The Patient and Clinician Assessment of Gastrointestinal (GI) Related Adverse Events Associated with Oral Disease-Modifying Therapies in Multiple Sclerosis: A Qualitative Study.

Introduction: Current guidelines for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) call for treatment with disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) early in the disease to prevent relapses and accumulation of neurologic impairment and disability. However, patients taking certain oral DMTs may experience gastrointestinal (GI)-related adverse events (AEs), particularly at dose titration. We conducted qualitative research with healthcare professionals (HCPs) and patients in Canada to contextualize their experiences with three oral DMTs: dimethyl fumarate (Tecfidera), fingolimod (Gilenya), and teriflunomide (Aubagio).

'The Virtual Check-In': A tool to facilitate virtual patient interaction for early clinical learners in a longitudinal integrated clerkship.

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. In response to restrictions on learner placements in clinical environments during the COVID-19 pandemic the authors developed a tool, 'The Virtual Check-In', for clinical clerks in the University of Calgary Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship.

Economic burden of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in Canada.

Background: Psoriasis is a chronic debilitating disease affecting approximately one million Canadians. The objective of this study is to estimate the economic burden in $CDN (2008) of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis among Canadian adults.

Methods: Using a cross-sectional design, direct resource use, costs, lost productivity, and quality of life were obtained for 90 subjects diagnosed with psoriasis in three dermatology clinics in British Columbia, Ontario, and Québec.

The STARRT trial: a cost comparison of optimal vs sub-optimal initiation of dialysis in Canada.

Background: Sub-optimal transitioning of patients from chronic kidney disease (CKD) to end stage renal disease (ESRD) may result in poor clinical outcomes and increased healthcare costs. The objectives of this study were to estimate the average total cost per patient who requires initiation of renal replacement therapy (RRT) stratified by status at initiation; optimal (RRT initiation as an outpatient with an arterio-venous [AV] Fistula, Graft or Peritoneal Dialysis [PD] catheter), and sub-optimal (RRT initiation as an inpatient and/or via central venous catheter [CVC]).

Methods: Data from the Study To Assess Renal Replacement Therapy (STARRT), a Canadian, multi-centre, 6 month retrolective study (n = 339), were used for this analysis.

Cost utility analysis based on a head-to-head Phase 3 trial comparing ustekinumab and etanercept in patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis: a Canadian perspective.

Objective: A head-to-head comparator study has shown that the clinical efficacy of ustekinumab is superior to that of etanercept over a 12-week period in patients with psoriasis. Economic models are often hindered by the lack of trials directly comparing outcomes between relevant alternative therapies. The aim of this analysis was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of ustekinumab versus etanercept among adults with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis based on a Phase 3 head-to-head trial.

Impact of administrative restrictions on antibiotic use and expenditure in Ontario: time series analysis.

Objective: In a potential attempt to guide antibiotic prescribing based on current clinical evidence and mitigate the spread of antibiotic resistance, in March 2001 the Ontario Drug Benefit programme restricted reimbursement of two fluoroquinolone antibiotics--ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin--to its beneficiaries. Our objective was to determine the impact of this policy on the volume and cost of antibiotic prescribing.

Method: Weekly administrative data on antibiotic prescribing volumes and expenditures were analysed between January 1999 and September 2002 to estimate the effect of the policy changes using time series analysis.