[Is there an excess of AIDS-related mortality in Aquitaine? Data collected through the French mandatory reporting system, 1982-2005].

Objectives: The mortality rate among AIDS patients reported through the French mandatory reporting system since 1982 is particularly high in Aquitaine, a south west area of France. This study was made to confirm that mortality was higher in Aquitaine patients than in the rest of France, and to determine its causes.

Design: All the cases reported between January 1982 and June 2005 were included.

Less use of NSAIDs in long-term than in recent chondroitin sulphate users in osteoarthritis: a pharmacy-based observational study in France.

In clinical trials, long-term use of a specific chondroitin sulphate, Chondrosult 400 (CS400) has demonstrated symptomatic efficacy in osteoarthritis comparable to that of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) with significantly fewer side-effects. CS400 could therefore reduce the use of and risks associated with NSAIDs. A cross-sectional observational study was therefore devised in 199 randomly selected pharmacies in France to verify the concomitant use of analgesic and NSAIDs medication in patients prescribed CS400.

Incidence of serious adverse drug reactions in general practice: a prospective study.

Background: Many studies have been conducted to estimate the incidence and economic impact of adverse drug reactions. Most of these studies used historical data or were based on single hospital units. Little is known, however, about the frequency of serious adverse drug reactions in general practice.

[Cost of hospitalizations for adverse drug effects].

The French network of Regional Pharmacovigilance Centres evaluated in 1997 the prevalence of adverse effects of drugs (AED). In 1998, and again with the support of the French Drug Agency, in collaboration with the company CEMKA for economic evaluations, the incidence of AED-related hospitalizations in the medical department of French public hospitals was studied. The evaluation was performed over 14 consecutive days in 62 hospital departments, which were selected randomly.