Archives

• Increased use of antimicrobial agents and hospital admission for infections in patients with primary adrenal insufficiency: a cohort study

  BACKGROUND: Previous studies have suggested that infections are an important cause of death in patients with Addison's disease, but epidemiological studies on the frequency of infections in this population are lacking. OBJECTIVE: To assess and compre...

• Population-based analysis of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use among children in four European countries in the SOS project: what size of data platforms and which study designs do we need to assess safety issues?

  BACKGROUND: Data on utilization patterns and safety of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in children are scarce. The purpose of this study was to investigate the utilization of NSAIDs among children in four European countries as part oth...

• Use and costs of oral anticancer agents in the Netherlands in the period 2000-2008

  PURPOSE: In recent years, the number of oral anticancer agents has increased substantially. Although these agents have quickly been incorporated in the treatment of a variety of malignancies, data on their incidence, prevalence and costs are lackin. ...

• Impact of orlistat initiation on cardiovascular treatment use: a 6-year population-based cohort study

  BACKGROUND: Trials of weight-loss drugs indicate some benefits on lipids, blood glucose, or blood pressure levels. Since obesity is associated with increased cardiovascular (CV) medication use and pharmaceutical costs, weight-loss drug use could beef...

• Prescribing of rosiglitazone and pioglitazone following safety signals: analysis of trends in dispensing patterns in the Netherlands from 1998 to 2008

  BACKGROUND: Relevant safety signals in the EU are regularly communicated in so-called 'Direct Healthcare Professional Communications' (DHPCs) or European Medicines Agency (EMA) press releases. Trends of a decrease in the use of rosiglitazone followng...

• Differences in lithium use patterns in the Netherlands: comparing middle-aged and older patients in a database study

  BACKGROUND: Age-dependent changes in lithium pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties can influence lithium use in an aging population, especially as newer treatment options are available. OBJECTIVE: We compared lithium use patterns between mdd...

• Venous thromboembolism prophylaxis after total knee or hip replacement: treatment pattern and outcomes

  PURPOSE: To determine the thromboprophylactic treatment pattern and occurrence of venous thromboembolism (VTE), major bleeding, and wound infections in patients undergoing total knee replacement (TKR) or total hip replacement (THR). METHODS: From te ...

• Time-trends in treatment and cardiovascular events in patients with heart failure: a pharmacosurveillance study

  AIMS: We assessed, in patients with a first hospitalization for heart failure (HF), the temporal relationship of the incidence of cardiovascular events, all-cause mortality, and cardiovascular drug treatment. METHODS AND RESULTS: Data were obtainedfr...

• Pharmacologic treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children: incidence, prevalence, and treatment patterns in the Netherlands

  BACKGROUND: The prevalence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and the associated use of stimulant medications may have increased in the Netherlands in recent years, but there is a lack of data to confirm this trend. This retrospectie ...

• Three-year dispensing patterns with long-acting inhaled drugs in COPD: a database analysis

  BACKGROUND: Long-acting muscarinic antagonists (LAMA), long-acting beta2-agonists (LABA) and fixed dose combinations (FDC) of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) and LABA are used as inhaled maintenance therapies for COPD. OBJECTIVE: To estimate persistece...