scholarly journals Stating the obvious: intravenous magnesium sulphate should be the first parenteral bronchodilator in paediatric asthma exacerbations unresponsive to first-line therapy

Breathe ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 210113
Author(s):  
Gokul Erumbala ◽  
Sabu Anzar ◽  
Amjad Tonbari ◽  
Ramadan Salem ◽  
Colin Powell

What is the most appropriate second-line intravenous bronchodilator treatment when a child with a severe asthma attack is not responsive to initial inhaled therapy? The second-line treatment options for acute asthma include parenteral β2-agonists, methylxanthine and magnesium sulphate (MgSO4). There is a poor evidence-base to inform this decision. This review argues that intravenous MgSO4 is the obvious treatment of choice for this situation as the initial treatment based on current knowledge.  We describe the mode of action, scope and limitations of MgSO4, safety profile, economic impact, comparisons of the alternatives, and finally, what the guidelines say.  This review explores the suitability of intravenous MgSO4 as a pragmatic and safe initial second-line therapy for children unresponsive to initial asthma management.

Blood ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 134 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 5881-5881
Author(s):  
Keri Keri Yang ◽  
Beth Lesher ◽  
Eleanor Lucas ◽  
Tony Caver ◽  
Boxiong Tang

Introduction: MCL is an aggressive type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and was reported associated with early relapse and poor long-term survival. Treatment options include chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and molecular targeted therapies. As of 2019, molecular targeted therapies available in the United States indicated for the treatment of MCL include the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib, the immunomodulatory drug lenalidomide (following two previous lines of therapy), and the Burton's tyrosine kinase inhibitors (BTKIs) ibrutinib and acalabrutinib (following at least one previous line of therapy). Objective/Methods: To examine the real-world treatment patterns of patients with MCL globally, a systematic literature review was performed (2010-2019) with predefined methodology and inclusion and exclusion criteria. Embase and Medline were searched via ProQuest and the Cochrane Controlled Register of Trials (CENTRAL) via the Cochrane Library. Results: Of the 2207 publications identified, 6 publications (US, n = 4; EU, n = 2) provided information on the first-line treatment of MCL (Table). The most commonly administered first-line treatments were bendamustine-rituximab; high dose cytarabine ± rituximab; and cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin hydrochloride, vincristine sulfate, and prednisone (CHOP) ± rituximab although differences were noted across studies. Most patients received rituximab first-line either in combination with chemotherapy (54.2%-87.5%) or as monotherapy (12.9%-28.9%); although in some studies, rituximab maintenance therapy could not be excluded. The most commonly administered second-line therapies were cytarabine, rituximab monotherapy, and ibrutinib while third-line therapies were rituximab monotherapy, ibrutinib, and temsirolimus. Nine studies provided data on the real-world treatment of MCL with the BTKI ibrutinib (EU, n = 3; US, n = 5; EU/US, n = 1; Table); no real-world studies were identified for acalabrutinib. Six studies enrolled patients only with relapsed or remitting MCL; 3 studies enrolled patients (≤7.5%) who received ibrutinib as first-line therapy. Ibrutinib second-line therapy was administered to 13%-20% of patients and third-line therapy to 21% of patients. Ibrutinib discontinuation rates in 7 studies varied from 38.7%-83.6%. Non-response, including relapse or progression (34.6%-100%), was the main cause of discontinuation, followed by toxicity/adverse events (8.1%-25.6%). Across studies, toxicity/adverse events causing ibrutinib discontinuation included atrial fibrillation, bleeding/hemorrhage, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diarrhea, herpes zoster, infection, leukocytosis/ lymphocytosis, lung cancer, myelodysplastic syndrome, and thrombocytopenia. Two studies provided information on ibrutinib dose reductions (16.4% of patients) and ibrutinib dose interruptions (7.8%-30.2% of patients). Treatment options administered post-ibrutinib included rituximab (52.7%), hyper-CVAD + rituximab (16.7%-25.8%), lenalidomide-based regimens (9.7%-41.5%), and bortezomib-based regimens (8.4%-34.4%). Conclusion: Our analyses showed that most patients with MCL received first-line chemoimmunotherapy, although regimens varied across studies. Approximately 13%-21% of patients received ibrutinib following first-line therapy. Most ibrutinib discontinuation was due to progression followed by toxicity/adverse events. Upon discontinuation of ibrutinib, considerable variation in treatments was seen and no standard therapy identified. Given the limitations of current therapies, there is a need for additional second- and third-line treatments for patients with MCL. Quantitative assessments of clinical endpoints from real-world studies evaluating BTKI therapies are also warranted. Disclosures Yang: BeiGene, Ltd.: Employment. Lesher:Pharmerit: Employment. Lucas:Pharmerit: Employment. Caver:BeiGene, Ltd.: Employment. Tang:BeiGene, Ltd.: Employment.


