Li-Chia Chen

Changes in trends and pattern of strong opioid prescribing in primary care

This study evaluated the prescribing trends of four commonly prescribed strong opioids in primary care and explored utilization in non‐cancer and cancer users.

Systematic review of the analgesic efficacy and tolerability of COX-2 inhibitors in post-operative pain control

Objective:  To evaluate the relative analgesic efficacy and tolerability of single‐dose COX‐2 inhibitors in post‐operative pain management.

Meta-Analysis of the Efficacy and Safety of Zolmitriptan in the Acute Treatment of Migraine

Objective.— To assess the relative efficacy and safety of zolmitriptan in the treatment of acute migraine attacks.

Do selective COX-2 inhibitors increase the risk of cerebrovascular events? A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Objectives:  To evaluate the risk of cerebrovascular events (CVEs) associated with selective cyclooxygenase‐2 inhibitors (coxibs).

Interruption and Non-Adherence to Long-Term Adjuvant Hormone Therapy Is Associated with Adverse Survival Outcome of Breast Cancer Women - An Asian Population-Based Study

This study aimed to evaluate the survival rate of women with breast cancer (BC) comparing persistence versus interruption and adherence versus non-adherence to adjuvant hormonal therapy (HT) in Asian population. Newly-diagnosed BC women from 2003 to 2010 were retrospectively identified from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. HT prescriptions were extracted to define treatment interruption and medication possession ratio. Their impacts on mortality were estimated by Cox regression with time dependent covariates. Interruption (HR: 1.32; 95% CI: 1.20, 1.46; P<0.0001) and non-adherence (HR: 1.45; 95% CI: 1.32, 1.59; P<0.0001) to adjuvant HT were significantly associated with increased mortality. Interruption to tamoxifen in younger patients and in patients receiving surgery (OP) with adjuvant chemotherapy (CT) was associated with increasing mortality rate when compared with their counterparts. Non-adherence to AIs in both younger and senior age groups and in OP with CT group also resulted in increasing risk. Treatment interruption and non-adherence to adjuvant HT were found to be associated with the increasing all-cause mortality of the Asian BC women; a greater impact of interruption and non-adherence on mortality was especially found in the younger BC population.

A Systematic Review of Utility Values for Chemotherapy-Related Adverse Events

BackgroundChemotherapy offers cancer patients the potential benefits of improved mortality and morbidity but may cause detrimental outcomes due to adverse drug events (ADEs), some of which requiring time-consuming, resource-intensive and costly clinical management. To appropriately assess chemotherapy agents in an economic evaluation, ADE-related parameters such as the incidence, (dis)utility and cost of ADEs should be reflected within the model parameters. To date, there has been no systematic summary of the existing literature that quantifies the utilities of ADEs due to healthcare interventions in general and chemotherapy treatments in particular.ObjectiveThis review aimed to summarize the current evidence base of reported utility values for chemotherapy-related ADEs.MethodsA structured electronic search combining terms for utility, utility valuation methods and generic terms for cancer treatment was conducted in MEDLINE and EMBASE in June 2011. Inclusion criteria were: (1) elicitation of utility values for chemotherapy-related ADEs and (2) primary data. Two reviewers identified studies and extracted data independently. Any disagreements were resolved by a third reviewer.ResultsEighteen studies met the inclusion criteria from the 853 abstracts initially identified, collectively reporting 218 utility values for chemotherapy-related ADEs. All 18 studies used short descriptions (vignettes) to obtain the utility values, with nine studies presenting the vignettes used in the valuation exercises. Of the 218 utility values, 178 were elicited using standard gamble (SG) or time trade-off (TTO) approaches, while 40 were elicited using visual analogue scales (VAS). There were 169 utility values of specific chemotherapy-related ADEs (with the top ten being anaemia [34 values], nausea and/or vomiting [32 values], neuropathy [21 values], neutropenia [12 values], diarrhoea [12 values], stomatitis [10 values], fatigue [8 values], alopecia [7 values], hand-foot syndrome [5 values] and skin reaction [5 values]) and 49 of non-specific chemotherapy-related adverse events. In most cases, it was difficult to directly compare the utility values as various definitions and study-specific vignettes were used for the ADEs of interest.LimitationsThis review was designed to provide an overall description of existing literature reporting utility values for chemotherapy-related ADEs. The findings were not exhaustive and were limited to publications that could be identified using the search strategy employed and those reported in the English language.ConclusionsThis review identified wide ranges in the utility values reported for broad categories of specific chemotherapy-related ADEs. There were difficulties in comparing the values directly as various study-specific definitions were used for these ADEs and most studies did not make the vignettes used in the valuation exercises available. It is recommended that a basic minimum requirement be developed for the transparent reporting of study designs eliciting utility values, incorporating key criteria such as reporting how the vignettes were developed and presenting the vignettes used in the valuation tasks as well as valuing and reporting the utility values of the ADE-free base states. It is also recommended, in the future, for studies valuing the utilities of chemotherapy-related ADEs to define the ADEs according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) definitions for chemotherapy-related ADEs as the use of the same definition across studies would ease the comparison and selection of utility values and make the overall inclusion of adverse events within economic models of chemotherapy agents much more straightforward.

Meta-analysis examining the efficacy and safety of almotriptan in the acute treatment of migraine.

Objective.—To evaluate the comparative efficacy and safety of oral almotriptan in treating acute migraine attacks.

