Prescribing Advice for GPs

New aspirin meta-analysis

January 11, 2012 at 9:17 am | In Prescribing Extra - Drugs |  Print | No Comments

The Archives of Internal Medicine has published the results of a new meta-analysis that aimed to assess the net benefit of aspirin in the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. This study has also been reported in the general media (BBC).

This analysis included data for 102,621 participants from 9 studies that reported event rates for vascular and non-vascular outcomes as well as deaths. It was found that over a mean period of 6.0 years, treatment with aspirin resulted in a 10% reduction in cardiovascular events (OR 0.90, 95% CI 0.85-0.96, NNT = 120) although there was no reduction in cardiovascular deaths.

It was also noted that there was a 31% increase in serious bleeding events (OR 1.31 , 95% CI 1.14-1.50, NNH = 73).

The authors note that the benefits in non-fatal events are offset by clinically important bleeding events and conclude that, "routine use of aspirin for primary prevention is not warranted and treatment decisions need to be considered on a case-by-case basis".

Action: The conclusion of this paper is not new and it is already recommended that aspirin is not used for the primary prevention of cardiovascular events. The data on the event rates in this paper (including the NNT and NNH) may prove useful in communicating the risks and benefits to patients.

Quetiapine SPC update

January 9, 2012 at 11:35 am | In Prescribing Extra - Drugs |  Print | No Comments

The manufacturer of quetiapine (Seroquel^®) has written to healthcare professionals advising of an update to the summary of product characteristics for both the standard and prolonged release tablets.

The letter advises that the update to the special warnings and precautions section includes advice on:

• Weight gain - should be monitored and managed as clinically appropriate.
• Hyperglycaemia - hyperglycaemia and/or development or exacerbation of diabetes has been reported rarely but has been fatal in some cases. It is recommended that patients are monitored for observed for signs and symptoms of hyperglycaemia or worsening diabetes control and managed as appropriate.
• Metabolic Risk - it is suggested that the observed changes in weight, blood glucose and lipids may result in an increased metabolic risk. This should be managed as clinically appropriate.

Action: The metabolic risks posed by second generation (atypical) antipsychotics are well known. This update reminds clinicians of the need to monitor for these effects and intervene where appropriate.