A laboratory data-based evaluation of the efficacy and safety of generic pravastatin sodium for long-term use

Abstract

BackgroundIncreasing the use of generic drugs may reduce the growing healthcare spending. Nevertheless, in Japan, the generic drug market share remains low compared to that of European countries and the United States, mainly because of the general distrust of generic drugs. To address this problem, we retrospectively evaluated the efficacy and safety of the long-term use of generic pravastatin sodium in a study from January 2008 to December 2011.MethodsPatients receiving generic pravastatin sodium for ≥15 months were defined as long-term users and were included in the study, totaling 595 out of 1337 patients. Efficacy assessment was based on the total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) plasma levels. Safety assessment was based on the aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), creatine phosphokinase (CPK), gamma-glutamyl transferase (γ-GTP), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), total-bilirubin (T-Bil), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine (Scr), and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) plasma levels. The patients’ reasons for discontinuing generic pravastatin sodium were obtained from the electronic medical records.Results & discussionNo significant difference in the laboratory data was observed between short-term and long-term users, except for significantly lower ALT levels in the long-term users than in the short-term users. No liver dysfunction was observed. Although 37 patients discontinued the study possibly owing to drug-related adverse events, we considered these events unrelated to generic pravastatin sodium.ConclusionsThis study shows that the long-term use of generic pravastatin sodium is effective and safe, and may help dispel the concerns about generic drugs.

Facilitators and strategies to implement clinical pharmacy services in a metropolis in Northeast Brazil: a qualitative approach

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Perceived barriers to the implementation of clinical pharmacy services in a metropolis in Northeast Brazil

“…The insufficient clinical education and training during undergraduate degree in Pharmacy was a barrier that can be explained by the historical difficulties that colleges and schools of pharmacy have in adapting to the new role of pharmacists in patient care process, particularly in emerging countries such as India [ 49 ], Jordan [ 25 ], Sudan [ 50 ], China [ 31 ], and Brazil [ 26 , 51 ]. In contrast, in the United States of America (USA), where CPS first started, some authors describe events in pharmaceutical education, training, practice, and research that have occurred over the years [ 52 , 53 ]. This history in the USA shows that CPS have a promising future, but that it is necessary to promote advances in education and clinical pharmacy research so that pharmacists achieve a high level of knowledge, skills, and attitudes in patient care process.…”

Biodegradable and multifunctional surgical face masks: A brief review on demands during COVID-19 pandemic, recent developments, and future perspectives

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