Pharmacoepidemiology News and Research

RSS

The science of pharmacoepidemiology can answer a range of questions regarding how, why, when, where, and by whom a medicine is being used. It is a way of finding out the impact of a medicine as well as the usage results in a large, well-defined population. Also, it can help provide some indication as to how a particular drug is benefitting society and how it may be having a negative impact. Pharmacoepidemiology can be carried out both before and after a medicine is taken to market.

Family members' drugs may be risk factor for overdose in individuals without prescriptions

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, opioid overdoses were responsible for more than 42,000 deaths in 2016.

17 Jul 2019

ISPOR examines how real-world evidence can be improved with patient-provided information

ISPOR, the professional society for health economics and outcomes research, examined how real-world evidence can be improved with patient-provided information this afternoon at its ISPOR 2019 annual conference with the session, "Leveraging Patient-Provided Information to Improve Real-World Evidence: Getting to Good Practices on How."

24 May 2019

Study finds lesser HPV vaccine coverage than other infant vaccines

Despite the increasing trends in uptake, the human papillomavirus vaccine coverage is far behind other infant vaccines in many states, according to a new study, which describes the trends in HPV vaccine uptake in children in the U.S.

27 Apr 2019

New study estimates prevalence and risk factors for misuse of prescribed opioids

A new Pharmacoepidemiology & Drug Safety study estimates the prevalence and risk factors for self-reported misuse of prescribed opioids in the general adult population.

6 Feb 2019

New study analyzes health outcomes of switching patients from analog to human insulin

In the United States, the drug price for insulin has skyrocketed over the last two decades. While the price has increased for all forms of insulin, newer, "analog" insulin medications such as glargine and lispro have become especially expensive.

30 Jan 2019

New study finds only 13% of outpatient antibiotic prescriptions to be appropriate

A new Northwestern Medicine study found only 13 percent of outpatient antibiotic prescriptions were appropriate, with 36 percent considered potentially appropriate.

17 Jan 2019

Study examines trends in opioids prescribed for children and adolescents

While the opioid crisis remains a major public health concern in the United States for people of all ages, relatively little research has been conducted in younger populations.

28 Nov 2018

Study: Infants using popular anti-reflux medicines are not at increased risk of lung infections

New University of Otago research shows infants using popular anti-reflux medicines like omeprazole are not at increased risk of pneumonia or other lower respiratory tract infections, contrary to findings from other international studies.

19 Sep 2018

Mortality rate increases during tropical nights in Barcelona

A statistical analysis of the effects of very hot nights on the death rate in Barcelona's environment reveals that, during these nocturnal periods, more deaths occur due to natural, respiratory and cardiovascular causes.

31 Jul 2018

Proposed definition of patient-centeredness and engagement in healthcare

ISPOR, the professional society for health economics and outcomes research, held a session this evening, "Defining Patient-Centeredness and Engagement in Health Economics and Outcomes Research: Proposed Definition and Stakeholder Response [F3]," at ISPOR 2018 in Baltimore, MD, USA.

22 May 2018

Study examines link between antipsychotic treatment during pregnancy and gestational diabetes risk

An increasing number of women are treated with antipsychotic drugs during pregnancy even though safety questions remain unanswered.

7 May 2018

Study finds high rate of neonatal infections in Madagascar

Every year in the world, 4 million children die before the age of one, mainly in resource-limited countries, one-third of them due to a severe infection. The neonatal period alone (first month of life) accounts for one third of deaths before the age of one.

27 Feb 2018

High out-of-pocket costs act as barrier to potentially life-saving cancer treatments

Sticker shock may be leading many insured Americans with cancer to forego treatment with a wide range of oral cancer drugs, suggests a study published online this week in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

20 Dec 2017

Study highlights sharply increasing trend in long-term use of prescription opioids

The prevalence of prescription opioid use increased from 4.1% of US adults in 1999-2000 to 6.8% in 2013-2014, according to a recent Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety study.

11 Sep 2017

Exclusive: White House task force echoes pharma proposals

President Donald Trump repeatedly talks tough about reining in the pharmaceutical industry, but his administration's efforts to lower drug prices are shrouded in secrecy.

16 Jun 2017

Heroin use in the U.S. estimated to cost society more than $51 billion

Heroin use in the United States was estimated to cost society more than $51 billion in 2015, according to new research at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

9 Jun 2017

Study finds depression and SUD to be strongest risk factors for prescription opioid overdose

Individuals suffering from a substance use disorder (SUD) or depression are among those at highest risk for a serious prescription opioid overdose, according to a study published in Pain Medicine.

13 Apr 2017

Antidepressant use in early pregnancy may increase risk of congenital anomalies in babies or stillbirths

Academics at Swansea University have carried out a dose-response analysis which suggests that pregnant women who take a specific type of antidepressant in early pregnancy have a small but significantly greater risk of having babies with major congenital anomalies (sometimes referred to as birth defects) or stillbirths compared with those who did not take these antidepressants.

2 Dec 2016

Changes in use of anemia drugs affects risk of death or cardiovascular events in dialysis patients

A new study examines whether recent changes in the use of anemia drugs for patients on dialysis have contributed to changes in rates of death or cardiovascular events. The findings, which appear in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, indicate that these risks appear to be decreasing for patients on dialysis as well as for older adults (Medicare beneficiaries) who are not on dialysis.

27 Feb 2016

Shingles vaccine can help protect elderly patients with end-stage renal disease

Elderly patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) who received the shingles vaccine were half as likely to develop shingles compared to those who were not vaccinated. The new study from Kaiser Permanente, published in Clinical Infectious Diseases, also found the best protection against shingles was achieved when patients received the vaccination shortly after beginning dialysis.

16 Dec 2015