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Pharmacists have access to a plethora of information related to drugs. Online compendia concerning top 200 prescribed drugs are readily-accessible, comparatively-easy to search. While these resources provide some information about the commonly prescribed drugs, they lack in furnishing in-depth knowledge to pharmacy students, pharmacists and other h...
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Citations
... By algorithm, we mean the use of combined data sources to obtain a composite outcome. Algorithms can combine ICD-10 codes, drug or device dispensations, use of care and/or causes of death [13][14][15]. All extracted characteristics were primarily as reported by the authors. ...
... Total % Disease or medical event 99 31.3 A00-B99: Certain infections and parasitic diseases 5 C00-D48: Neoplasms 7 D50-D89: Diseases of the blood and blood-forming organs and certain disorders involving the immune mechanism with studies conducted in other countries in Europe or elsewhere [14,24]. Most reported pharmacological classes are also of high worldwide relevance in terms of mortality and morbidity [15,31]. ...
... paceh ospit al. com/ parac etamol-dolo-650-uses-side-effec ts-compo sition-andprice;Jayanand et al. 2022). It is considered one of the three most prescribed drugs, and is ranked among the top 200 most prescribed drugs in the world (Fuentes et al. 2018 ). Paracetamol has been detected in the surface waters, wastewater, and drinking water throughout the world and reaches in the natural environment through direct disposal of domestic drugs, excretion by humans as well as inappropriate treatment methods adopted by pharmaceutical industries (Peralta-Hernández and Brillas 2023). ...
In the present study, we report the green synthesis of novel magnetically separable MgFe2O4 nanoparticles using Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp leafs via combustion method. The MgFe2O4 were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), and UV-diffuse reflectance (UV-DRS) spectroscopy. The crystalline structure of MgFe2O4 was confirmed via XRD studies and TEM showed that the MgFe2O4 NPs were distorted spherical particles with particle size ranging between 5 and 15 nm. UV-DRS study showed the optical band gap of MgFe2O4 NPs to be 1.8 eV. Microwave-assisted (MW) degradation of PCM-dolo drug using MgFe2O4 as catalyst was performed at different operating parameters such as time (30 min), drug concentration (PCM-dolo 50 mg/L), initial concentration of MgFe2O4 (0–110 mg/L), and microwave power (100–600 W) to obtained the degraded fragments of the drug. Experimental data was used to compute the degradation efficiency of PCM-dolo on MgFe2O4. The enhanced catalytic performance could be ascribed to the production of MW-induced active species, such as holes (h⁺), superoxide radicals (⋅O2⁻) and hydroxyl radicals (⋅OH) in the degradation process. A possible degradation mechanism and pathway was proposed.
Graphical abstract
... Despite new drugs that have emerged over the last years, statins play a cardinal role in effective management of this problem, owing to the extensive evidence of their effectiveness in both primary and secondary prevention (Author Anonymous, 1994;Collins et al., 2003). Consequently, they are of absolutely fundamental importance to public health, representing one of the most often prescribed groups of drugs (De Vera et al., 2014;Fuentes et al., 2018). ...
Background
Adherence to medications presents a significant challenge in healthcare. Statins, used in primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease, are of particular importance for public health. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in additional healthcare system-related barriers impeding the execution of therapies. This study aimed to assess the use of as well as adherence and persistence to statins in a national cohort of 38 million of Polish citizens during pandemic.
Methods
A retrospective analysis of prescription and dispensation data for all statins users from the national payer organization covering the years 2020–2022 was conducted. Medication adherence was assessed using the Medication Possession Ratio, for persistence the 30-day cut-off was accepted. National data on COVID-19 cases and COVID-19 related deaths were obtained from ECDC.
Results
The analysis identified 7,189,716 Polish citizens (approximately 19% of Polish population) who were dispensed at least 1 pack of statins within the study period. Over that time, there was a continuous significant increasing trend in prescribing and dispensing of statins. Despite a total increase of 18.9% in the number of prescribed tablets, the percentage of tablets dispensed remained similar, averaging 86%. Overall percentage of adherent patients was 48.2%. For a random sample of 100,000 patients, the mean period of continuous therapy in 2022 was 6.2+/- 5.3 months. During the lockdown period, the mean number of prescribed and dispensed tablets was lower by 6.8% and 5.9%, respectively ( p < 0.05). However, fluctuations in the number of COVID-19 cases or COVID-19-related deaths per week had no major impact on the prescribing and dispensing of statins.
Conclusion
Over the time of pandemic, there was a continuous increase in the number of statin tablets prescribed and dispensed in Poland. This suggests that, despite the potential limitations posed by COVID-19, access to statins remained easy, which may be attributed to the mass-scale implementation of the national e-prescription system. However, it is crucial to realise that approximately 1/7 of prescribed statin doses were never dispensed, and the overall levels of adherence and persistence were low. This underscores the necessity for concerted efforts to change this scenario in Poland.
