Pub Date : 2024-09-01Epub Date: 2024-05-09DOI: 10.1007/s40264-024-01439-z
Diego F Wyszynski, Lydia Demetriou, Cheryl Renz, Shirin Aliabadi, Dragutin Rafailovic, Lee P Shulman, Myriam Drysdale, Keele E Wurst
Introduction: Available data regarding the safety and efficacy of sotrovimab in pregnant patients remain limited due to their exclusion from clinical trials.
Methods: The COVID-19 International Drug Pregnancy Registry (COVID-PR) was established to gather comprehensive safety data from pregnant women who have received monoclonal antibody (mAb) or antiviral treatments for mild, moderate, or severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during pregnancy. Participants actively contributed self-reported data concerning their COVID-19 symptoms, in addition to sociodemographic and health-related characteristics. Obstetric, neonatal, and infant outcomes were also documented, with follow-up extending up to 12 months after childbirth.
Results: As of 30 November 2023, sotrovimab was administered to 39 participants enrolled in the COVID-PR. At the time of this report, 26 participants had given birth, with nine deliveries performed via cesarean section. The infants' birthweight ranged from 2381 g to 4762 g, with a mean of 3439.91 g. Twenty-five infants were born at ≥37 weeks. A total of 31 adverse events (AEs) were reported by 12 participants. The most frequently reported AE was gestational hypertension, observed in three participants. COVID-19 re-infection, fatigue, gestational diabetes, headache, and morning sickness were each reported by two participants. Of the reported AEs, eight (in five participants) were classified as serious, including four AEs (prolonged labor, pre-eclampsia, polyhydramnios, premature labor) that affected pregnancy. Seven of these eight serious AEs (SAEs) were found to be unrelated to sotrovimab, with one event (urinary retention) not assessable. A total of 44 AEs were reported in 19 delivered infants or in utero fetuses. The most common were COVID-19 (n = 6 events), ear infection (n = 5 events), neonatal dyspnea (n = 3 events), and respiratory syncytial virus infection (n = 3 events). Sixteen AEs (in 11 infants/fetuses) were classified as serious, including one report each of fetal cardiac disorder, congenital ankyloglossia, persistent right umbilical vein, and congenital hydronephrosis; the latter was considered a major congenital malformation. For all assessable SAEs, causality of sotrovimab treatment was ruled out based on lack of a temporal relationship alone or in combination with absence of a plausible mechanism.
Conclusion: A sizable proportion of sotrovimab-treated participants in the COVID-PR had underlying medical conditions associated with an increased risk of severe COVID-19. None of the assessable SAEs were considered to be related to sotrovimab treatment.
{"title":"Use of Sotrovimab in Pregnancy: Experiences from the COVID-19 International Drug Pregnancy Registry.","authors":"Diego F Wyszynski, Lydia Demetriou, Cheryl Renz, Shirin Aliabadi, Dragutin Rafailovic, Lee P Shulman, Myriam Drysdale, Keele E Wurst","doi":"10.1007/s40264-024-01439-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s40264-024-01439-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Available data regarding the safety and efficacy of sotrovimab in pregnant patients remain limited due to their exclusion from clinical trials.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The COVID-19 International Drug Pregnancy Registry (COVID-PR) was established to gather comprehensive safety data from pregnant women who have received monoclonal antibody (mAb) or antiviral treatments for mild, moderate, or severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during pregnancy. Participants actively contributed self-reported data concerning their COVID-19 symptoms, in addition to sociodemographic and health-related characteristics. Obstetric, neonatal, and infant outcomes were also documented, with follow-up extending up to 12 months after childbirth.