USPharmacist.com > January 2012

Issue: January 2012 • Archive

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In This Edition		Featured Article		Featured CE
• Editor's Notebook • Counseling Pearls • It's the Law • Clinical Corner • Consult Your Pharmacist • Educational Spotlight • Quick Poll –Type 2 Diabetes		Bell's Palsy: To Treat or Not to Treat Because of the high rate of spontaneous recovery, some experts question the use of pharmacologic agents.		Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery for Parkinson's Disease This procedure can improve symptoms of tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia, and dyskinesia.

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Editor's Notebook

It's Not Only About the Money

Medication cost is not the only factor that contributes to poor compliance and adherence.

Counseling Pearls

GERD-Related Sleep Disturbances

Nighttime heartburn occurs in a large number of patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and nocturnal heartburn and GERD impair sleep and impact daily functioning.

Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Update

Goals of treatment include decreasing symptoms, prevention or attenuation of lesion progression, and reducing long-term disabilities. Research is focused on disease-modifying therapies.

It's the Law

The (Non) Law of Drug Shortages

Many factors contribute to why reported drug shortages are at their highest levels in more than a decade.

Clinical Corner

Neurologic Complications of HIV

Despite the availability of effective antiretroviral therapy, more than 25% of people with HIV infection will develop neurologic disorders. These disorders range from minor deterioration in motor and information-processing speed to severely incapacitating symptoms that affect the patient's functional capacity.

Botulinum Toxin for the Treatment of Movement Disorders

Movement disorders secondary to central nervous system disease and skeletal-muscle overactivity can be extremely debilitating. Clinical applications of this neurotoxin include cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson's disease.

Consult Your Pharmacist

Insomnia and Snoring

One-fourth of Americans experience occasional problems sleeping.

Educational Spotlight

Clinical Considerations for the Treatment of H pylori Infection

It is important to develop individualized treatment regimens for afflicted patients.

Drug Treatment of Addictive Diseases

Without intervention, drug and alcohol addiction is a chronic and potentially fatal disease.

Newswire

Nicotine Patch May Help Improve Memory
Nashville, TN — According to a recent study published in Neurology, people with mild cognitive impairment may benefit from the use of a transdermal nicotine patch. The study involved 74 people with an average age of 76 years who had mild cognitive impairment and were not smokers. Half of the participants received a nicotine patch of 15 mg per day and half received a placebo. After 6 months of treatment, the nicotine-treated group regained 46% of normal performance for age on long-term memory, whereas the placebo group worsened by 26%. “This study provides strong justification for further research into the use of nicotine for people with early signs of memory loss,” said researcher Paul Newhouse, MD, of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville.

Mild Flu Season Expected
Atlanta, GA — The CDC reports that there has been low influenza activity across the United States so far this winter. Flu incidence was deemed “minimal” across 48 states, with just 1.4% of outpatient visits attributed to the flu, down from the seasonal average of 2.4%. As of January 1, 2012, there were no reported cases of children dying from the flu. The strains being seen this year are not particularly virulent and seem well-matched with this season's vaccine. “Vaccination continues to be the single-most important thing people can do to protect themselves from flu,” said Tom Skinner, CDC spokesperson.

Alzheimer's Drug Development Suspended
New York, NY— Following disappointing phase III trial results, development of the experimental Alzheimer's medication Dimebon (latrepirdine) has been halted by Pfizer Inc. and partner Medivation Inc. The drug, originally an antihistamine used in Russia, showed no statistically significant benefit over placebo in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease. In the phase III CONCERT study, the addition of Dimebon to ongoing treatment with Aricept (donepezil) failed to meet the two co-primary endpoints—change from baseline in the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale–cognitive subscale (ADAS-cog) or the activities of daily living subscale (ADAS-ADL). The companies will be terminating their agreement to develop and market the drug.