The Influence of High Body Mass Index (BMI > 35 kg/m) on Apixaban Plasma Concentration in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation.

Purpose: Apixaban, a direct oral anticoagulant is administered for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation patients. Dosing adjustment is guided by renal function, age, and body weight. However, no data exist on its pharmacokinetics in patients with a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 35 kg/m.

Drug shortages in Israel, revisited: a bitter pill to swallow.

Background: In 2017, we published an article addressing drug shortages (DS) in Israel, exploring regulatory perspectives, challenges, and potential solutions. Since then, DS remain a significant concern for patients, healthcare providers, and policymakers globally. In this updated article, we revisit the topic, providing new insights, data, and analysis on the current DS landscape in Israel, efforts to mitigate them, and propose strategies to combat this escalating issue.

[ETHICAL PERSPECTIVES AND DILEMMAS IN PRESCRIBING AND DISPENSING MEDICINAL PRODUCTS IN ISRAEL].

Drug therapy is a central pillar in the provision of medical care. A significant number of doctor-patient encounters conclude with a prescription for a drug. These are subsequently followed by a pharmacist-patient interaction that ends with the dispensing of prescription drugs and/or a recommendation for an over-the-counter drug and other products.

Clinical pharmacy in Israel versus the US, can we "compare apples to apples"?-commentary.

Clinical pharmacy is an umbrella of pharmaceutical services that is practiced by clinical pharmacists. Clinical pharmacists improve the quality of drug therapy, minimize the risk for drug related problems, reduce the risk of morbidity and mortality associated with polypharmacy and decrease the overall healthcare expenditure. Consequently, clinical pharmacy is focused on both the needs of the individual patient, as well as of the healthcare system.

Ensuring HIV care to undocumented migrants in Israel: a public-private partnership case study.

Background: Undocumented migrants in Israel, mostly originating from HIV endemic countries, are not covered by Israel's universal healthcare coverage. We initiated a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) to handle this public health and humanitarian challenge. The PPP venture included the Ministry of Health (MoH), pharmaceutical companies, pharmacies, and specialized HIV clinics, the Israeli HIV Medical Society (from the Israel Medical Association), and non-governmental organizations.

Clinical and other specialty services offered by pharmacists in the community: the international arena and Israel.

The community pharmacy setting is a venue that is readily accessible to the public. In addition, it is staffed by a pharmacist, who is a healthcare provider, trained and capable of delivering comprehensive pharmaceutical care. As such, community pharmacists have a colossal opportunity to serve as key contributors to patients' health by ensuring appropriate use of medications, preventing medication misadventures, identifying drug-therapy needs, as well as by being involved in disease management, screening, and prevention programs.

Correction: Chronic use of psychotropic medications in breastfeeding women: Is it safe?

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Chronic use of psychotropic medications in breastfeeding women: Is it safe?

Background: Current knowledge regarding chronic use of psychotropic medications during breastfeeding is limited. The objective of this study was to evaluate the long-term effects of psychotropic monotherapy use during lactation on the breastfed infant.

Materials And Methods: In this prospective study, we followed 280 infants whose mothers contacted the Drug Consultation Center (DCC) at Assaf Harofeh Medical Center between January 2011 and December 2015, seeking information regarding the chronic use of psychotropic medications during lactation.

Changes in consumption of opioid analgesics in Israel 2009 to 2016: An update focusing on oxycodone and fentanyl formulations.

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to assess opioid (morphine, methadone, oxycodone, pethidine, and fentanyl) consumption in Israel during 2009 to 2016 and identify recent trends.

Methods: Data for all treatment settings, private and public, for the years 2009 to 2016, were extracted from the Israel Ministry of Health's Pharmaceutical Administration database. The data were used to calculate defined daily doses (DDD) per 1000 inhabitants per day, of the various drugs.

Fatal and Near-Fatal Non-allergic Reactions in Patients with Underlying Cardiac Disease Receiving Benzathine Penicillin G in Israel and Switzerland.

Benzathine Penicillin G (BPG) is commonly used for treatment of penicillin-susceptible infections and secondary prevention of rheumatic fever. Death following administration of BPG is extremely rare-only a handful of cases have been described in the literature since the 1950's. In this case series from Israel and Switzerland, we describe nine cases of serious adverse reactions-six fatal reactions and three near-fatalities-occurring within minutes of receiving intramuscular BPG.

Strategies for patient empowerment through the promotion of medicines in Israel: regulatory framework for the pharmaceutical industry.

The correct and rational use of medications can have a positive direct impact on disease outcomes, as well on the utilization of the health system resources. Unfortunately, 50% of the patients do not take their medications as prescribed, largely due to lack of patients' understanding of their medical condition, as well as the lack of reliable medicine information.There are multiple strategies implemented in many countries to tackle this challenge including: disease awareness campaigns (DAC) to raise the public awareness to specific diseases, direct-to-consumer advertisement (DTCA) to raise the public awareness to prescription medicines, specific treatments and over-the-counter (OTC) products to improve the accessibility of patients to specific medicines.

Pharmacovigilance in Israel - tools, processes, and actions.

Background: Due to the limited safety data available at the time that a new medication is first marketed, it is essential to continue the collection and monitoring of safety data about adverse drug reactions (ADRs) during the medication's life cycle. This activity, known as pharmacovigilance (PV), is performed worldwide by the pharmaceutical industry as well as by regulatory agencies. In 2012, the Israeli Ministry of Health (MOH) established a Pharmacovigilance and Drug Information Department.

Drug shortages in Israel: regulatory perspectives, challenges and solutions.

Background: Pharmaceutical drug shortages (DSs) are a global problem which presents challenges to countries around the world. Shortages of pharmaceutical products may have a direct detrimental impact on public health and patients' wellbeing by causing delayed, or even lack of, treatment. Moreover, DSs may force both patients and caregivers to use unfamiliar drugs, which could lead to medication errors.

Household medical waste disposal policy in Israel.

Background: Large amounts of expired and unused medications accumulate in households. This potentially exposes the public to hazards due to uncontrolled use of medications. Most of the expired or unused medications that accumulate in households (household medical waste) is thrown to the garbage or flushed down to the sewage, potentially contaminating waste-water, water resources and even drinking water.

Trends in the use of antipsychotics in the Israeli inpatient population, 2004-2013.

Background: Although serious mental illneses are treated with both typical and atypical antipsychotic grugs, trends in their use in psychiatric inpatient population in Israel are unrecognized. The aim of this study was to detect trends in the use of typical and atypical antipsychotic drugs in the Israeli inpatient psychiatric population throughout the last decade.

Methods: Data regarding allocation of typical and atypical antipsychotics, over the period 2004 to 2013, were extracted from the electronic records of SAREL, Israel's largest private supplier of drugs to healthcare and medical facilities.

[Evaluation of the impact of a clinical pharmacist on the quality and cost of pharmacotherapy in a general surgical department, the Hillel-Yaffe Medical Center].

Background: Clinical pharmacy could be defined as an umbrella of services aimed at maximizing the pharmacotherapeutic effect, minimizing the risk for developing adverse drug effects and reducing drug expenditures for the health care system. Clinical pharmacists, in Israel and abroad, have been practicing in different health care settings aiming to implement the principles mentioned above. Most of the articles previously published reviewed the role of the clinical pharmacist in internal medicine wards or in intensive care units.