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>As of 30 November 2023, sotrovimab was administered to 39 participants enrolled in the COVID-PR. At the time of this report, 26 participants had given birth, with nine deliveries performed via cesarean section. The infants' birthweight ranged from 2381 g to 4762 g, with a mean of 3439.91 g. Twenty-five infants were born at ≥37 weeks. A total of 31 adverse events (AEs) were reported by 12 participants. The most frequently reported AE was gestational hypertension, observed in three participants. COVID-19 re-infection, fatigue, gestational diabetes, headache, and morning sickness were each reported by two participants. Of the reported AEs, eight (in five participants) were classified as serious, including four AEs (prolonged labor, pre-eclampsia, polyhydramnios, premature labor) that affected pregnancy. Seven of these eight serious AEs (SAEs) were found to be unrelated to sotrovimab, with one event (urinary retention) not assessable. A total of 44 AEs were reported in 19 delivered infants or in utero fetuses. The most common were COVID-19 (n = 6 events), ear infection (n = 5 events), neonatal dyspnea (n = 3 events), and respiratory syncytial virus infection (n = 3 events). Sixteen AEs (in 11 infants/fetuses) were classified as serious, including one report each of fetal cardiac disorder, congenital ankyloglossia, persistent right umbilical vein, and congenital hydronephrosis; the latter was considered a major congenital malformation. For all assessable SAEs, causality of sotrovimab treatment was ruled out based on lack of a temporal relationship alone or in combination with absence of a plausible mechanism.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>A sizable proportion of sotrovimab-treated participants in the COVID-PR had underlying medical conditions associated with an increased risk of severe COVID-19. None of the assessable SAEs were considered to be related to sotrovimab treatment.</p>","PeriodicalId":11382,"journal":{"name":"Drug Safety","volume":" ","pages":"843-851"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11324716/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140896100","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-09-01Epub Date: 2024-05-08DOI: 10.1007/s40264-024-01437-1
Antoine Pariente, Francesco Salvo, Virginie Bres, Jean-Luc Faillie
{"title":"Can We Ask ChatGPT About Drug Safety? Appropriateness of ChatGPT Responses to Questions About Drug Use and Adverse Reactions Received by Pharmacovigilance Centers.","authors":"Antoine Pariente, Francesco Salvo, Virginie Bres, Jean-Luc Faillie","doi":"10.1007/s40264-024-01437-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s40264-024-01437-1","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":11382,"journal":{"name":"Drug Safety","volume":" ","pages":"921-923"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140876141","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Background: Clomiphene citrate is an ovulation inductor for which inadvertent post-conceptional exposures may occur in early pregnancy. In preclinical studies, post-conceptional exposures showed a teratogenic effect in different species. In humans, to date, little is known about the outcomes of inadvertently post-conceptionally exposed pregnancies.
Objectives: The objectives of our study were to assess the association between post-conceptional exposures to clomiphene citrate and major and minor congenital malformations in the offspring.
Methods: A retrospective cohort study of prospectively ascertained cases was undertaken, based on clinical data from the Centre de Référence sur les Agents Tératogènes (CRAT), Paris, France. Women with post-conceptional exposure to clomiphene citrate (n = 309), and unexposed pregnant women (n = 1236, 1:4 ratio) with prospectively collected data, known pregnancy outcome and delivery date prior to 01/02/2022, were matched by calendar year. An adjudication committee classified major and minor congenital malformations according to the EUROCAT (European Registration of Congenital Anomalies and Twins) classification.
Results: Among post-conceptional exposed women, no increased risk of major malformation was found (crude relative risk = 0.64, 95% confidence interval 0.19-2.15) as compared to unexposed women. Three major and ten minor congenital malformations were reported in the exposed group. An increased risk of minor malformations was found (crude relative risk = 4.05, 95% confidence interval 1.70-9.64) although there was no specific clinical pattern.
Conclusions: Post-conceptional exposure to clomiphene citrate was not associated with an increased risk of major congenital malformations. Given potential confounding and information biases, the results about minor malformations should be interpreted with caution as no specific clinical pattern was identified.
