Objectives: The primary objective of the present study was to describe the characteristics of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) linked to self-medication that were notified to the French Pharmacovigilance Database (FPVD) during the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020 first wave. The secondary objective was to compare the characteristics of these ADRs in 2020 with those notified during the same calendar period a year previously Material and methods: We analyzed ADRs recorded in the FPVD between March 15th and May 31st, 2020 vs. the same dates in 2019. Only ADRs linked to self-medication were analyzed. Descriptive statistics were used to obtain an overview of the types and characteristics of these ADRs. Results Of 3114 ADRs notified to the FPVD during the COVID-19 period in 2020, 114 (3.7%) were linked to self-medication. The equivalent proportion in 2019 was 1.6% (113 out of 7097). Half of the ADRs notified in 2020 were “serious”. The median age of affected patients was 30.5, and 22% of the ADRs concerned children. Of the 114 ADRs linked to self-medication, 107 (66%) were for prescription-only drugs. The three mostly frequently suspected ATC classes were analgesics, psycholeptics, and antibacterials for systemic use. The most frequent ADRs were general disorders, gastrointestinal disorders, and nervous system disorders. The main difference between the non-COVID-19 period and the COVID-19 period was the higher proportion of medication errors during the latter. Conclusion The present study is the first to have reported on ADRs linked to self-medication and notified during a COVID-19 outbreak. Further studies of self-medication patterns and their consequences in a pandemic context are mandatory and effective information on medication use (including self-medication and its dangers) during a pandemic is essential.

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Amides are one of the most important functional groups in organic chemistry and play essential roles in both the pharmaceutical industry and life sciences. However, due to the natural reactivity of carboxylic acids and amines, their direct coupling is challenging and often leads to reactions that are not atom-economic and produce large amounts of nonrecoverable by-products. Despite the impressive number of coupling reagents available, sustainable methods for amide bond formation are still needed. To address this challenge, a new catalytic approach for the direct preparation of amides from carboxylic acids and amines is reported here. This method combines organocatalysis with a substoichiometric amount of activating agent under mild conditions (open air, room temperature, green solvents). This method was applied with good efficiency on a wide range of substrates, without epimerization of chiral stereocenters and on SPPS.

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