... The four authors then divided and reviewed a representative sample of 100 drug formulations. We analyzed two formulations each (as identified by distinct National Drug Codes (NDC)) of the 50 most commonly prescribed medications (Fuentes et al. 2018). Following discussion and consensus, we compared the inactive ingredient information listing in the "Description" section against the "Ingredients and Appearance" section of the product listing in DailyMed. ...
Excipients, or inactive ingredients, are a frequent cause of medication intolerance and allergy. Patients and clinicians concerned about medication allergies and sensitivities rely on the U.S. National Library of Medicine’s DailyMed for accurate lists of excipients. Based on our anecdotal discovery of several examples of excipient omissions, we wished to examine the accuracy of DailyMed’s listings more systematically in a sample of commonly prescribed medications. The objective of the study is to identify the frequency of inconsistency of excipient reporting within the DailyMed website. We performed a database audit of the Structured Product Labeling XML file provided by the drug manufacturer to the Food and Drug Administration and DailyMed for two randomly selected formulations of each of 50 commonly prescribed medications. For each of the 100 formulations, we compared the excipients listed in the “Description” to those in the “Ingredients and Appearance” sections in DailyMed. The Structured Product Labeling data file provided by the drug manufacturer contained internal inconsistencies of excipients in 39% of the formulations examined. Despite the use of Structured Product Labeling, the drug manufacturer’s medication labels provided to the FDA and reported by DailyMed often contain conflicting information about inactive ingredients. Patients with allergies and excipient sensitivity should be aware of these discrepancies and consult multiple sections of the label to identify potential allergy-inducing inactive ingredients.
... According to many sources, atorvastatin (ATV) is one of the top ten used drugs worldwide (Fuentes et al. 2018; Strampelli et al. 2020; Malaysian Statistics for Medicine 2020; MEPS 2021), e.g. it ranked position one in the number of prescriptions in the USA in 2019 (ClinCalc, 2021). ATV belongs to the group of hypolipidemic drugs known as statins that lower the cholesterol level in the body by inhibition of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG CoA) reductase enzyme which catalyses a rate-limiting step in cholesterol biosynthesis (Goldstein and Brown 1990); this, in turn, leads to cholesterol biosynthesis suppression (Stancu & Sima, 2001). ...
Atorvastatin (ATV) photochemical degradation with radiation relevant to the shortest solar radiation wavelengths reaching the Earth’s surface was studied. Fourteen products of photodegradation (P-ATV) were identified by HPLC-HRMS/MS analysis and for twelve of them, chemical structures were proposed. The suggested structures include decarboxylated, dehydrated ATV, ether-like structures and phenanthrene-like byproducts. Toxicity assays revealed that exposure to ATV had a greater negative effect on the growth of the green algae Desmodesmus subspicatus than exposure to P-ATV (IC20 values 140 µg/l and 475 µg/l, resp.). The opposite trend was observed in assays with Daphnia magna where P-ATV were 12 times more toxic than the parent compound (LC50 values obtained for atorvastatin and the photoproduct mixture after 48 h of exposure were 38.5 mg/l and 3.25 mg/l, resp.). Long-term exposure to environmental concentrations showed that P-ATV significantly lowered the number of juveniles of D. magna , while ATV had no effect in comparison to the control group. Neither ATV nor P-ATV affected the interclutch period or the number of clutches. The same trend of higher toxicity of P-ATV was observed in the 96-h test with Danio rerio embryos, where the determined LC50 value for ATV was 5.56 mg/l, while the calculated LC50 value for P-ATV was only 2.74 mg/l. Both groups of embryos of D. rerio (exposed to ATV and P-ATV) showed malformations such as heart oedema and yolk sac oedema with the more pronounced effect being in exposure to P-ATV).
... Our findings may translate more widely to investigations evaluating cognitive effects of simvastatin. Currently, statins are ranked amongst the most highly prescribed medications in the UK and the US (Audi et al., 2018;Fuentes et al., 2018). With prescription trends increasing over time (O'Keeffe et al., 2016), it becomes increasingly important to identify potential vectors of their cognitive outcomes. ...
... T3 and T4 increase the metabolic rate of the cell. Thyroid hormone (TH), produced by the thyroid gland, plays a key role in various physiological processes, such as metabolism and brain development, that occur in all vital 14 organs and systems. Optimal TH levels are extremely important for the proper functioning of these processes, especially during the development of the nervous system [40,41,42]. ...
... Their incidence has increased over the last two decades [11]. Drugs acting on the endocrine system are among the top prescribed drugs [14]. The most common thyroid gland dysfunctions include hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism [2]. ...