{"title":"Post-Conceptional Exposure to Clomiphene Citrate and Congenital Malformations: A Cohort Study.","authors":"Rebeccah Nehard, Catherine Vauzelle, Delphine Beghin, Mathilde Latour, Elisabeth Elefant, Bénédicte Coulm, Benoît Marin","doi":"10.1007/s40264-024-01438-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s40264-024-01438-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Clomiphene citrate is an ovulation inductor for which inadvertent post-conceptional exposures may occur in early pregnancy. In preclinical studies, post-conceptional exposures showed a teratogenic effect in different species. In humans, to date, little is known about the outcomes of inadvertently post-conceptionally exposed pregnancies.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>The objectives of our study were to assess the association between post-conceptional exposures to clomiphene citrate and major and minor congenital malformations in the offspring.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A retrospective cohort study of prospectively ascertained cases was undertaken, based on clinical data from the Centre de Référence sur les Agents Tératogènes (CRAT), Paris, France. Women with post-conceptional exposure to clomiphene citrate (n = 309), and unexposed pregnant women (n = 1236, 1:4 ratio) with prospectively collected data, known pregnancy outcome and delivery date prior to 01/02/2022, were matched by calendar year. An adjudication committee classified major and minor congenital malformations according to the EUROCAT (European Registration of Congenital Anomalies and Twins) classification.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Among post-conceptional exposed women, no increased risk of major malformation was found (crude relative risk = 0.64, 95% confidence interval 0.19-2.15) as compared to unexposed women. Three major and ten minor congenital malformations were reported in the exposed group. An increased risk of minor malformations was found (crude relative risk = 4.05, 95% confidence interval 1.70-9.64) although there was no specific clinical pattern.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Post-conceptional exposure to clomiphene citrate was not associated with an increased risk of major congenital malformations. Given potential confounding and information biases, the results about minor malformations should be interpreted with caution as no specific clinical pattern was identified.</p>","PeriodicalId":11382,"journal":{"name":"Drug Safety","volume":" ","pages":"883-894"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140911082","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-09-01Epub Date: 2024-06-01DOI: 10.1007/s40264-024-01442-4
Arianna Simonetti, Susan Colilla, Brian Edwards, Jürgen Kübler, Leila Lackey, Lisa Rodriguez, Susan Talbot, Hong Yang, William Wang, Danae Williams, James Matthew Higginson
<p><strong>Background and objectives: </strong>Key opinion leader (KOL) interviews were conducted by the Benefit-Risk Assessment Planning (BRAP) Taskforce to seek expert opinion mainly from industry and regulatory bodies, about the current status and future direction of benefit-risk assessment (BRA) planning in the lifecycle of medical product development. The findings from these interviews are intended to help communication concerning planning for BRA between industry and regulators and shape future guidance.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Key opinion leader interviews consisted of 5 questions related to BRA planning, which were administered to volunteers (mainly clinicians and statisticians) within a pool of experienced pharmaceutical and medical device professionals representing academia, industry, regulatory agencies and a patient group. The interviewees' responses to the 5 questions were summarized. To analyze the qualitative data, a Coding System was developed to label themes arising from the interviews. The key findings from the interviews were summarized into a Master Template. A quantitative analysis based on descriptive statistics was also conducted.