2015 ◽  
Vol 72 (4) ◽  
pp. 312-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lidija Kandolf-Sekulovic ◽  
Nada Babovic ◽  
Mirjana Balic ◽  
Borislava Nikolin ◽  
Dejan Nikolic ◽  
...  

Background/Aim. Treatment options for metastatic melanoma in Serbia are limited due to the lack of newly approved biologic agents and the lack of clinical studies. Also, there is a paucity of data regarding the treatment approaches in different tertiary centers and efficacy of available chemotherapy protocols. The aim of this study was to obtain more detailed data about treatment protocols in Serbia based on structured survey in tertiary oncology centers. Methods. Data about the melanoma patients treated in 2011 were analyzed from hospital databases in 6 referent oncology centers in Serbia, based on the structured survey, with the focus on metastatic melanoma patients (unresectable stage IIIC and IV). Results. A total of 986 (79-315 in different centers) patients were treated, with 320 (32.45%) newly diagnosed patients. There were 317 patients in stage IIIC/IV, 77/317 aged < 50 years. At the time of diagnosis 47.3% of patients were < 60 years of age (24.2% < 40 years, 23% 50-59 years, 52.6% > 60 years). At initial diagnosis 12.5% of patients were in stage III and 4.5% in stage IV. The most common type was superficial spreading melanoma (50-66%), followed by nodular melanoma (23.5-50%). Apart from the regional and distant lymph node metastases, the most frequent organs involved in stage IV disease were distant skin and soft tissues (12-55%), lungs (19-55.5%), liver (10-60%), and bones (3-10%). The first line therapy in stage IV metastatic melanoma was dacarbazine (DTIC) dimethyl-triazeno-imidozole-carboxamide in 61-93% of the patients, while the second line varied between the centers. Disease control (complete response + partial response + stable disease) was achieved in 25.7% of the patients treated with the first line chemotherapy and 23.1% of the patients treated with the second line therapy, but the duration of response was short, in first-line therapy 6.66 ? 3.36 months (median 6.75 months). More than 90% of patients were treated outside the clinical trials. Conclusion. Based on this survey, there is a large unmet need for the new treatment options for metastatic melanoma in Serbia. The development of national guidelines, and greater involvement in international clinical studies could lead to widening of treatment options for this chemotherapy resistant disease.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S680-S681
Author(s):  
Carly Heck ◽  
Judith Martin ◽  
Marcia Kurs-Lasky

Abstract Background Background: Antibiotic resistance is a major public health concern. A modifiable intervention is outpatient antibiotic stewardship. The goal of this study was to review the electronic health records (EHR) of children diagnosed with community acquired pneumonia (CAP) to compare patients who received non-guideline concordant therapy with those prescribed recommended therapy. Methods Methods: This was a retrospective chart review of 300 children (6 months to 6 years old) with an outpatient diagnosis of CAP between July 2017 and June 2019. 45 Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh (CHP) and UPMC Children’s Community Pediatrics (CCP) practices were included. CHP practices are academic-based with trainees involved in visits, while CCP practices do not include trainees. First-line recommended therapy was defined as amoxicillin, second-line therapy as azithromycin or amoxicillin-clavulanate, and all other prescriptions were defined as other. Patients prescribed first-line therapy were compared to patients with second-line therapy or other. If first-line therapy was not prescribed, the EHR was manually reviewed for justification. If drug allergy was listed, the medication allergy and type of reaction were recorded. Results Results: In this study the minority of children (43%) were prescribed first-line therapy. This group was younger (57 vs. 63 months of age), more likely to be Non-white (80%), and seen at the CHP locations than those prescribed non-guideline concordant therapy. The average symptom duration was shorter, heart rate and respiratory rate were higher and the presence of fever was more common in the first-line therapy group. Justification for non-guideline therapy was most often reported as to provide coverage for atypical organisms. The most common drug allergy recorded was amoxicillin, and urticaria with unknown timing was the most common type of reaction. Demographics Comparison Results Justification for Second-line / Other Therapy and Drug Allergy Results Conclusion This project observed a high proportion of children being prescribed non-guideline concordant therapy for a diagnosis of CAP. Age, race, practice location, and severity of illness measures showed a statistically significant difference between groups. This study highlights the importance of education which reviews the current guidelines and the most likely pathogens for children with CAP. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures


