Pharmacy & Therapeutics - June 2008 - (Page 334)

NEW DRUGS points at the 12th week. If earlier titration results in earlier cognitive effects, adherence to medication might also improve. (Source: Alzheimer Dementia 2008;4: 430–437.) DRUG NEWS system to uncover problems that may go undetected with standard glucose tools, such as fingerstick meters and glycosylated hemoglobin tests. The iPro recorder is attached to a tiny glucose sensor that is inserted under the skin. Over the course of three days, the recorder measures and stores glucose values during a patient’s daily activities. After the recording period is completed, the patient returns to the physician’s office; the device is then removed, and the data are downloaded. The physician generates and interprets detailed reports to determine any needed changes to the patient’s therapy. Purpose: The recorder helps doctors identify how everyday activities are affecting diabetes management. Benefit: The iPro recorder is smaller, lighter in weight, and less time-consuming than previous glucose-monitoring recorders. Results are available in minutes, and improved ergonomics give patients added freedom when they are wearing the recorder. After the iPro recorder is worn for three days, physicians can review the data to optimize therapy. The device can be helpful in cases of inconsistently high and low glucose levels, hypoglycemia, and ges tational diabetes. Physician services are reimbursed by Medicare in all 50 states. Sources: www.pharmacyonesource. com; wwwp.medtronic.com Name: Endeavor Zotarolimus-Eluting Coronary Stent System Manufacturer: Medtronic, Inc., Minneapolis, Minn. Approval Date: February 1, 2008 Use Classification: Drug-eluting stents are used to treat narrowed coronary arteries. Description: A tiny metal mesh tube is coated with a small amount of zotarolimus. The slow release of the drug over time prevents the artery from narcontinued on page 368 DRUG DEVELOPMENT Virus Destroys Brain Tumors A team at Yale University has noted that a specialized virus can reproduce its tumor-killing genes to target tumors in the brains of mice and eliminate them while leaving healthy brain tissue virtually untouched. The vesicular stomatitis virus can even reach cells that have migrated away from the main tumor. Tumor cells from brain cancers in people and in mice were implanted into immune-compromised mice. The virus was then injected into the tails of the mice. By viewing fluorescent proteins embedded in tumor and virus cells in the brains of living mice, the researchers watched as the virus infected multiple sites in the brain, spread across an entire tumor within three days, and killed tumor cells in its wake. The virus did not target normal mouse tissue or noncancerous human brain cells transplanted into the mouse brain. The team speculated that unlike blood vessels in healthy brain tissue, those within brain tumors might leak, allowing the virus to cross the protective brain barrier. The virus also destroyed tissue from cancers that started in the breast or lung and spread to the brain. Future research is needed to evaluate whether the virus might eventually infect normal brain cells. (Source: J Neurosci 2008;28:1882– 1893.) New Latex Glove The FDA has approved a new form of natural rubber latex (guayule, Yulex). The Yulex Patient Examination Glove is derived from the guayule bush, a desert plant native to the southwestern U.S. Traditional latex gloves are made from the milky sap of a rubber tree, Hevea braziliensis. The sap contains a protein that may trigger allergic skin and respiratory reactions. People who are allergic to traditional latex do not react on first exposure to guayule latex proteins, but the product will carry a warning about the potential for allergic reactions. (Source: FDA, April 24, 2008.) LipiScan for Imaging Plaque A new device now allows physicians to visualize inside a blood vessel to assess the fat content of plaque. The LipiScan Near-Infrared Catheter Imaging System (InfraReDx) can help physicians assess the chemical make-up of coronary artery plaques and help them identify those plaques with lipid cores. (Source: FDA, April 30, 2008.) Altrua Pacemakers The FDA has approved Boston Scientific’s Altrua family of pacemakers for treating heart rates below 60 beats per min ute. The pacemaker can be programmed to reduce unnecessary right ventricular pacing. Electrograms provide diagnostic information about the heart rhythm before the onset of an arrhythmia, and a sensor treats chronotropic incompetence when the heart cannot regulate its rate appropriately in response to physical activity and emotional stress. (Source: Boston Scientific, May 8, 2008.) NEW MEDICAL DEVICES Marvin M. Goldenberg, PhD, RPh, MS Name: Continuous Glucose-Monitoring System iPro Recorder Manufacturer: Medtronic, Inc., Minneapolis, Minn. Approval Date: January 29, 2008 Use Classification: The recorder assesses glucose levels in diabetic patients. Description: Patients are often discharged home with a glucose-monitoring 334 P&T® • June 2008 • Vol. 33 No. 6 http://www.pharmacyonesource.com http://wwwp.medtronic.com http://www.pharmacyonesource.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Pharmacy & Therapeutics - June 2008

Editorial Aliskiren Reduces Plasma Renin Activity Medication Errors Prescription: Washington New Drugs/Drug News/ New Medical Devices Drug Forecast Challenges in Evaluating and Standardizing Medical Devices in Health Care Facilities California e-Pedigree Rules Pose Challenges For Pharmacies Pharmaceutical Approval Update American Psychiatric Association At a Glance: Dermatology Trends in Managed Care

Pharmacy & Therapeutics - June 2008

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