Drugs, Pharmaceuticals, and Therapeutics
Outcomes of Pharmaceutical Outcomes Research—Impact of
Studies Funded: Final Report
Outcomes of Pharmaceutical Therapy: Program Update
Prescription Drug Therapies: Reducing Costs and Improving
Outcomes
Pharmaceutical Research Highlights
Quick Tips—When Getting a Prescription
Your Medicine: Play It Safe
Centers for Education and Research on Therapeutics (CERTs)
CERTs Annual Report: Year 2 (PDF File, 1.3 MB)
CERTs Annual Report: Year 1 (PDF File: 252 KB)
CERTs Overview: Fact Sheet
CERTs Web Site
Nominations of Topics for Research on Therapeutics
Preventable Adverse Drug Reactions: A Focus on Drug Interactions
Conferences and Meetings
Appropriate Drug Use and Prescription Drug Programs: Adding Value by Improving Quality
Workshop Brief, November 2001
Depression: Pharmaceutical Use and Costs
Workshop Brief, July 2000
Evidence Reports
Evidence Report/Technology Assessment: Number 3
Pharmacotherapy for Alcohol Dependence (Summary)
Evidence Report/Technology Assessment: Number 7
Treatment of
Depression—Newer Pharmacotherapies (Summary)
Evidence Report/Technology Assessment: Number 10
Evaluation of Beta-Blockers, Calcium Antagonists, Nitrates, and Alternative Therapies for Stable Angina (Summary)
Evidence Report/Technology Assessment: Number 19
Management of Acute Exacerbations of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (Summary)
Evidence Report/Technology Assessment: Number 20
Garlic: Effects on Cardiovascular Risks and Disease,
Protective Effects Against Cancer, and Clinical
Adverse Effects (Summary)
Evidence Report/Technology Assessment: Number 21
Milk Thistle: Effects on Liver Disease and Cirrhosis
and Clinical Adverse Effects (Summary)
Evidence Report/Technology Assessment: Number 29
Epoetin Use for Anemia in Chronic Renal Failure (Summary)
Evidence Report/Technology Assessment: Number 30
Epoetin Uses for Anemia in Oncology (Summary)
Research Findings
Research Activities, May 2004:
Significant increases in drug copayments may reduce patients' use of needed medications
Better monitoring of the cardiac drug amiodarone among outpatients could improve its safety
Researchers examine the diagnosis, testing, and treatment of bronchiolitis in infants
Conference participants outline research agenda for pediatric outpatient safety
Practices that allot more time for acute care visits and promote immunization have higher adult vaccination rates
Research Activities, April 2004:
Many medications are effective in managing atrial fibrillation
Clinicians and patients responded quickly to recent evidence of harms associated with hormone therapy
Doctors substantially reduced their prescribing of alpha-blockers for hypertension after published trial results showed problems
Studies focus on care for respiratory tract infections in the elderly
Medicare drug benefit bill will increase physicians' exposure to drug formularies
Medicare enrollees in for-profit plans are no less likely to receive high-cost procedures than those in non-profit plans
Research Activities, March 2004:
Patients who undergo surgery for gastroesophageal reflux disease use less care later than those who receive only medications
Researchers examine physician prescribing of closely controlled antiarrhythmic drugs dofetilide and Betapace AF
Certain oral blood-sugar-lowering drugs may increase the risk of heart failure in patients with type 2 diabetes
Inconsistent use of medications by elderly Mexican Americans with diabetes may explain their greater risk of some complications
Only about half of stroke survivors living in nursing homes receive medicine to prevent another stroke
Research Activities, February 2004:
New study estimates potential savings gained by expanding use of beta-blockers in heart failure patients
Study documents racial variations in the prescribing of opiods by ER doctors
Use of tamoxifen to prevent breast cancer should be weighed against an individual woman's potential to benefits and risks
Different changes in drug formulary administration and copayments can have very different effects on drug use and spending
Some managed care strategies to improve drug use appear to be effective, but little is known about long term clinical outcomes
Research Activities, January 2004:
Acid suppressant therapy is effective for short-term relief of heartburn for patients with persistent symptoms
Few postmenopausal women who have suffered a fracture receive drug treatment to prevent further fractures
Confounding factors may be the reason that randonmized controlled trials of HRT conflict with observational studies
British Columbia's reference pricing for a calcium channel blocker may be a model for pharmaceutical cost-containment
Children are at risk for certain drug-resistant strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae
Assay for HIV protease inhibitors in patient blood developed to improve patient care
Research Activities, December 2003:
Parental misconceptions about antibiotic use are widespread, but they may be modifiable by clinicians and the media
Antiinflammatory medications for the long-term treatment of childhood asthma are underused
Formularies are not likely to control costs for psychotropic drugs as well as they do for some other types of drugs
Retrospective drug utilization review may not improve clinical outcomes or reduce the rate of potential prescribing errors
Research Activities, November 2003:
Fewer antibiotics are being prescribed for U.S. children
Giving disadvantaged inner-city adults systemic corticosteroids after ED treatment for acute asthma may prevent relapses
