Effect of early administration of dexamethasone in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia without acute hypoxemic respiratory failure and risk of development of acute respiratory distress syndrome: EARLY-DEX COVID-19 trial.

Introduction And Objectives: Corticosteroids are among the drugs demonstrating a mortality benefit for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The RECOVERY trial highlighted that dexamethasone reduced 28-day mortality for hospitalized COVID-19 patients requiring either supplemental oxygen or mechanical ventilation. It is noted that approximately 30% of COVID-19 patients, initially presenting with mild symptoms, will advance to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), especially those with detectable laboratory markers of inflammation indicative of disease progression.

Persistence in the Methadone Maintenance Program and Its Relationship with the Medication Regimen Complexity Index in Opioid-Dependent Patients.

It has been shown that the Medication Regimen Complexity Index (MRCI) is a useful and reliable tool for calculating the complexity of the pharmacotherapeutic regimen (CPR). Furthermore, a high MRCI is associated with lower adherence. However, the MRCI of opioid-dependent patients (ODP) has not been studied.

Physicochemical stability of bortezomib solutions for subcutaneous administration.

For the majority of cytotoxic drug preparations, such as bortezomib, the unit dose information is not available. In addition, there is a lack of information on the physicochemical stability of the pharmaceutical preparation after opening; this information is crucial for its administration to patients in successive visits, and the per-patient cost can be affected. The purpose of our proposed physicochemical stability study is to determine the shelf life of the reconstituted liquid product under refrigeration and clinical practice conditions.

Design of mobile and website health application devices for drug tolerability in hereditary fructose intolerance.

Background: Hereditary fructose intolerance (HFI) is a rare metabolic disease caused by aldolase B deficiency. The aim of our study was to analyse excipient tolerability in patients with HFI and other related diseases and to design mobile and website health applications to facilitate the search for drugs according to their tolerance.

Results: A total of 555 excipients listed in the Spanish Medicines Agency database (July 2023) were classified as suitable for HFI patients, suitable with considerations ((glucose and glucose syrup, intravenous sucrose, oral mannitol, polydextrose, gums and carrageenans, ethanol, sulfite caramel and vanilla), not recommended (intravenous mannitol) and contraindicated (fructose, oral sucrose, invert sugar, sorbitol, maltitol, lactitol, isomaltitol, fruit syrups, honey, sucrose esters and sorbitol esters).

Effect of EARLY administration of DEXamethasone in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia without acute hypoxemic respiratory failure and risk of development of acute respiratory distress syndrome (EARLY-DEX COVID-19): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Corticosteroids are one of the few drugs that have shown a reduction in mortality in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In the RECOVERY trial, the use of dexamethasone reduced 28-day mortality compared to standard care in hospitalized patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 requiring supplemental oxygen or invasive mechanical ventilation. Evidence has shown that 30% of COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms at presentation will progress to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), particularly patients in whom laboratory inflammatory biomarkers associated with COVID-19 disease progression are detected.

Development and validation of a HPLC-UV method for methadone hydrochloride quantification in a new oral solution with preservatives to be implemented in physicochemical stability studies.

Purpose: The Pharmacy Service of the Infanta Leonor University Hospital acquires, compounds, distributes and dispenses more than 3000 L of methadone oral solution to Drug Addiction Patients Centers per year. Our purpose is to develop and validate an improved high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method to quantify methadone hydrochloride in a new oral solution with methylhydroxybenzoate (methylparaben) and propylhydroxybenzoate (propylparaben) to be implemented in physicochemical stability studies that allow to provide more information and even to increase the beyond-use date.

Methods: A HPLC-Agilent 1100 equipment, comprising a quaternary pump and an ultraviolet diode-array-detector (DAD) was used.

Physicochemical and Microbiological Stability of Two Oral Solutions of Methadone Hydrochloride 10 mg/mL.

In this article, we studied physicochemical and microbiological stability and determined the beyond-use date of two oral solutions of methadone in three storage conditions. For this, two oral solutions of methadone (10 mg/mL) were prepared, with and without parabens, as preservatives. They were packed in amber glass vials kept unopened until the day of the test, and in a multi-dose umber glass bottle opened daily.

Reply letter to the editor concerning the article 'Safety of Sars-Cov-2 vaccines administration for adult patients with hereditary fructose intolerance'.