Introduction and objective: The purpose of this paper is a systematic review of articles and research in the context of the relationship between genetic determinants of migraine and thyroid dysfunction. Materials and methods: A non-systematic review of the scientific literature was carried out according to the following keywords: PubMed was searched and 76 articles published up to 2023 were analyzed. Description of the state of knowledge: Epidemiological studies confirm the co-occurrence of migraine and thyroid dysfunction, especially hypothyroidism, which are considered to be diseases with a strong genetic background. Thyroid function parameters such as TSH and fT4 are susceptible to genetic influences. However, there is a lack of consistent interpretation of the observational results, which highlights the need for further research. Analysis of gene overlaps and links between headache and thyroid function, based on GWAS data, could shed light on the complex genetic interactions underlying this association. Summary: The genetic associations revealed in the study enhance our comprehension of the intricate relationship between migraine and thyroid dysfunction. These findings not only offer the prospect of developing biomarkers for identifying migraine patients who might benefit from thyroid hormone therapy but also underscore the promising potential of future genetic studies in providing biological insights to advance clinical decision-making in understanding and addressing these interconnected phenomena.
... Of the top 200 drugs prescribed today, 83% are orally delivered and expected to interact directly with the gut microbiome 5,25,26 . We therefore sought to measure the transcriptomic responses of prevalent gut bacteria exposed to top-prescribed oral pharmaceuticals. ...
Many drugs can perturb the gut microbiome, potentially leading to negative health consequences. However, mechanisms of most microorganism–drug responses have not been elucidated at the genetic level. Using high-throughput bacterial transcriptomics, we systematically characterized the gene expression profiles of prevalent human gut bacteria exposed to the most frequently prescribed orally administered pharmaceuticals. Across >400 drug–microorganism pairs, significant and reproducible transcriptional responses were observed, including pathways involved in multidrug resistance, metabolite transport, tartrate metabolism and riboflavin biosynthesis. Importantly, we discovered that statin-mediated upregulation of the AcrAB-TolC efflux pump in Bacteroidales species enhances microbial sensitivity to vitamin A and secondary bile acids. Moreover, gut bacteria carrying acrAB-tolC genes are depleted in patients taking simvastatin, suggesting that drug–efflux interactions generate collateral toxicity that depletes pump-containing microorganisms from patient microbiomes. This study provides a resource to further understand the drivers of drug-mediated microbiota shifts for better informed clinical interventions.
... Little is known about the effect these drugs may have on anti-VEGF treatment, especially when they are drugs commonly prescribed in AMD patients as they are usually elderly patients and these drugs are common concomitant treatments for their comorbidities [23]. Given that the high prevalence of AMD results in high socioeconomic burden associated with the anti-VEGF therapy, it is necessary to be able to predict treatment outcomes [24]. ...
Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor drugs keep being the main therapy for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Possible predictive parameters (demographic, biochemical and/or inflammatory) could anticipate short-term treatment response with ranibizumab. 46 treatment-naive patients were included in a prospective observational study. They underwent three monthly injections of intravitreal ranibizumab for neovascular AMD and the clinical examination was made at baseline and one month after the third injection. Demographic characteristics, co-morbidities and concomitant treatments were recorded at the baseline visit. Biochemical parameters, complete blood count and inflammation biomarkers were also measured at these times. Uric Acid was found to be statistically significant with a one-point difference between good and poor responders in both basal and treated patients, but only in basal parameters was statistical significance reached (p = 0.007 vs. p = 0.071 in treated patients). Cholesterol and inflammatory parameters such as white blood cell count and neutrophils were significantly reduced over time when treated with intravitreal ranibizumab. On the other hand, women seemed to have a worse prognosis for short-term response to intravitreal ranibizumab treatment. Uric acid may help identify possible non-responders before initial treatment with ranibizumab, and cholesterol and white blood cells could be good candidates to monitor short-term response to ranibizumab treatment.
... Levothyroxine (L-T4) is a milestone in the treatment of all causes of hypothyroidism, being the second most common medication dispensed in the United States in the last few years (1,2). The first documented effective myxedema treatment with hypodermic injections of an extract of the thyroid gland of a sheep dates back to the late 19 th century (3). ...
Levothyroxine is a milestone in the treatment of all causes of hypothyroidism. From 19th century till today, Levothyroxine experienced a great advancement, from hypodermic injections of an extract of the thyroid gland of a sheep to novel formulations, known to circumvent malabsorption issue. However, the rate of patients on suboptimal therapy is still high. Current Guidelines are clear, daily Levothyroxine dosage should be calculated based on body weight. However, we are still far away from the possibility to administer the right dosage to the right patient, for several reasons. We retrace the history of treatment with levothyroxine, pointing out strengths and weaknesses of different formulations, with particular attention to what keeps us away from tailored therapy. In the age of digitalization, the pharmaceutical industry has been giving rising importance to Digital therapeutics, that are known to be effective in reaching target therapies. By combining current knowledge of hypothyroidism therapy with cutting-edge technology, we also hypothesized what could be the future strategies to be developed in this field.