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of the 27 interviewees, there were 11 professionals from regulatory agencies, 11 from industry, 4 from academia and 1 from a patient advocacy group. Key findings based on the comments provided by 48% of the interviewees indicated the need of incorporating BRA into other (e.g., existing) processes with the importance of alignment between processes being stressed in the comments provided by 59% of the interviewees. Commencing BRA early in the product lifecycle was emphasized in comments provided by 44% of the interviewees. Among other needs identified were an appropriate contextualization of benefits and risks (based on comments provided by 41% of interviewees) through adoption of an integrated approach with structured support by regulatory agencies and a need for understanding the audience with better communication of benefit-risk (BR) among all stakeholders (based on comments provided by 44% of the interviewees). Almost all comments provided by interviewees (96%) highlighted the importance of utilizing patient experience/preference to guide new product development and BRA. Comments provided by 74% of the interviewees expressed the need to understand patient tolerance for risk and trade-offs, with a majority (78%) of interviewees highlighting how to gather information, and 59% stressing the need for the selection and development of appropriate methodologies as important considerations for enhancing the quality and relevance of the data collected from patients.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Interviewees indicated that BRA should commence early in the medical product development and inform decision-making throughout the product lifecycle. Better planning and integration of BRA into existing processes within industry would be valuable. The importance of in
背景和目标:效益风险评估规划(BRAP)工作组进行了关键意见领袖(KOL)访谈,主要从行业和监管机构征求专家意见,了解医疗产品开发生命周期中效益风险评估(BRA)规划的现状和未来方向。这些访谈的结果旨在帮助行业和监管机构就 BRA 的规划进行沟通,并形成未来的指导意见:关键意见领袖访谈包括 5 个与 BRA 规划相关的问题,访谈对象为代表学术界、工业界、监管机构和患者团体的经验丰富的制药和医疗器械专业人士中的志愿者(主要是临床医生和统计学家)。对受访者对 5 个问题的回答进行了总结。为分析定性数据,开发了一个编码系统,用于标注访谈中出现的主题。访谈的主要结论被归纳到主模板中。此外,还进行了基于描述性统计的定量分析:在 27 位受访者中,11 位专业人士来自监管机构,11 位来自行业,4 位来自学术界,1 位来自患者权益组织。根据 48% 的受访者提供的意见得出的主要结论表明,有必要将生物风险评估纳入其他流程(如现有流程),59% 的受访者强调了流程之间保持一致的重要性。44% 的受访者在评论中强调了在产品生命周期的早期开始 BRA 的重要性。其他已确定的需求包括:在监管机构的结构化支持下,通过采用综合方法,对效益和风险进行适当的背景分析(根据 41% 的受访者提供的意见);需要了解受众,在所有利益相关者之间更好地沟通效益-风险(BR)(根据 44% 的受访者提供的意见)。几乎所有受访者(96%)都强调了利用患者经验/偏好指导新产品开发和 BRA 的重要性。74% 的受访者在评论中表示需要了解患者对风险和权衡的承受能力,大多数受访者(78%)强调了如何收集信息,59% 的受访者强调需要选择和开发适当的方法,作为提高从患者处收集的数据质量和相关性的重要考虑因素:受访者表示,生物风险评估应在医疗产品开发早期开始,并在整个产品生命周期中为决策提供信息。更好地规划 BRA 并将其纳入行业内的现有流程将非常有价值。受访者强调了将患者意见纳入 BRA 和医疗产品开发的重要性。从 KOL 访谈中得出的其他重要结论包括:有必要改进生物风险评估信息的沟通,并建立执行生物风险评估和征求患者意见的方法。
{"title":"Key Opinion Leaders' Interviews to Inform the Future of Benefit-Risk Planning in the Medical Total Product Life Cycle of Global Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Organizations.","authors":"Arianna Simonetti, Susan Colilla, Brian Edwards, Jürgen Kübler, Leila Lackey, Lisa Rodriguez, Susan Talbot, Hong Yang, William Wang, Danae Williams, James Matthew Higginson","doi":"10.1007/s40264-024-01442-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s40264-024-01442-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and objectives: </strong>Key opinion leader (KOL) interviews were conducted by the Benefit-Risk Assessment Planning (BRAP) Taskforce to seek expert opinion mainly from industry and regulatory bodies, about the current status and future direction of benefit-risk assessment (BRA) planning in the lifecycle of medical product development. The findings from these interviews are intended to help communication concerning planning for BRA between industry and regulators and shape future guidance.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Key opinion leader interviews consisted of 5 questions related to BRA planning, which were administered to volunteers (mainly clinicians and statisticians) within a pool of experienced pharmaceutical and medical device professionals representing academia, industry, regulatory agencies and a patient group. The interviewees' responses to the 5 questions were summarized. To analyze the qualitative data, a Coding System was developed to label themes arising from the interviews. The key findings from the interviews were summarized into a Master Template. A quantitative analysis based on descriptive statistics was also conducted.