2004 ◽  
Vol 22 (7) ◽  
pp. 1209-1214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Axel Grothey ◽  
Daniel Sargent ◽  
Richard M. Goldberg ◽  
Hans-Joachim Schmoll

Purpose Fluorouracil (FU)-leucovorin (LV), irinotecan, and oxaliplatin administered alone or in combination have proven effective in the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer (CRC). Combination protocols using FU-LV with either irinotecan or oxaliplatin are currently regarded as standard first-line therapies in this disease. However, the importance of the availability of all three active cytotoxic agents, FU-LV, irinotecan, and oxaliplatin, on overall survival (OS) has not yet been evaluated. Materials and Methods We analyzed data from seven recently published phase III trials in advanced CRC to correlate the percentage of patients receiving second-line therapy and the percentage of patients receiving all three agents with the reported median OS, using a weighted analysis. Results The reported median OS is significantly correlated with the percentage of patients who received all three drugs in the course of their disease (P = .0008) but not with the percentage of patients who received any second-line therapy (P = .19). In addition, the use of combination protocols as first-line therapy was associated with a significant improvement in median survival of 3.5 months (95% CI, 1.27 to 5.73 months; P = .0083). Conclusion Our results support the strategy of making these three active drugs available to all patients with advanced CRC who are candidates for such therapy to maximize OS. In addition, our findings suggest that, with the availability of effective salvage options, OS should no longer be regarded as the most appropriate end point by which to assess the efficacy of a palliative first-line treatment in CRC.


2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 324-324
Author(s):  
Ciro Celsa ◽  
Giuseppe Cabibbo ◽  
Marco Enea ◽  
Salvatore Battaglia ◽  
Giacomo Emanuele Maria Rizzo ◽  
...  

324 Background: Atezolizumab plus Bevacizumab represents the new best performing first-line approach for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (u-HCC). However, the best sequential strategy after every first-line failure (for progression or intolerance) remains elusive, and options for retreating patients failing Atezolizumab plus Bevacizumab with multi-kinase inhibitors (MKI) or immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) are yet undefined. Methods: We developed a Markov model to analyze simulated-Overall Survival (s-OS) of second-line ICIs or MKIs after first-line Atezolizumab plus Bevacizumab over a lifetime horizon. For first-line therapy, PFS of Atezolizumab plus Bevacizumab was extracted from Imbrave 150 trial and it was used as endpoint since it is not influenced by post-progression survival. For second-line retreatment, pooled OS of MKIs (Regorafenib and Cabozantinib), or ICIs (Nivolumab and Pembrolizumab) were adopted. Survival estimates for sequential settings considered the proportion of patients who did not receive second-line therapy due to death during first-line therapy. Individual patient survival data were extracted from PFS and OS Kaplan-Meier curves of RESORCE trial for Regorafenib, CELESTIAL trial for Cabozantinib, CheckMate-040 for Nivolumab and Keynote-240 for Pembrolizumab. Each reconstructed survival curve was inspected for accuracy and was compared with originally published curves. Results: First-line Atezolizumab plus Bevacizumab followed by second-line ICIs turned on from the model as the best sequential strategy (median s-OS 24 months; 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 23-26 months) and extends survival when compared Atezolizumab plus Bevacizumab followed by MKIs (median s-OS 20 months; 95% CI 19-21 months). Conclusions: To our knowledge and given the absence of adequately designed sequential RCTs, this is the first model to date which suggests, with a proper methodological approach, an accurate estimate of outcome of patients with u-HCC treated by sequential systemic therapies. In patients with u-HCC failing first-line treatment, modelling estimates of s-OS for each retreatment strategies may assist in choosing the most promising sequences in order to plan appropriate RCTs.


Blood ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 136 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 14-15
Author(s):  
Ali McBride ◽  
Daniel O. Persky

