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Therapy starting with the angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) losartansignificantly reduced the risk of cardiovascular outcomes and new-onsetdiabetes compared with a beta blocker in older high-risk hypertensive patients,said Björn Dahlöf, MD. The improved outcomes with losartan occurredeven after adjusting for small differences in blood pressure reduction betweenthe two study drugs.

Atlanta-The low-molecular-weight heparin enoxaparin improves outcomes compared with currently recommended therapy in patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndromes (ACS) who are being treated with a glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa inhibitor, said Shaun Goodman, MD.

Lercanidipine is currently under FDA review for the management of hypertension. In comparative clinical trials, lercanidipine has shown antihypertensive efficacy comparable to that of slow-release nifedipine, amlodipine, nitrendipine, verapamil, captopril, and atenolol. Its side effect profile is similar or superior to these agents. This Focus article reviews those trials as well as lercanidipine?s pharmacologic properties and addresses the agent?s potential role in patients with comorbid conditions.

Although selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are prescribed most often for depression disorders, they are increasingly being used to treat a variety of other conditions. In this article, the authors assess the evidence on anxiety disorders—generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, and social phobia. For each condition, they present the rationale for SSRI use, the degree of supportive clinical trial evidence, indication-specific dosing and safety considerations, and their recommendations for the preferred and alternative SSRIs.

Adding the investigational cholesterol absorption inhibitor ezetimibe to statin therapy results in additional reductions in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol of up to 14%.

There is is a rising chorus in Washington and across the nation for action to control increased prescription drug expenditures.

The American Psychiatric Association has issued updated guidelines for the treatment of patients with bipolar disorder. The guidelines were last updated in 1994.

Last month the FDA's Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee unanimously supported loratadine's (Claritin, Schering-Plough) switch from prescription to over-the-counter status for treatment of chronic idiopathic urticaria, moving the drug one step closer to full OTC status (see significant event timeline in sidebar).

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Predictive modeling, personalization and guided self care can help determinethe ideal intervention

Enrollment data as of January 2001

Great-West eliminates confusion in the marketplace by consolidating itsplans under a single name

Offering broader networks, educating members and eliminating referrals are just a few ways plans are meeting member wishes

Bioterror forces new contingency plans to better coordinate resources and information to contain and minimize an outbreak

Customized health plans offer consumers the choice and control that theydesire

In today's world, it's easy to assume that the more sophisticated and complex a solution is, the better it is. After all, we live in a world where cutting-edge technologies make us safer, better connected and more efficient.

While the Bush administration persists in promoting a Medicare RxDrug Card plan, pharmaceutical companies continue to unveil their own versions.

Creighton University, Omaha, NE-Despite the evidence that lipid-lowering drug therapy-especially with HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins)-is known to save lives and help prevent subsequent events in coronary heart disease (CHD) patients, utilization of this class of drugs is erratic.

New indication: Bisphosphonate cleared for multiple myeloma, metastases of solid tumors

New indication: Bisphosphonate cleared for multiple myeloma, metastases of solid tumors.

New biologic: Radioimmunotherapeutic for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

New biologic: Second interferon beta-1a product for relapsing multiple sclerosis

as reported April 1, 2002

(as reported April 1, 2002)

Prompted by a flurry of new evidence, two leading cardiology groups have revised their guidelines for the management of acute coronary syndromes just 18 months after the last revision.

An array of both existing and investigational biologic agents are showing efficacy in clearing psoriasis and may prove useful for long-term psoriasis management. So suggests a collection of studies presented at the 60th annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology, held recently in New Orleans.

Three-year data have confirmed the effectiveness of a strategy that eliminated all third-generation cephalosporins from a formulary as a means to control the emergence of vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE).

Providing formulary information on PDA devices improves formulary compliance and is gaining in physician acceptance as well. These were the findings of a 4-month pilot program involving 104 Connecticut-based physicians conducted by ePocrates and AdvancePCS.