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of the 27 interviewees, there were 11 professionals from regulatory agencies, 11 from industry, 4 from academia and 1 from a patient advocacy group. Key findings based on the comments provided by 48% of the interviewees indicated the need of incorporating BRA into other (e.g., existing) processes with the importance of alignment between processes being stressed in the comments provided by 59% of the interviewees. Commencing BRA early in the product lifecycle was emphasized in comments provided by 44% of the interviewees. Among other needs identified were an appropriate contextualization of benefits and risks (based on comments provided by 41% of interviewees) through adoption of an integrated approach with structured support by regulatory agencies and a need for understanding the audience with better communication of benefit-risk (BR) among all stakeholders (based on comments provided by 44% of the interviewees). Almost all comments provided by interviewees (96%) highlighted the importance of utilizing patient experience/preference to guide new product development and BRA. Comments provided by 74% of the interviewees expressed the need to understand patient tolerance for risk and trade-offs, with a majority (78%) of interviewees highlighting how to gather information, and 59% stressing the need for the selection and development of appropriate methodologies as important considerations for enhancing the quality and relevance of the data collected from patients.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Interviewees indicated that BRA should commence early in the medical product development and inform decision-making throughout the product lifecycle. Better planning and integration of BRA into existing processes within industry would be valuable. The importance of in","PeriodicalId":11382,"journal":{"name":"Drug Safety","volume":" ","pages":"853-868"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11324710/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141185624","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-09-01Epub Date: 2024-06-17DOI: 10.1007/s40264-024-01444-2
Tiphaine Pierson, Verna Arcand, Barbara Farrell, Camille L Gagnon, Larry Leung, Lisa M McCarthy, Andrea L Murphy, Nav Persaud, Lalitha Raman-Wilms, James L Silvius, Michael A Steinman, Cara Tannenbaum, Wade Thompson, Johanna Trimble, Cheryl A Sadowski, Emily G McDonald
{"title":"Proceedings of the Canadian Medication Appropriateness and Deprescribing Network's 2023 National Meeting.","authors":"Tiphaine Pierson, Verna Arcand, Barbara Farrell, Camille L Gagnon, Larry Leung, Lisa M McCarthy, Andrea L Murphy, Nav Persaud, Lalitha Raman-Wilms, James L Silvius, Michael A Steinman, Cara Tannenbaum, Wade Thompson, Johanna Trimble, Cheryl A Sadowski, Emily G McDonald","doi":"10.1007/s40264-024-01444-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s40264-024-01444-2","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":11382,"journal":{"name":"Drug Safety","volume":" ","pages":"829-839"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11324714/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141330594","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-09-01Epub Date: 2024-06-14DOI: 10.1007/s40264-024-01457-x
Ursula Winterfeld
{"title":"Bridging the Evidence Gap: Sotrovimab Use in Pregnancy and the Need for Comprehensive Drug Safety Data.","authors":"Ursula Winterfeld","doi":"10.1007/s40264-024-01457-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s40264-024-01457-x","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":11382,"journal":{"name":"Drug Safety","volume":" ","pages":"841-842"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141320735","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-09-01Epub Date: 2024-05-16DOI: 10.1007/s40264-024-01443-3
Mufaddal Mahesri, Ameet Sarpatwari, Krista F Huybrechts, Joyce Lii, Su Been Lee, Gita A Toyserkani, Cynthia LaCivita, Esther H Zhou, Gerald J Dal Pan, Aaron S Kesselheim, Katsiaryna Bykov
Introduction: Lenalidomide, pomalidomide, and thalidomide are effective treatments for multiple myeloma but are teratogenic. To mitigate this risk, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) required risk evaluation and mitigation strategy (REMS) programs for these drugs, which include pregnancy testing among women of childbearing potential-twice before initiation, weekly in the first month on treatment, and every 2-4 weeks thereafter.
