Pharmacoepidemiology News and Research

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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.

Benzodiazepine exposure for over-65s linked to increased risk of dementia

The results from comparative analysis of this population demonstrate the risk of developing dementia increased by 50% for subjects who consumed benzodiazepines during the follow-up period, compared with those who had never used benzodiazepines.

6 Oct 2012

Anxiety, depression and insomnia drugs and risk of driving accident: an interview with Hui-Ju Tsai

Anxiety, depression and insomnia drugs have been commonly used to treat mental and emotional disorders, or improve sleep-related problems.

27 Sep 2012

RA patients do not receive fewer cancer screening tests than general population: Study

New research reveals that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients do not receive fewer cancer screening tests than the general population. Results of the study, funded in part by grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and published in Arthritis & Rheumatism, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), found that RA and non-RA patients receive routine screening for breast, cervical, and colon cancer at similar rates.

10 Jul 2012

Websites advertising statins for sale contain poor levels of safety information

A new study published in the journal Pharmacoepidemiology & Drug Safety reveals that internet sites selling prescription statins directly to consumers are widespread, and that most websites advertising statins for sale to the general public contain very poor levels of information relevant to safe use of the medicine and side effects.

3 Feb 2012

Obstacles people with type 2 diabetes face that prevent them from getting ultimate treatment

Eli Lilly and Company today announced it is conducting the first major international, prospective observational study designed to understand the real-world obstacles that people with type 2 diabetes face that prevent them from reaching their ultimate treatment goals.

2 Dec 2011

Eliminating drug co-pays improves medication adherence in heart attack patients

The use of specific medications following a heart attack has been shown to reduce cardiovascular events and mortality, however; while highly effective, the rate of adherence to these medications is poor. Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) evaluated whether eliminating co-payments for these medications would increase adherence and improve outcomes in patients who have had a heart attack.

15 Nov 2011

Removal of OTC drugs for toddlers from the market reduces therapeutic errors

A new study by researchers at the University of Maryland has revealed a 46 percent drop in reported errors after drugmakers in October 2007 removed from the market a number of over-the-counter cough and cold medications labeled for children under the age of 2.

25 Aug 2011

Women consume more non-prescribed drugs than men

Approximately 20% of Spaniards take non-prescribed medication and women are the group most inclined towards this practice. This is the conclusion of a research study carried out by experts from the Rey Juan Carlos University in Madrid, which also links this habit to nationality, income level and alcohol and tobacco consumption amongst the population.

15 Apr 2011

NSAIDs raise risk of heart disease: Study

A new study published online in the British Medical Journal explores the relative safety of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs), commonly used to treat joint and muscle aches and pain and concludes that NSAIDs significantly increase the risk of cardiovascular events in patients who take them regularly.

12 Jan 2011

SAGE launches two new journals in Drug Safety, Hematology

SAGE Expands Therapeutic Advances series by launching two new journals in Drug Safety and Hematology. SAGE has extended its suite of Therapeutic Advances journals with the launch of a further two titles: Therapeutic Advances in Drug Safety, and Therapeutic Advances in Hematology.

3 Dec 2010

Long-term use of statins unlikely to substantially increase overall cancer risk: Study

Researchers have further established that long-term use of statins is unlikely to substantially increase or decrease overall cancer risk, according to study results presented at the Ninth Annual AACR Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research Conference, held Nov. 7-10, 2010, in Philadelphia.

10 Nov 2010

Electronic medical records aid reporting of drug problems, study finds

The Wall Street Journal reports that a recent small study finds that reporting of prescription side effects increases when doctors use computerized patient records. "The study, at Massachusetts General and Brigham & Women's hospitals in Boston and sponsored by Pfizer Inc., showed a large increase in reporting of adverse events to the Food and Drug Administration once doctors used an automated tool.

18 Oct 2010

Scientists urge government to set target effectiveness for newly approved antibiotics

The United States must focus on conserving the use of antibacterial drugs, or face a public health crisis from rapidly rising rates of antibiotic-resistant infections, according to an analysis out today.

7 Sep 2010

HealthPrize Technologies takes fresh approach to prescription non-adherence problem

HealthPrize Technologies, a web-based software company that motivates people to fill and stay on their prescription medications, announced its official launch today. HealthPrize takes a fresh approach to the problem of medication non-adherence: it tracks users' medication taking and prescription refilling, educates consumers on the importance of taking medication properly, and rewards them for doing so.

15 Jun 2010

AiDKlinik information system reduces adverse drug interaction numbers

To get life-threatening diseases under control, patients in the intensive care unit usually are administered many medications at the same time. Even for experts, it is difficult to keep track of the variety of possible side effects and interactions.

11 Mar 2010

International experts prepare check-list for identifying insulin and cancer risk

Epidemiological studies are difficult to do well, pharmacoepidemiological studies are particularly complicated and studies of insulin and cancer risk are even more difficult to do well. "Well" in the sense that any association found can be interpreted in an unambiguous manner.

14 Dec 2009

Lower total cholesterol may be caused by undiagnosed cancer: Study

A pair of studies in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, lay to rest the decades-long concern that lower total cholesterol may lead to cancer, and in fact lower cholesterol may reduce the risk of high-grade prostate cancer.

4 Nov 2009

PPD to evaluate FDA's post-market spontaneous adverse event surveillance system

PPD, Inc. today announced it has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to evaluate the agency’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) post-market spontaneous adverse event surveillance system. The company will conduct a thorough evaluation of the value of the spontaneous adverse event reports to support safety-related regulatory actions and report its findings to the FDA and the public.

28 Oct 2009

Physicians lack knowledge of off-label drug use and FDA approval status

In a recent national survey, a substantial minority of physicians erroneously believed that certain off-label uses of prescription drugs were approved by the Food and Drug Administration. This mistaken belief could encourage them to prescribe these drugs, despite the lack of scientific evidence supporting such use.

21 Aug 2009

Stroke doubles patients' risk of breaking a hip or femur

Stroke survivors have about twice the risk of breaking a hip or femur compared to those without stroke - and the risk is even greater for younger patients, women and those with recent strokes, Dutch researchers report in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

6 Aug 2009