Survey of Potential Drug Interactions, Use of Non-Medical Health Products, and Immunization Status among Patients Receiving Targeted Therapies.

In recent years, several changes have occurred in the management of chronic immunological conditions with the emerging use of targeted therapies. This two-phase cross-sectional study was conducted through structured in-person interviews in 2018-2019 and 2022. Additional data sources included ambulatory medical records and the itemized reimbursement reporting interface of the National Health Insurance Fund.

Quality of dorzolamide hydrochloride and timolol maleate containing eye drops distributed online.

Patient safety risks associated with the online purchase of medications, especially in case of ophthalmic preparations, are significant. Our study aimed to carry out quality assessment of dorzolamide hydrochloride (DZA) and timolol maleate (TIM) eye drops preserved with benzalkonium chloride (BAC) via online test purchases. Three samples were purchased online, while control preparations were acquired through authorized national drug supply chain.

Development of Capsaicin-Containing Analgesic Silicone-Based Transdermal Patches.

Transdermal therapeutic systems (TTSs) enable convenient dosing in drug therapy. Modified silicone-polymer-based patches are well-controlled and cost-effective matrix diffusion systems. In the present study, we investigated the substance release properties, skin penetration, and analgesic effect of this type of TTS loaded with low-dose capsaicin.

Analysis of pharmacovigilance databases for spontaneous reports of adverse drug reactions related to substandard and falsified medical products: A descriptive study.

The public health threat of substandard and falsified medicines has been well known in the last two decades, and several studies focusing on the identification of products affected and preventing consumption have been published. However, the number of these products reaching patients and causing health consequences and adverse drug reactions is not a well-researched area. Our aim was to identify and describe the characteristics of cases that are related to adverse drug reactions potentially originating from counterfeit medication using publicly available pharmacovigilance data.

Survey of workflow and cost implications of decommissioning regarding the Falsified Medicines Directive in Hungarian hospital pharmacies.

Objectives, Setting And Participants: In July 2011, the EU adopted the Falsified Medicines Directive (FMD) primarily aiming to prevent the infiltration of falsified medicines into the legitimate supply chain. Our aim was to measure the cost elements of FMD implementation and operation using an internationally adaptable tool among Hungarian hospital pharmacies.

Design: A 41-item questionnaire was developed to evaluate the implementation process and associated cost consequences leading up to February 2019, and the stabilisation period.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of invasive EEG monitoring in drug-resistant epilepsy.

Purpose: Our aim was to determine the cost-effectiveness of two intracranial electroencephalography (iEEG) interventions: 1) stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) and 2) placement of subdural grid electrodes (SDGs) both followed by resective surgery in patients with drug-resistant, partial-onset epilepsy, compared with medical management (MM) in Hungary from payer's perspective.

Methods: The incremental health gains and costs of iEEG interventions have been determined with a combination of a decision tree and prevalence Markov process model over a 30-year time horizon in a cost-utility analysis (CUA). To address the effect of parameter uncertainty on the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER), deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed.

Shedding light on the HTA consultancy market: Insights from Poland.

Research on health technology assessment (HTA) from a policy perspective typically examines public HTA bodies, with little attention devoted to how manufacturers develop their evidence submissions. Taking Poland as a crucial case, we explored the market of HTA consultancy firms which assist drug manufacturers in developing these submissions, called HTA reports. We reviewed 318 HTA reports from 2012 to 2015, data from the Polish National Company Registry, the content of HTA consulting firms' websites, and appraisal reports developed by the Polish HTA body.

Countrywide prevalence of critical drug interactions in Hungarian outpatients: a retrospective analysis of pharmacy dispensing data.

Background: Drug-drug interactions (DDIs) present a significant source of adverse drug reactions. Despite being one of the commonly cited risks to patient safety, prevention of DDIs still poses a challenge to healthcare systems. The prevalence of DDIs can be used as a quality indicator for the safety of prescribing.

A challenge for healthcare but just another opportunity for illegitimate online sellers: Dubious market of shortage oncology drugs.

Introduction: Drug shortages mean a challenge to healthcare systems. Exposed patients or health care providers may seek alternative resources for these products online. The purpose of our study was to analyze the online availability of oncology shortage drugs at national and at international levels in 2014 and 2016.

Consumers Turning to the Internet Pharmacy Market: Cross-Sectional Study on the Frequency and Attitudes of Hungarian Patients Purchasing Medications Online.

Background: During the past two decades, the internet has become an accepted way to purchase products and services. Buying medications online are no exception. Besides its benefits, several patient safety risks are linked to the purchase of medicines outside the traditional supply chain.

[Comprehensive evaluation of drug interaction screening programs: discrepancies and concordances].

Introduction: Recognition of potentially harmful drug interactions is one of the duties of healthcare. However, solutions involving databases are fraught with contradictions due to the lack of standardized principles and data.

Aim: The aims of the authors were to perform a comparative evaluation of Hungarian and international databases and to explore ambiguities and contradictions in order to develop more standardized criteria for screening interactions.