Objective: We evaluated dispensing trends of lenalidomide, pomalidomide, and thalidomide and assessed adherence to REMS pregnancy testing requirements among at-risk patients taking these drugs.
Methods: Using three US health insurance claims databases (Optum Clinformatics® [2004-2020], Merative Marketscan [2003-2019], and Medicaid [2000-2018]), we assessed monthly use of the drugs, patient characteristics and treatment persistence among drug initiators, and claims-based evidence for adherence to pregnancy testing requirements among initiators with child-bearing potential.
Results: Lenalidomide was the most prescribed agent following its approval in 2006 and through the end of the study period. A total of 48,311 lenalidomide (mean age = 59 years [standard deviation (SD) = 16]), 17,550 thalidomide (mean age = 65 years [SD = 12]), and 6560 pomalidomide initiators (mean age = 65 years [SD = 11]) were identified; 45% of initiators of each drug were women. Among initiators under follow-up on day 90, 70% were still on therapy. Initiators of childbearing potential comprised 3% (N = 1,920) of all initiators; among this cohort, 12% had evidence in claims data of two pregnancy tests before initiation, and 9% with at least 33 days of follow-up of four tests during the first month of treatment. By contrast, 52% who received a refill had claims-based evidence of a pregnancy test within 7 days of dispensing.
Conclusion: Although most patients who initiated lenalidomide, pomalidomide, and thalidomide were not of child-bearing potential, further investigation into actual non-adherence to pregnancy testing is needed.
{"title":"Trends in Use and Evidence of Adherence to Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy Pregnancy Testing Requirements for Thalidomide, Lenalidomide, and Pomalidomide in the USA, 2000-2020.","authors":"Mufaddal Mahesri, Ameet Sarpatwari, Krista F Huybrechts, Joyce Lii, Su Been Lee, Gita A Toyserkani, Cynthia LaCivita, Esther H Zhou, Gerald J Dal Pan, Aaron S Kesselheim, Katsiaryna Bykov","doi":"10.1007/s40264-024-01443-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s40264-024-01443-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Lenalidomide, pomalidomide, and thalidomide are effective treatments for multiple myeloma but are teratogenic. To mitigate this risk, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) required risk evaluation and mitigation strategy (REMS) programs for these drugs, which include pregnancy testing among women of childbearing potential-twice before initiation, weekly in the first month on treatment, and every 2-4 weeks thereafter.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>We evaluated dispensing trends of lenalidomide, pomalidomide, and thalidomide and assessed adherence to REMS pregnancy testing requirements among at-risk patients taking these drugs.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Using three US health insurance claims databases (Optum Clinformatics® [2004-2020], Merative Marketscan [2003-2019], and Medicaid [2000-2018]), we assessed monthly use of the drugs, patient characteristics and treatment persistence among drug initiators, and claims-based evidence for adherence to pregnancy testing requirements among initiators with child-bearing potential.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Lenalidomide was the most prescribed agent following its approval in 2006 and through the end of the study period. A total of 48,311 lenalidomide (mean age = 59 years [standard deviation (SD) = 16]), 17,550 thalidomide (mean age = 65 years [SD = 12]), and 6560 pomalidomide initiators (mean age = 65 years [SD = 11]) were identified; 45% of initiators of each drug were women. Among initiators under follow-up on day 90, 70% were still on therapy. Initiators of childbearing potential comprised 3% (N = 1,920) of all initiators; among this cohort, 12% had evidence in claims data of two pregnancy tests before initiation, and 9% with at least 33 days of follow-up of four tests during the first month of treatment. By contrast, 52% who received a refill had claims-based evidence of a pregnancy test within 7 days of dispensing.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Although most patients who initiated lenalidomide, pomalidomide, and thalidomide were not of child-bearing potential, further investigation into actual non-adherence to pregnancy testing is needed.</p>","PeriodicalId":11382,"journal":{"name":"Drug Safety","volume":" ","pages":"909-919"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11324373/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140956699","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Introduction: Off-label underdosed direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are commonly utilised in Asian patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) since they are prone to bleeding with OACs. However, the efficacy and safety of off-label underdosing DOACs are controversial. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness and safety of off-label underdosed DOACs in Asian patients with AF.
