use of drugs. Boosting its practical usefulness needs incorporation of suggested information, digital accessibility, and periodic update.

Evaluación de la prescripción de hipoglucemiantes orales en población adulta con Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 2 / Evaluation of the prescription of oral hypoglycemic agents in the adult population with type 2 diabetes mellitus

En el nivel primario de atención se detectan errores en la prescripción del tratamiento farmacológico de la diabetes tipo 2. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar la calidad de la prescripción de hipoglucemiantes orales en pacientes atendidos en consultorios del médico de la familia del Policlínico Universitario Hermanos Cruz, municipio Pinar del Río, Cuba. Se realizó un estudio de utilización de medicamentos de tipo descriptivo y transversal clasificado dentro de estos como de indicación-prescripción con elementos de esquema terapéutico y de factores que condicionan los hábitos de prescripción. El universo estuvo conformado por 1575 pacientes con diagnóstico de diabetes mellitus tipo 2 tratados con hipoglucemiantes orales que pertenecían a los 20 consultorios médicos de la familia.La muestra de estudio se obtuvo por el método de muestreo no probabilístico (por conveniencia) (n=846). La información se obtuvo de la historia clínica y tarjeta control de los pacientes para adquirir estos medicamentos. Predominó la edad de 40-49 años, el sexo femenino y entre 5-10 años de evolución de la enfermedad. No se usó la primera línea de tratamiento en el 43,6 % de los casos, ningún caso tenía estudios de laboratorio para el uso de la Metformina. La prescripción y dosis fue adecuada no así su uso racional. Las interacciones más frecuentes fueron las farmacocinéticas.El uso racional de hipoglucemiantes orales fue deficiente lo que hace necesario ampliar la divulgación de un protocolo de tratamiento para mejorar el uso de estos fármacos en el nivel primario de atención.

Errors in the prescription of drug treatment for type 2 diabetes are detected at the primary level of care. the purpose of this study was to evaluate the quality of the prescription of oral hypoglycemic agents in patients attended in the family doctor's offices of the Hermanos Cruz University Polyclinic, Pinar del Río distrit, Cuba. A descriptive and cross-sectional study of the use of medications was carried out, classified within these as indication-prescription with elements of the therapeutic scheme and factors that condition prescription habits. The universe was made up of 1575 patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus treated with oral hypoglycemic agents who belonged to the 20 family medical offices. The study sample was carried out by the non-probabilistic sampling method (for convenience) (n = 846). The information was obtained from the clinical history and control card of the patients to acquire these medications. The age of 40-49 years, the female sex and between 5-10 years of evolution of the disease predominated. The first line of treatment was not used in 43.6% of the cases; no case had laboratory studies for the use of Metformin. The prescription and dose was adequate, but not its rational use. The most frequent interactions were pharmacokinetic ones.The rational use of oral hypoglycemic agents was deficient, which makes it necessary to expand the dissemination of a treatment protocol to improve the use of these drugs at the primary level of care.

Farmacêutico na farmácia básica: garantia de qualidade na assistência farmacêutica? / Pharmacist in Primary Health Care: quality assurance in Pharmaceutical Services?

A Assistência Farmacêutica se volta à promoção, proteção e recuperação da saúde por meio de atividades técnico-gerenciais e clínico-assistenciais. A atuação do farmacêutico nas unidades básicas de saúde parece favorecer esse processo, embora alguns municípios optem por não o incluir no quadro de recursos humanos das farmácias na atenção primária à saúde. Nesse contexto, ao realizar uma pesquisa para avaliar o acesso e o uso dos medicamentos em municípios de Minas Gerais, nosso grupo de pesquisa verificou que a presença do farmacêutico nas farmácias básicas tem influenciado sobre a qualidade dos produtos e serviços oferecidos nesses estabelecimentos. Um instrumento padronizado foi utilizado na coleta de dados e indicadores foram selecionados para avaliar qualidade no âmbito técnico-gerencial e clínico-assistencial. Como resultado, observou-se que a presença do farmacêutico nesses estabelecimentos não influenciou sobre a qualidade da Assistência Farmacêutica. Lacunas na formação desses profissionais podem estar comprometendo a atuação do farmacêutico em consonância com as necessidades do Sistema Único de Saúde.

Pharmaceutical Assistance is focused on health promotion, health protection and recovery through technical-managerial, and clinical-care activities. The role of pharmacists in basic health units seems to favor this process, although some municipalities choose not to include them in the human resources framework of pharmacies in primary health care. When conducting a survey to assess the access and use of medicines in municipalities of Minas Gerais, our research group verified that the presence of pharmacists in basic pharmacies has influenced the quality of products and services offered in these establishments. A standardized instrument was used for data collection and indicators were selected to assess quality in the technical-managerial and clinical-care areas. As a result, it was observed that the presence of the pharmacist in these establishments did not influence the quality of Pharmaceutical Services. Gaps in the training of these professionals may be compromising the pharmacist's performance in line with the needs of the Unified Health System.