Use of antidepressants for elderly primary care patients has increased markedly
Research Activities, October 2003:
New vaccine reduces strains of bacteria most likely to cause severe infections
Research Activities, September 2003:
Long-term use of antibiotics to treat acne can lead to antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria in patients' mouths
Misuse of an over-the-counter drug to treat urinary tract infection raises concern about reclassifying prescription drugs
Prescribing COX-2-selective NSAIDs over traditional NSAIDs is influenced by physician specialty and patient risk factors
Recommended medications are underused among elderly people with diabetes
Researchers examine drug expenditures and drug formularies
Research Activities, August 2003:
Strategies to increase adherence to therapy among HIV/AIDS patients should target different HIV risk groups
Research Activities, July 2003:
Heart attack patients who are not discharged from the hospital on beta-blockers are unlikely to start them as outpatients
Greater use of guideline-recommended asthma medication in recent years may have helped to stabilize the number of asthma visits
Expanding Medicare to include a drug benefit would reduce the financial burden on elders but might not greatly increase drug access
Research Activities, June 2003:
Patients should be assessed for risk of cardiac arrhythmia if they are prescribed certain QT-prolonging drugs
Efforts to address emerging resistance to fluoroquinolone antibiotics must consider inappropriate use in the ER
Research Activities, April 2003:
Certain medications that can increase the risk of cardiac arrest and arrhythmias are often prescribed together
Doctors are prescribing fewer and safer antiarrhythmic drugs than in the 1980s
Collaborative program can reduce potential medication problem among elderly home health care patients
AHRQ-funded Centers for Education and Research on Therapeutics examine the safety and effectiveness of several popular medications
Research Activities, March 2003:
Outpatient prescription drug-related injuries are common in older patients, but many can be prevented
Researchers examine impact of drug cost-sharing on prescribing practices
Research Activities, February 2003:
Almost one-third of depressed primary care patients reported either hazardous drinking, use of illicit drugs, or misuse of prescription drugs
Epoetin treatment reduces anemia and related transfusions for certain cancer patients
Pediatricians may feel pressured to prescribe antibiotics when parents imply a diagnosis that warrants them
Centers for Education and Research on Therapeutics help promote use of life-saving therapies and avoidance of high-risk therapies
Research Activities, January 2003:
Frequent users of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs may need medications to prevent associated ulcers
Obstetricians don't always follow guidelines for preventing group B streptococcal infection neonates
Tennessee data indicate significant use of oral steroids among Medicaid-insured children
Federal program provides a national approach to therapeutics education and research through a public-private partnership
Underfunded State-operated AIDS drug assistance programs are struggling to provide medications to those in need
Research Activities, December 2002:
Prenatal use of erythromycin does not appear to increase the risk of infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis
Researchers calculate staff needed for antibiotic distribution centers after bioterrorism-related disease exposure
Research Activities, November 2002:
Evidence is sparse on the use of epinephrine-containing anesthetics in hypertensive dental patients
Research Activities, October 2002:
Use of the less expensive streptokinase over tPA is difficult to justify for some heart attack patients
Researchers examine the effects of androgen deprivation therapy on survival and quality of life of men with prostate cancer
Some State Medicaid managed care programs have policies that could restrict access to needed medications
Research Activities, September 2002:
Researchers examine variations in asthma medication use
Research Activities, August 2002:
Use of cholesterol-lowering drugs by elderly heart attack survivors has increased substantially since the mid-1990s
Newer antidepressant drugs are prescribed more often than other medications for patients hospitalized for depression
Parental pressure for antibiotics can influence pediatricians' treatment decisions
Improving medication use may be the key to reducing racial disparities in children's asthma problems
Research Activities, July 2002:
Task Force urges clinicians and patients to discuss pros and cons of taking prescription medicines to reduce breast cancer risk
Medical schools and residency programs should provide more training on preventing adverse drug reactions
Research Activities, June 2002:
Users of nonaspirin, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory medicines may benefit from use of aspirin for cardioprotection
Research Activities, May 2002:
Patients who take beta blockers before heart bypass surgery have improved outcomes
Non-aspirin, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs do not protect individuals from the risk of heart attack
Black and Hispanic HIV patients are less likely than white patients to get experimental medications
Researchers examine the impact of drug pricing and copayments on medication use among elderly Canadians
