Fentanyl a Top Cause for Injuries
Fentanyl accounted for the third highest number of serious drug reactions in the first quarter of 2008, according to an analysis of Food and Drug Administration data by the Institute for Safe Medicine Practices. The FDA received reports of 631 cases of serious adverse reactions and 131 deaths possibly related to fentanyl during the first 3 months of this year. The product associated with the most reports was varenicline (Chantix); there were 1,001 cases and 50 deaths potentially related to use of the smoking cessation therapy. Overall, there was a record number of serious injuries reported in the first quarter: 20,745 cases. The 4,824 deaths recorded was the highest total since 2004, according to the ISMP. Most drugs are relatively safe; a small number of drugs accounted for a large volume of reports, the institute reported. For injuries, that list included heparin, interferon-β, infliximab, etanercept, clopidogrel, pregabalin, acetaminophen, and oxycodone.
Cognitive Research Gets a Boost
A new cooperative approach to research on cognitive aging is expected to bring with it an infusion of $20 million in grant funding over the next 5 years. A newly launched public-private partnership—the Research Partnership in Cognitive Aging—is funded by the National Institutes of Health and the McKnight Brain Research Foundation. The partnership will support an initiative to define healthy cognitive aging at the molecular, cellular, physiologic, and behavioral levels. It will also fund pilot studies with an aim toward setting the stage for larger clinical trials.
Nondrug Approaches to PTSD Tested
Researchers at the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System will test a series of interventions, from yoga to guided imagery, to treat posttraumatic stress disorder and major depression in veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, and their families. The randomized controlled study was funded by a grant from the Department of Defense's new Center of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury. The $411,000, 2-year grant will study the effectiveness of a technique developed by the Washington- based Center for Mind-Body Medicine. The technique, which includes meditation, biofeedback, and small-sized support groups, has been used successfully in treating PTSD in children in Kosovo.
U.S. Pharmaceutical Sales Outlook
The U.S. pharmaceutical market is expected to grow 1%-2% in 2009, resulting in sales of about $292-$302 billion, according to analysis from the health care market research firm IMS Health. This latest projection is down from the 2%-3% increase projected by IMS earlier this year, and reflects the expected impact of patent expirations, fewer launches of new products, and the slowing U.S. economy. Worldwide pharmaceutical sales are expected to grow 4.5%-5.5% in 2009, similar to growth this year. “The market will continue to contend with a number of forces—among them, the shift in growth from developed countries to emerging ones, specialist-driven products playing a larger role, blockbuster drugs losing patent protection, and the rising influence of regulators and payers on health care decisions,” Murray Aitken, senior vice president of Healthcare Insight at IMS, said in a statement. “Layered on top is the uncertainty in the global economic environment and its effect on demand.”
Poor Marks for PQRI
Most physicians who participated in Medicare's 2007 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative found the program at least moderately difficult, according to a survey conducted by the American Medical Association. Only 22% of respondents to the online survey were able to successfully download their feedback report. Of those who downloaded the report, less than half found it helpful. In an open-ended question about their experience with the program, nearly all the responses were negatives, according to the AMA. The results are based on responses from 408 physicians. The AMA plans to work with Congress and the administration to alter the program to provide physicians with interim feedback reports and an appeals process. A recent survey from the Medical Group Management Association reported similar problems in accessing feedback reports.