According to the current European medicines legislation, on the labeling is mandatory a warning contraindicating for hereditary fructose intolerance (HFI) patients medicines with oral or parenteral fructose and sorbitol, and oral sucrose, invert sugar, isomaltitol, lactitol and maltitol, but parenteral sucrose is not mentioned. Intravenous administration of sucrose does not increase blood glucose concentrations, because sucrose is poorly oxidized to CO and mainly excreted in the urine as a disaccharide; absence of enzimatic activity outside the gut explains why there is not a warning for parenteral sucrose presentations. For this reason, parenteral drugs with sucrose are allowed in HFI patients.

Centralization of the methadone maintenance plan in a hospital pharmacy department in the Community of Madrid.

In February 2018, Resolution 189/2018 was published in the Autonomous Community of Madrid with the objective of centralizing the  procedure for the acquisition, preparation, distribution, and dispensing of methadone to Centres for the Comprehensive Care of Drug Addiction Patients  within the Madrid Health Service under the responsibility of a Hospital Pharmacy  Service. The Hospital Pharmacy Service began this activity in March 2018. This is the first time that the comprehensive management of a methadone  maintenance plan has been centralized in an Hospital Pharmacy Service for the care of drug-dependent patients in the Autonomous Community of Madrid.

Social and health care needs in patients with hereditary fructose intolerance in Spain.

Introduction: Hereditary fructose intolerance is a metabolic disease due to an aldolase B deficiency. Our objective was to ascertain the social and health care needs of those with this deficiency.

Material And Methods: A prospective, observational study was performed.

[Self-reported experience in patients treated with Hepatitis C direct acting antivirals].

Background And Objective: To learn about and analyze the self-reported treatment experience of HCV patients who started treatment with direct acting antivirals agents (DAA), at a real-time, proactive and integrated into the pharmaceutical care healthcare process, using a prospective questionnaire completed by patients as clinical tool.

Material And Methods: Observational and cross-sectional study conducted between April (start of the National Strategic Plan) and December 2015 in the Outpatient Pharmacy Service. The questionnaire includes variables related to health related quality of life (HRQOL), adherence, adverse effects (AEs), satisfaction, and usefulness of the Pharmacy Service implemented training program.

Perceptions about HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis among healthcare professionals in Spain (PERPPRES Study).

Objective: To determine the level of support, knowledge and perceptions of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) by Infectious Disease Specialists and Hospital Pharmacists in Spain.

Methods: Cross-sectional study through an on-line 31-item survey (sociodemographical data, employment status/experience, knowledge of PrEP, use, identified barriers and economic issues). A univariate analysis was performed to evaluate the variables associated with support for PrEP, and compare the assessments by Specialists and Pharmacists.

Cross-cultural Adaptation and Validation of the Medication Regimen Complexity Index Adapted to Spanish.

Background: The most widely used validated instrument to assess the complexity of medication regimens is the Medication Regimen Complexity Index (MRCI).

Objective: This study aimed to translate, adapt, and validate a reliable version of the MRCI adapted to Spanish (MRCI-E).

Methods: The cross-cultural adaptation process consisted of an independent translation by 3 clinical pharmacists and a backtranslation by 2 native English speakers.

[Risk prevention evaluation in the incorporation of new drugs for healthcare practices: a methodological proposal].

Objective: Submit a preventive assessment methodology for the risk of medication errors when incorporating new drugs in clinical practice as well as a description of the types of actions arising from such action.

Materials And Methods: A Standard Operating Procedure was established which defines and plans the process of assessing the risks of new drugs purchased by the Pharmacy Services before being incorporated into the distribution and dispensation channels. The pharmacist responsible for each area fills the Risk Assessment Form, a questionnaire that facilitates the analysis of the product characteristics and provides guidance on safety measures to be taken depending on the results of that assessment.

Drug prescribing in patients with renal impairment optimized by a computer-based, semi-automated system.

Background: According to several studies, despite of the existence of several published guidelines for dosing adjustments based on renal function, inappropriate prescribing is a common drug-related problem in inpatient care.

Objective: We developed and implemented a system for drug dosage adjustment integrated into the Hospital computer provider order entry system. This system allows pharmacists to identify patients with reduced renal function, identify medication orders that may require dosage modifications based on renal function, and generate an alert with a recommendation of specific dosage adjustment.

[Pharmacoeconomic aspects of lopinavir/ritonavir monotherapy].

The present article briefly reviews the main types of pharmacoeconomic analyses that evaluate the costs associated with HIV infection and the efficiency of antiretroviral therapy in general. The results of several pharmacoeconomic analyses applied to the selection of antiretroviral drugs in distinct clinical scenarios are also presented. Finally, we analyze the advantages, in terms of efficiency, of lopinavir/ritonavir as induction-maintenance therapy, both in terms of saving the direct costs of treatment and in possibly reducing the costs due to the management of the adverse effects of nucleoside analogs.