[e-drug] Prescrire International, August 2007

["International" <international@prescrire.org>]

E-DRUG: Prescrire International, August 2007
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Prescrire International is the English language edition of the reference French journal la revue Prescrire. It contains comparative evaluation of new drug interventions, reviews of adverse effects, and papers on drug policy issues. 
Prescrire International is totally funded by subscribers, with no support from pharmaceutical industry or government. It is published six times a year and health professionals in low income countries can also benefit from the journal thanks to Solidarity Subscription Rates. Drug companies are excluded from applying to Solidarity Rates. 
 

Contents of Prescrire International, 

August 2007 Volume 16  N° 90

Editorial                                                                            
· Preventing the preventable    

The methotrexate lesson

New Products                                                                                     
· Palifermin (oral mucositis)

Inappropriate evaluation                                                                                             
· Sunitinib (gastrointestinal stromal tumours and metastatic renal carcinoma)

For some gastrointestinal stromal tumours

· Sorafenib (second-line treatment of kidney cancer)

A last resort                                                                                                                 
· Pioglitazone + metformin, Rosiglitazone + glimepiride, Pioglitazone + glimepiride (type 2 diabetes)

Combination products to avoid                                                                           
Editor's opinion: Avoid prescribing glitazones to diabetes patients, either alone or in combination

· Clopidogrel (myocardial infarction) 

Editor's opinion: What a shame!

· Finasteride (benign prostatic hypertrophy)             

Sexual disorders                                                                                                          
· Lopinavir + ritonavir tablets (new formulation)   

A formulation suited to hot climates

· Nasal azelastine for self-medication      

Modest symptomatic relief from rhinitis

Adverse effects                                                                                
· Oral methotrexate: preventing avoidable overdose  

Prescrire's proposals: Preventing oral methotrexate overdose

· Leukaemia due to mitoxantrone  

· Angiotensin-II receptor antagonist + diuretic + nsaid = danger       

· Epoetin: dose-dependent excess mortality    

Reviews                                                                                                  
· Chronic hepatitis B        

A wider range of therapeutic options

Prescrire's proposals: Management of chronic hepatitis B 

· Obesity: weight loss without drugs         

A balanced diet avoiding high-calorie foods, plus exercise

Prescrire's proposals: Helping obese patients to lose weight without drugs

Minireviews 
· Juvenile idiopathic arthritis: some progress but still many uncertainties  

Outlook                                                                                                
Editorial
· Duplicate publications of the same trial        

About Prescrire
· Association Mieux Prescrire (AMP)

A professional movement aimed at promoting quality healthcare         

Guideline watch
· French Health Agency guidelines 

Separating the good from the bad       

· Drug treatment for type 2 diabetes:

French Health Agency's guidelines highlight heavily-promoted new drugs and ignore some clinical realities              

Health and society 
· Shaping diseases: marketing departments flex their wings 

Refuse commercially-motivated disease definitions          

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Jérôme ROBERT
Development manager 
Prescrire 
83 boulevard Voltaire
75558 PARIS CEDEX 11
FRANCE
Tel. : 33 1 49 23 72 65
Fax : 33 1 49 23 76 48
E-mail : international@prescrire.org
Website : www.prescrire.org