U.S. drug expenditures are expected to increase by 15 to 19 percent this year
Both patients and pharmacists view counseling as an important role for pharmacists
Research Activities, April 2002:
Misconceptions about cancer clinical trials occur often among patients and researchers
Researchers examine the impact of prescription medicine coverage and copayments on medication use
Clinical trial participation does not increase the cost of routine care
Research Activities, March 2002:
Aspirin use has increased in patients who have heart disease, but underuse continues to be a concern
Insurance type influences medication costs and the choice of brand-name or generic drugs
Research Activities, February 2002:
Low-dose steroids are neither safe nor effective for long-term treatment of rheumatoid arthritis
Concerns about hypoglycemia should not deter use of insulin in most patients with type 2 diabetes
Research Activities, January 2002:
Risk of bleeding is low in elderly nursing home stroke survivors taking aspirin and warfarin
Research Activities, December 2001:
Potentially inappropriate medications are prescribed for up to one in five elderly people
Educational materials do not substantially increase parents' knowledge and attitudes about the use of antibiotics
Research Activities, November 2001:
Drug benefit caps reduce use of essential drugs among older people who have multiple chronic illnesses
Research Activities, September 2001:
Two-thirds of elderly stroke survivors in nursing homes are not receiving medication to prevent further strokes
ACE inhibitors, when included in an antihypertensive regimen, slow progression of nondiabetic renal disease
Generalists tend to be more cautious than cardiologists in their use of drugs for heart attack patients
One-third of elderly home health care patients are having problems with their medications
Research Activities, August 2001:
Rising medication costs prompt many rural elders to take fewer medicines and smaller doses than prescribed
Hispanics in their 50s are much less likely than same-age whites or blacks to take medication to control high blood pressure
Research Activities, July 2001:
Study finds no differences in heart attack followup care provided to Medicare fee-for-service and HMO patients, but effective drugs are underprescribed for both
Research Activities, June 2001:
Antifungal drug fluconazole found to be effective in preventing thrush in people who are HIV positive
Research Activities, May 2001:
Hormone replacement therapy may improve mental function for some postmenopausal women
Researchers examine the use of antibiotics to treat acute respiratory infections in otherwise healthy adults
Educational program for controlling chronic pain cuts nursing home NSAID use by 70 percent
Proposed Medicare drug benefit plans with high cost-sharing and no catastrophic coverage may not help the sickest patients
Research Activities, April 2001:
Use of warfarin to reduce risk of stroke in very elderly people with atrial fibrillation is challenging
Research Activities, March 2001:
Inappropriate prescribing of a popular heartburn drug continues despite FDA regulatory action
Research Activities, February 2001:
Researchers identify the most effective drugs for converting atrial fibrillation to normal heart rhythm
Research Activities, January 2001:
Researchers underreport drug safety problems
Injectable and IV heparin have similar overall care costs and effectiveness for treating deep vein thrombosis
Women are less likely than men to receive antiretroviral drug therapies for HIV/AIDS
Rural hospitals that treat few heart attack patients may rely on protocols to guide use of aspirin and clot-busting drugs
Research Activities, December 2000:
Medical practices can benefit from specific policies for interacting with pharmaceutical representatives
Insurance status influences access to antihypertensive drug therapy, while personal factors influence patterns of use
Research Activities, November 2000:
Routine use of antibiotics and alpha-blockers to treat chronic prostatitis is not supported by evidence
Research Activities, September 2000:
Chronic disease patients who complain to their doctors about their medications are twice as likely to stop taking them
Research Activities, July 2000:
Individual patient factors determine whether a special diet or medication is best for patients with high cholesterol
Research Activities, June 2000:
Improvements are needed in the management of warfarin therapy for patients with atrial fibrillation
Research Activities, May, 2000:
Some drugs provide better control of heart rate for patients with atrial fibrillation at both rest and exercise
Research Activities, April 2000:
Coinfection with hepatitis B or C does not necessarily rule out antiretroviral therapy for HIV patients
General anesthesia is as effective and may be better than long-acting spinal anesthesia
Research Activities, March 2000:
Lipid-lowering drugs are underused in patients hospitalized with recurrent heart attacks
System errors, not patient factors, are responsible for most hospital medication errors
Evidence shows that warfarin is the drug of choice to prevent stroke in certain patients with atrial fibrillation
Cost does not appear to be the main factor in insurers' drug coverage decisions
Research Activities, February 2000:
Lipid-lowering medications are not associated with increased risk of injury
Research Activities, January 2000:
Doctors and patients need to ask each other more questions about medications
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