Methods: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane library, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched from 2010 to July 5, 2024, for randomised controlled trials or observational studies that compared off-label DOACs and on-label/warfarin in Asian patients with AF. The primary outcomes included ischaemic stroke or systemic embolism (ISSE) and major bleeding (MB), while secondary outcomes included all-cause death, gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB), intracranial haemorrhage (ICH), and myocardial infarction (MI). Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were pooled using random-effects models.
Results: Twenty observational studies were included. Seventeen studies compared off-label underdosed DOACs versus on-label DOACs, whereas five studies compared off-label underdosed DOACs versus warfarin. Off-label underdosed DOACs were associated with higher risk of ISSE (pooled HR [pHR] = 1.17; 95% CI: 1.00-1.38, p = 0.048) and ICH (pHR = 1.27; 95% CI: 1.06-1.52, p = 0.010) versus on-label. Subgroup analysis demonstrated increased ISSE risk with off-label underdosed rivaroxaban compared to on-label (pHR = 1.49; 95% CI: 1.07-2.08). Compared to warfarin, off-label underdosed DOACs were associated with decreased risk of MB (pHR = 0.46; 95% CI: 0.32-0.65, p < 0.001), GIB (pHR = 0.52; 95% CI: 0.29-0.93, p = 0.028), ICH (pHR = 0.60; 95% CI: 0.42-0.86, p = 0.005), and all-cause death (pHR = 0.70; 95% CI: 0.56-0.87, p = 0.001), while illustrating similar ISSE risk.
Conclusions: Off-label underdosed DOACs, particularly rivaroxaban, was associated with increased ISSE risk but did not decrease bleeding compared to on-label. Adherence to appropriate DOAC doses should be emphasised to achieve the best clinical outcomes for Asian patients with AF.
{"title":"Comparative Effectiveness and Safety of Off-Label Underdosed Direct Oral Anticoagulants in Asian Patients with Atrial Fibrillation: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.","authors":"Pajaree Mongkhon, Noppaket Singkham, Kunyarat Ponok, Natpatsorn Liamsrijan, Wipada Phoosa, Sirayut Phattanasobhon, Laura Fanning, Vichai Senthong, Surasak Saokaew","doi":"10.1007/s40264-024-01476-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s40264-024-01476-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Off-label underdosed direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are commonly utilised in Asian patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) since they are prone to bleeding with OACs. However, the efficacy and safety of off-label underdosing DOACs are controversial. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness and safety of off-label underdosed DOACs in Asian patients with AF.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>PubMed, Embase, Cochrane library, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched from 2010 to July 5, 2024, for randomised controlled trials or observational studies that compared off-label DOACs and on-label/warfarin in Asian patients with AF. The primary outcomes included ischaemic stroke or systemic embolism (ISSE) and major bleeding (MB), while secondary outcomes included all-cause death, gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB), intracranial haemorrhage (ICH), and myocardial infarction (MI). Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were pooled using random-effects models.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Twenty observational studies were included. Seventeen studies compared off-label underdosed DOACs versus on-label DOACs, whereas five studies compared off-label underdosed DOACs versus warfarin. Off-label underdosed DOACs were associated with higher risk of ISSE (pooled HR [pHR] = 1.17; 95% CI: 1.00-1.38, p = 0.048) and ICH (pHR = 1.27; 95% CI: 1.06-1.52, p = 0.010) versus on-label. Subgroup analysis demonstrated increased ISSE risk with off-label underdosed rivaroxaban compared to on-label (pHR = 1.49; 95% CI: 1.07-2.08). Compared to warfarin, off-label underdosed DOACs were associated with decreased risk of MB (pHR = 0.46; 95% CI: 0.32-0.65, p < 0.001), GIB (pHR = 0.52; 95% CI: 0.29-0.93, p = 0.028), ICH (pHR = 0.60; 95% CI: 0.42-0.86, p = 0.005), and all-cause death (pHR = 0.70; 95% CI: 0.56-0.87, p = 0.001), while illustrating similar ISSE risk.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Off-label underdosed DOACs, particularly rivaroxaban, was associated with increased ISSE risk but did not decrease bleeding compared to on-label. Adherence to appropriate DOAC doses should be emphasised to achieve the best clinical outcomes for Asian patients with AF.