Introduction: The choice of initial therapy in follicular lymphoma can be a key determinant in future therapy, as irreversible toxicities with first line regimens can impact the patient's ability to tolerate future treatment. Minimizing drug exposure will result in less frequent occurrence of significant adverse events and associated treatment costs. In the era of COVID-19 pandemic, there is additional benefit to minimizing the number of patient visits and hospital admissions. Limited information exists related to the outcomes and associated costs of existing treatment sequences. Additionally, treatment administration at different types of clinical sites results in varied reimbursement models, making informed evaluation of clinical and financial evidence challenging. Methods: The current study applies a budget impact model methodology in order to describe the associated impact of treatment selection and sequencing on outcomes and costs in the treatment of relapsed or refractory low-grade follicular lymphoma in first line therapy followed by Consolidation and also in first line therapy to second line therapy. Key model inputs included: Number of treatment cycles, number of days a treatment was received, duration of response (DOR), rate of side effects and associated costs, and total treatment costs, including drugs, medical treatment, laboratory testing and adverse event costs. Treatment outcomes were based on the published literature that summarized the overall response rate, median DOR, and toxicity. Treatment regimen costs were evaluated based on payer pricing, Wholesale Acquisition Cost (WAC), Average Selling Price (ASP) and Average Wholesale Price (AWP) and modified to adjust for weight-based dosing and negotiate payer reimbursement rates. Associated medical costs for medical treatment and supportive care were estimated using current Medicare fee schedule rates. Included were seven options for first line therapy of follicular lymphoma from 2020 NCCN Guidelines - (Bendamustine + rituximab (BR); Bendamustine + Obinutuzumab (OB); CHOP rituximab (RCHOP); CHOP + Obinutuzumab (OCHOP); CVP+ rituximab (RCVP); CVP + Obinutuzumab (OCVP); Lenalidomide + rituximab (R2)), followed by three for Consolidation (Rituximab maintenance (RM); Obinutuzumab maintenance (O); Radioimmunotherapy (RIT with 90 Y-ibritumomab tiuxetan (Y90-IT, Zevalin)) and three Second Line therapy options (RIT; Lenalidomide only; Lenalidomide + Obinutuzumab (LO)). Results: The treatment sequence of first line BR followed by Consolidation with RIT Y90 (Zevalin) had the longest predicted DOR (2586 days). The associated treatment sequence costs were $212,485 for BR followed by Y90-IT, compared with $233, 388 for BR followed by rituximab maintenance, which had a predicted DOR of 2478 days. The predicted DOR for treatment sequences starting with OCHOP, OCVP and RCHOP and followed by RIT with Y90-IT was approximately 1000 days less than BR followed by Y90-IT for a cost difference of $4,421, $12,914 and $25,826, respectively. The treatment sequence of first line BR followed by Second Line RIT Y90-IT had the second longest predicted DOR of 2586 days at costs of $212,485, compared to 2778 days for BR followed by LO, at a total sequence costs of $796,695. Conclusion: The use of Y90-IT in Consolidation or Second Line treatment demonstrated desired patient outcomes at one of the lowest cost profiles. Additionally, Y90-IT administration can be completed in only two clinic visits, reducing patient travel and contact, improving safety in an era of COVID-19 precautionary measures and reducing cost. Figure 1. Duration of Response and Total Sequence Costs for Twelve First Line to Consolidation and First Line to Second Line Treatment Regimens. Disclosures McBride: Merck: Speakers Bureau; Coherus BioSciences: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Pfizer: Consultancy; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy; MorphoSys: Consultancy; Sandoz: Consultancy.


2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 356-362
Author(s):  
Ekaterina A. Shestakova

Type 2 diabetes causes hundred thousand deaths worldwide every year. Though new antidiabetic drugs appear annually and new classes of drugs are invented approximately every ten years still a lot of type 2 diabetic patients remain to be out of the target glycemic levels. According to most of the guidelines for type 2 diabetes,treatment metformin is the first line therapy for this disease. The choice of second-line antidiabetic drug usually depends on doctors preference. That is why defining the correct drug for exact patient is still an urgent question. This review provides data on antidiabetic drugspotential for preventing the progression of micro- and macrovascular complications.The question of the potential of early antidiabetic therapy intensification to activate legacy effect is debated. Early and lasting compensation of diabetes with the use of multiple drugs can become a basis for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in such patients.


Blood ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 105 (7) ◽  
pp. 2949-2951 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giovanni Palladini ◽  
Vittorio Perfetti ◽  
Stefano Perlini ◽  
Laura Obici ◽  
Francesca Lavatelli ◽  
...  

AbstractBased on the efficacy of thalidomide in multiple myeloma and on its synergy with dexamethasone on myeloma plasma cells, we evaluated the combination of thalidomide (100 mg/d, with 100-mg increments every 2 weeks, up to 400 mg) and dexamethasone (20 mg on days 1-4) every 21 days in 31 patients with primary amyloidosis (AL) whose disease was refractory to or had relapsed after first-line therapy. Eleven (35%) patients tolerated the 400 mg/d thalidomide dose. Overall, 15 (48%) patients achieved hematologic response, with 6 (19%) complete remissions and 8 (26%) organ responses. Median time to response was 3.6 months (range, 2.5-8.0 months). Treatment-related toxicity was frequent (65%), and symptomatic bradycardia was a common (26%) adverse reaction. The combination of thalidomide and dexamethasone is rapidly effective and may represent a valuable second-line treatment for AL.


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