Analyses on the effects of prescription review of key monitored drugs in one district of Shanghai / 中华医院管理杂志

Objective:To analyze the effects of prescription reviews of key monitored drugs using the drug regulatory platform in a district of Shanghai, and the influencing factors for the rate of unqualified prescriptions.Methods:A drug regulatory platform in a district in Shanghai began to implement prescription reviews since June 2018, extracting the reviewed prescriptions of all key monitored drugs and related information from June to December. Taking the unqualified rate of prescription in June as the baseline data, the χ2 test and the logistics regression model were used for data analysis. Results:From June to December 2018, clinical pharmacists reviewed 19 084 outpatient and emergency prescriptions and 10 607 inpatient prescriptions. The unqualified rates of outpatient and emergency prescriptions and inpatient prescriptions dropped from 16.52% and 23.28% in June to 4.45% and 13.80% in December, respectively. Logistics regression analysis showed that the rate of unqualified reviews of outpatient and emergency prescriptions was lower than that of inpatient prescriptions, and the rate of unqualified prescriptions in hospital was significantly lower than that in community health service centers; the rate of unqualified prescriptions for auxiliary drugs and nutritional drugs was significantly lower than that of antibacterial drugs.Conclusions:The prescription reviews of key monitored drugs can effectively promote the rational use of drugs. In the future, it is recommended to strengthen technical support for community health service centers and professional training for clinicians and pharmacists.

Analysis on components of rational use of drugs / Монголын эм зүй, эм судлал

Introduction@#A drugstore runs its activities in the framework of the primary goal of providing quality guaranteed, high-treatment satisfaction, and safe drugs and medical devices uninterrupted access to pharmaceuticals at retail prices. Pharmacists and chemists, doctors, medical professionals, and consumers will also be involved in promoting the rational use of drugs in the community. </br> It is practical to study the role and involvement of components in the rational use of drugs. @*Method@#Processes and concludes using a one-moment model using a questionnaire survey method.@*Conclusion@#51.2% of the respondents for the questionnaire survey were 31-40 years old, 80% were women, and 20% were men. 82% of the respondents have a higher education degree. </br> According to the survey, 61.8% of respondents answered that there are long queues to see a doctor, 79.5% of them responded like pharmacists provide good enough instruction for the use of drugs, 66.4% of respondents aware of the rational use of drugs, and 78.5% of them buy prescribed antibiotics under the prescription from pharmacies. The response shows that the knowledge and information on the rational use of drugs among the population are improving. </br> According to a survey among physicians, 36.8% of the total number of physicians examines 21- 30 people, 47.4% prescribe prescriptions for 11-20 people per day, 42% gives instructions to their clients on the medications they prescribed, and 42% spends 6-10 minutes for a single client, and 63.2% recommends antifungal drugs when prescribing antibiotics. It shows that the number of people per doctor meets the norms and standards specified in the joint orders of the Minister of Labor and Social Welfare and the Minister of Health dated 30 May 2019 A / 185 and A / 252. </br> According to a survey of pharmacists, 42.1% of pharmacists surveyed spend an average of 3-5 minutes per customer, 89.5% do not prescribe drug prescription, 88.9% regularly advise their clients on the rational use of drugs, and 78.9% dispense medicine necessarily by prescription. The response to mandatory prescriptions indicates that the requirements of prescription and prescription standards are partially met, indicating the need further to improve the implementation of relevant standards and regulations.

Medicine Prescribing Pattern and Knowledge on Medicine Use at Different Level of Health Care Settings in Nepal.

BACKGROUND: It is imperative to have adequate knowledge about medicines being used for their proper administration so as to obtain desirable therapeutics effects. This study aims to assess the medicine prescribing pattern and patients' knowledge about medicine use at different level of health care settings in Nepal. METHODS: A cross sectional study was conducted in randomly selected 88 health facilities in Nepal. Altogether 2200 patients, taken randomly after the doctor visit, were interviewed and assessed for the prescription. RESULTS: Out of total drugs prescribed from 88 health facilities (6,175), 68.91% were essential drugs, 23.74 % were antibiotics and 61 % of medicines were prescribed in generic names. And among patients receiving medicines, adequate response on medicine use was received on 49% of medicines out of 3,806 medicines dispensed. CONCLUSIONS: Greater percentages of medicines were prescribed from essential drug list in health facilities. Knowledge on medicine use was poor among people.