</p>","PeriodicalId":11382,"journal":{"name":"Drug Safety","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142105453","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Spontaneous reporting systems (SRS) provide valuable data for detecting unidentified adverse events not observed in clinical trials and for conducting safety assessments that accurately reflect real-world clinical practice. With the increasing number of publications using the SRS for disproportionality analysis (DA), there is an increasing demand for a comprehensive understanding of the research limitations associated with the SRS. However, there is a lack of understanding of the caveats associated with adjusting covariates in DA of the SRS. Herein, we summarized the use of covariate adjustment and its caveats in DA. The Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences VIII suggests considering adjustments such as stratification when they can enhance the sensitivity and/or specificity of statistical analysis. However, several database-specific and statistical caveats have been identified when adjusting for covariates derived from the SRS. Disproportionality analysis may be affected not only by reporting bias at the time of enrollment but also by sparse-data bias due to variations in the number of enrollment reports. Statistical evidence is needed to determine in which cases and to what extent sensitivity and/or specificity are affected. Nevertheless, it is important for researchers to acknowledge that certain limitations discussed in this context may be inherent and cannot be rectified. Based on this understanding, they can then make an informed decision on whether to perform a covariate adjustment.
{"title":"Caveats of Covariate Adjustment in Disproportionality Analysis for Best Practices.","authors":"Yoshihiro Noguchi, Tomoya Tachi, Tomoaki Yoshimura","doi":"10.1007/s40264-024-01473-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s40264-024-01473-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Spontaneous reporting systems (SRS) provide valuable data for detecting unidentified adverse events not observed in clinical trials and for conducting safety assessments that accurately reflect real-world clinical practice. With the increasing number of publications using the SRS for disproportionality analysis (DA), there is an increasing demand for a comprehensive understanding of the research limitations associated with the SRS. However, there is a lack of understanding of the caveats associated with adjusting covariates in DA of the SRS. Herein, we summarized the use of covariate adjustment and its caveats in DA. The Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences VIII suggests considering adjustments such as stratification when they can enhance the sensitivity and/or specificity of statistical analysis. However, several database-specific and statistical caveats have been identified when adjusting for covariates derived from the SRS. Disproportionality analysis may be affected not only by reporting bias at the time of enrollment but also by sparse-data bias due to variations in the number of enrollment reports. Statistical evidence is needed to determine in which cases and to what extent sensitivity and/or specificity are affected. Nevertheless, it is important for researchers to acknowledge that certain limitations discussed in this context may be inherent and cannot be rectified. Based on this understanding, they can then make an informed decision on whether to perform a covariate adjustment.</p>","PeriodicalId":11382,"journal":{"name":"Drug Safety","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141995491","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-08-01Epub Date: 2024-07-05DOI: 10.1007/s40264-024-01463-z
Nele Brusselaers
{"title":"Author's Reply to Avó-Baião et al.'s Comment on \"Maternal and Early-Life Exposure to Antibiotics and the Risk of Autism and Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Childhood: A Swedish Population-Based Cohort Study\".","authors":"Nele Brusselaers","doi":"10.1007/s40264-024-01463-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s40264-024-01463-z","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":11382,"journal":{"name":"Drug Safety","volume":" ","pages":"823-825"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141533967","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}