Do economic evaluations have a role in decision-making in Medicine Management Committees? A qualitative study

ObjectiveTo explore pharmacists’ perceptions on the use of economic evaluations in decision-making within Medicine Management Committees (MMCs), identify factors that influence the uptake of economic evidence and examine the usefulness of different presentations of economic evidence.MethodThis two-stage qualitative study was carried out in July and August 2004 in two hospitals in northwest England. First, a researcher observed the decision-making process at two MMCs. Handwritten notes were made during observation, which were later transcribed. Subsequently, in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of pharmacists involved in the MMCs. The interviews explored pharmacists’ views on the usefulness of economic evaluations in decision-making, the factors influencing the uptake of economic evidence by the MMCs, and the optimal presentation of economic results. The interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. All the transcribed data were thematically analysed using the constant comparison approach.ResultsIn all, six new drug applications were observed and ten pharmacists were interviewed. Pharmacists were observed to play an important role in decisions about drug formularies in hospitals. Although interviewees considered that timely economic evaluations would be useful in reviewing new medicines, the actual use of economic evidence in decision-making within MMCs was limited. The barriers to using economic evaluations included pharmacists’ lack of initiative to search for and difficulty in understanding economic evaluations, and the perceived availability, credibility and transferability of economic studies. However, the main barrier to implementing economic evidence was the decision makers’ concern about the impact of the medicines on the hospitals’ drug budgets. Interviewees felt that they understood and trusted disaggregated economic results better than aggregated ones.ConclusionThis study found the use of economic evidence in decision-making at both MMCs was limited. To improve the usefulness of economic evaluations in MMCs, members of MMCs will need more training in accessing, understanding and appraising economic evidence; researchers need to improve the credibility and transferability of economic studies, and present the results in clear and understandable ways. However, due to the restricted focus of local, short-term drug budgets, evidence-based decision-making remains a challenge for local MMCs.

Disease acceptance and adherence to imatinib in Taiwanese chronic myeloid leukaemia outpatients

Background The launch of imatinib has turned chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) into a chronic illness due to the dramatic improvement in survival. Several recent studies have demonstrated that poor adherence to imatinib may hamper the therapeutic outcomes and result in increased medical expenditures, whilst research on exploring the reasons for non-adherence to imatinib is still limited. Objective This study aimed to explore the experience of patients as they journey through their CML treatments and associated imatinib utilisation in order to understand the perceptions, attitudes and concerns that may influence adherence to imatinib treatment. Setting This study was conducted at oncology outpatient clinics in a medical centre in southern Taiwan. Methods CML patients who regularly attended the oncology outpatient clinics to receive imatinib treatment from October 2011 to March 2012 were invited to participate in the study. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews were used to explore patients’ experiences and views of their treatment, their current CML status and CML-related health conditions, their concerns about imatinib treatment and imatinib-taking behaviours. Patient interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed using the constant comparison approach. Main outcome measure Themes related to patients’ views of the disease and health conditions, worries and concerns influencing imatinib utilisation behaviours are reported. Results Forty-two CML patients participated in the interviews. The emerging themes included: acceptance of current disease and health status, misconceptions about disease progression, factors associated with adherence to imatinib, concerns and management of adverse drug effects. Participants regarded CML as a chronic disease but had misconceptions about disease progression, therapeutic monitoring, resistance to imatinib and symptoms of side effects. Participants were generally adherent to imatinib and favoured long-term prescriptions to avoid regular outpatient visits for medication refills. Experiencing adverse effect was the main reason influencing adherence and led to polypharmacy. Most participants altered medicine-taking behaviours to maintain long-term use of imatinib. Conclusion Taiwanese CML patients are adherent to imatinib but report changing their medication-taking behaviour due to adverse drug effects and associated polypharmacy. Patients’ misconceptions of the disease and medication suggests that it is necessary to improve communication between patients and healthcare professionals. Routinely providing updated information as part of the patient counselling process should be considered as a means of improving this communication.

Long-term efficacy and safety of exemestane in the treatment of breast cancer

Exemestane, a steroidal aromatase inhibitor, is licensed for postmenopausal patients with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer as second-line therapy in metastatic disease following antiestrogen failure and as part of sequential adjuvant therapy following initial tamoxifen. This study is a systematic literature review, evaluating exemestane in different clinical settings. The Ovid Medline (1948–2012), Embase (1980–2012), and Web of Science (1899–2012) databases were searched. Forty-two relevant articles covering randomized controlled trials were reviewed for efficacy and safety, and three for adherence. With regard to efficacy in metastatic disease, exemestane is superior to megestrol acetate after progression on tamoxifen. There is evidence for noninferiority to fulvestrant (following a prior aromatase inhibitor) and to nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitors in the first-line setting. Combined use with everolimus is shown to be more efficacious than exemestane alone following previous aromatase inhibitor use. In the adjuvant setting, a switch to exemestane after 2–3 years of tamoxifen is superior to 5 years of tamoxifen. Exemestane is noninferior to 5 years of tamoxifen as upfront therapy, and may have a role as an extended adjuvant therapy. Used as neoadjuvant therapy, increased breast conservation is achievable. As chemoprevention, exemestane significantly reduces the incidence of breast cancer in “at-risk” postmenopausal women. Exemestane is associated with myalgias and arthralgias, as well as reduced bone mineral density and increased risk of fracture, which do not appear to persist at follow-up, with subsequent return to pretreatment values. Compared with tamoxifen, there is a reduced incidence of endometrial changes, thromboembolic events, and hot flashes. Limited evidence shows nonadherence in 23%–32% of patients. Evidence is growing in support of exemestane in all clinical settings. It is generally more efficacious and has a better safety profile than tamoxifen. How it compares with the nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitors remains to be established. Further studies are required on adherence to ensure that maximum benefit is obtained.