Multi-country study Publications

• Use of antihistamines and risk of ventricular tachyarrhythmia: a nested case-control study in five European countries from the ARITMO project.Abstract

  PURPOSE: After regulatory restrictions for terfenadine and astemizole in ’90s, only scarce evidence on proarrhythmic potential of antihistamines has been published. We evaluate the risk of ventricular tachyarrhythmia (VA) related to the use of indiidual antihistamines. METHODS: A matched case-control study nested in a cohort of new users of antihistamines was conducted within the EU-funded ARITMO project

  Poluzzi E, Diemberger I, DeRidder M, Koci A, Clo M, Oteri A, Pecchioli S, Bezemer I, Schink T, PilgaardUlrichsen S, Boriani G, Sturkenboom MCJ, DePonti F, Trifiro G. Eur J Clin Pharmacol. 2017 Aug 22; 1499 - 151.

• Ophthalmic nepafenac use in the Netherlands and Denmark.Abstract

  PURPOSE: To describe nepafenac use in the Netherlands and Denmark with reference to its approved indications. For context, we also describe the use of ketorolac and diclofenac. METHODS: We identified users in the PHARMO Database Network (the Netherands, 2008-2013) and the Danish national health registers (Denmark, 1994-2014)

  Margulis AV, Houben E, Hallas J, Overbeek JA, Pottegard A, Torp-Peder sen T, Perez-Gutthann S, Arana A. Acta Ophthalmol. 2017 Aug; 95 509-517.

• Use of azithromycin and risk of ventricular arrhythmia.Abstract

  BACKGROUND: There are conflicting findings from observational studies of the arrhythrogenic potential of azithromycin. Our aim was to quantify the association between azithromycin use and the risk of ventricular arrhythmia. METHODS: We conducted aested case-control study within a cohort of new antibiotic users identified from a network of 7 population-based health care databases in Denmark, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom for the period 1997-2010

  Trifiro G, deRidder M, Sultana J, Oteri A, Rijnbeek P, Pecchioli S, Mazzaglia G, Bezemer I, Garbe E, Schink T, Poluzzi E, Froslev T, Molokhia M, Diemberger I, Sturkenboom Mcjm. CMAJ. 2017 Apr 18; 189 E560-E568.

• Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Treatment Patterns Across Europe: A Population-Based Multi-Database Study.Abstract

  PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine the similarities and differences of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) treatment patterns in daily practice in 5 European countries and whether these reflect differences in guidelines. METHODS: Prescriptons for drugs used in diabetes treatment during a 5-year study period were obtained from electronic databases

  Overbeek JA, Heintjes EM, Prieto-Alhambra D, Blin P, Lassalle R, Hall GC, Lapi F, Bianchini E, Hammar N, Bezemer ID, Herings RM. Clin Ther. 2017 Mar 22; 39 759-770.

• Pioglitazone and risk of mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes: results from a European multidatabase cohort study.Abstract

  OBJECTIVES: Estimate and compare the risk of mortality in patients whose antidiabetic therapy is modified to include pioglitazone compared with an alternative antidiabetic medication at the same stage of disease progression. DESIGN: Retrospective chort study. SETTING: Pooled analysis of clinical data collected from primary and/or secondary care settings in four European countries: Finland, The Netherlands, Sweden and the UK

  Strongman H, Korhonen P, Williams R, Bahmanyar S, Hoti F, Christopher S, Majak M, Kool-Houweling L, Linder M, Dolin P, Heintjes EM. BMJ Open Diabetes Res Care. 2017 5 e000364.

• Propranolol and survival from breast cancer: a pooled analysis of European breast cancer cohorts.Abstract

  BACKGROUND: Preclinical studies have demonstrated that propranolol inhibits several pathways involved in breast cancer progression and metastasis. We investigated whether breast cancer patients who used propranolol, or other non-selective beta-blocers, had reduced breast cancer-specific or all-cause mortality in eight European cohorts

  Cardwell CR, Pottegard A, Vaes E, Garmo H, Murray LJ, Brown C, Vissers PA, O'Rorke M, Visvan athan K, Cronin-Fenton D, DeSchutter H, Lambe M, Powe DG, van Herk-Sukel MP, Gavin A, Friis S, Sharp L, Bennett K. Breast Cancer Res. 2016 Dec 01; 18 (1): 119.

• Prescribing pattern of antipsychotic drugs during the years 1996-2010: a population-based database study in Europe with a focus on torsadogenic drugs.Abstract

  INTRODUCTION: Antipsychotic drugs (APDs) are used to treat several mental illnesses. Some APDs have long been known to be associated with QT prolongation, potentially leading to torsades de pointes (TdP) and sudden cardiac death (SCD). In 2005, thiridazine was withdrawn because of the risk of SCD, bringing further attention to the arrhythmogenic potential of APDs

  Oteri A, Mazzaglia G, Pecchioli S, Molokhia M, Ulrichsen SP, Peder sen L, Poluzzi E, DePonti F, Garbe E, Schink T, Herings R, Bezemer ID, Sturkenboom MC, Trifiro G. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2016 Aug; 82 (2): 487-97.

• Risk of cardiac valvulopathy with use of bisphosphonates: a population-based, multi-country case-control study.Abstract

  Analyses of healthcare data from 30 million individuals in three countries showed that current use of bisphosphonates may be associated with a small increased risk of cardiac valvulopathy (vs. those not exposed within the previous year), although cnfounding cannot be entirely ruled out. The observed tendency for decreased valvulopathy risk with cumulative duration of bisphosphonate use >6 months may even indicate a protective effect with prolonged use

  Coloma PM, deRidder M, Bezemer I, Herings RM, Gini R, Pecchioli S, Scotti L, Rijnbeek P, Mosseveld M, van der Lei J, Trifiro G, Sturkenboom M, Consortium Eu-Adr. Osteoporos Int. 2016 May; 27 (5): 1857-67.

• Use of oral contraceptives in three European countries: a population-based multi-database study.Abstract

  OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of oral contraceptive (OC) use, user characteristics and prescribing patterns by accessing health care databases of three European countries. METHODS: A retrospective study was performedfrom 2009 to 2010 in three general practice (GP) databases from the Netherlands, UK and Italy and in one database of linked pharmacy and hospitalisation data in the Netherlands

  Bezemer ID, Verhamme KM, Gini R, Mosseveld M, Rijnbeek PR, Trifiro G, Sturkenboom MC, Penning-van Beest FJ, Herings RM. Eur J Contracept Reprod Health Care. 2016 Feb; 21 (1): 81-7.

• Pioglitazone use and risk of bladder cancer in patients with type 2 diabetes: retrospective cohort study using datasets from four European countries.Abstract

  OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between pioglitazone use and bladder cancer risk in patients with type 2 diabetes. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study using propensity score matched cohorts. SETTINGS: Healthcare databases from Finland, the Neherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Data comprised country specific datasets of linked records on prescriptions, hospitals, general practitioners, cancer, and deaths

  Korhonen P, Heintjes EM, Williams R, Hoti F, Christopher S, Majak M, Kool-Houweling L, Strongman H, Linder M, Dolin P, Bahmanyar S. BMJ. 2016 354 i3903.