Identification and evaluation of drug-supplement interactions in Hungarian hospital patients.

Background: The increasing number of patients taking supplementary products together with prescribed medicines has become a new challenge for health care systems. These products may influence therapy outcomes by inducing unwanted effects. Particularly concerning is the potential for harmful interactions between prescribed medicines and supplementary products.

[Preoperative embolisation of spinal metastases].

In the management of spinal metastases bringing about neurological symptoms and signs, palliative surgical treatment plays an important role. The goals of surgery are preservation of neurological function especially that of the mobility, pain relief and local tumor control. Many of spinal metastases are hypervascularised, accordingly, preoperative embolisation offers logically improvement in technical realisation of surgery by means of reduction of intraoperative profuse bleeding.

Evaluating aspects of online medication safety in long-term follow-up of 136 Internet pharmacies: illegal rogue online pharmacies flourish and are long-lived.

Background: A growing number of online pharmacies have been established worldwide. Among them are numerous illegal websites selling medicine without valid medical prescriptions or distributing substandard or counterfeit drugs. Only a limited number of studies have been published on Internet pharmacies with regard to patient safety, professionalism, long-term follow-up, and pharmaceutical legitimacy verification.

Patients with difficult-to-treat depression do not exhibit an increased frequency of CYP2D6 allele duplication.

The insufficient response of patients to antidepressant medications may result from several factors, including altered drug metabolism. CYP2D6 genotyping may help assess the possible factors that contribute to difficult-to-treat depression. The aim of our study was to determine the frequency of CYP2D6 allelic variants and the prevalence of predicted CYP2D6 phenotypes in patients who were suffering from difficult-to-treat depression and compare the data with those for the healthy population of Hungary.

Pilot study for the characterization of pharmacogenetically relevant CYP2D6, CYP2C19 and ABCB1 gene polymorphisms in the Hungarian population.

Polymorphisms of CYP450 metabolizer enzymes and transport proteins play crucial roles in the inter-individual variability of drug efficiency. The aim of our study was to predict the frequency of functional variants of CYP2D6, CYP2C19 and ABCB1 genes in the Hungarian population. One hundred twelve unrelated healthy subjects donated DNA sample in the study.

[Attitude of patients and customers toward on-line purchase of drugs--a Hungarian survey by community pharmacies].

As internet is now available to nearly everyone in Hungary, the accessibility of websites offering pharmaceutical products is also increasing. The national and international regulation of these sites is currently an unsolved problem worldwide, thus potentially harmful, counterfeit and prescription only medicines are easily accessible on the market. We aimed to measure and estimate the current situation of the ordering of online medicines.

Optimization of bioassay method for the quantitative microbiological determination of amphotericin B.

The aim of this study was to find the optimal bioassay parameters for the quantitative analysis of an amphotericin B nasal spray solution as the bioassay conditions recommended by the Ph. Eur. 6.

Investigation of abiogenic stress-induced alterations in the level of secondary metabolites in poppy plants (Papaver somniferum L.).

We aimed to understand the effects of water stress on the alkaloid production in various developmental stages of poppy plants and the effect of stress on the alkaloids content in the capsules. Three stages of the life cycle of Papaver somniferum L. were selected in our studies: Rosette, Flowering and Lancing developmental stages.

[Chemical and microbiological aspects of the quantitative analysis of amphotericin B].

Amphotericin B can be determined by chemical (HPLC, spectrophotometry) and microbiological (bioassay) methods. The utilization of both during a stability test can give more detailed information about the activity and concentration change of amphotericin B solutions. Previously published HPLC methods do not lay stress on the separation of by-constituents present in the substance.

Postoperative application of amphotericin B nasal spray in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis, with a review of the antifungal therapy.

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) affects 1-4% of the adult population. The etiology of this multifactorial, chronic disease, which leads to a significant impairment of the quality of life, often accompanied by nasal polyposis, is not fully understood. In the past decade, it was presumed that the disease, which causes characteristic eosinophilic infiltration of the nasal mucosa, is triggered by an enhanced (but not classical allergic IgE-type) immune response against fungal organisms in the nasal mucus.

[Postoperative application of amphotericin B nasal spray in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis. Can recidive polyposis be prevented?].

Unlabelled: Chronic rhinosinusitis affects 1-4% of the adult population. The aetiology of this multifactorial, chronic disease, which leads to a significant impairment of the quality of life, often accompanied by nasal polyposis, is not fully understood. In the past decade it was presumed that the disease, which causes characteristic eosinophilic infiltration of the nasal mucosa, is triggered by an enhanced (but not classical allergic IgE type) immune response.

[Stability testing of amphotericin B nasal spray solutions with chemical and biological analysis].

Recent studies have shown that the presence of fungal cells in the nasal mucosa may play an important role in the development of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps. In 2006 a pilot clinical trial was organized by the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery and the Pharmaceutical Institute of the Medical University of Pécs for the treatment of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps. In our study we investigated the stability of the 5 mg/ml amphotericin B solutions (Fungizone) with chemical (spectrophotometry) and biological (bioassay) detection.