Quick Takes
Page Tools
Quick Takes
• The February 6, 2010, issue of The Lancet includes a formal retraction of the 1998 paper by Wakefield and colleagues that suggested a link between the measles/mumps/rubella vaccine and autism in children. The retraction states that several claims in the original paper—notably, claims that children were “consecutively referred” and that investigations were “approved” by the local ethics committee—have been proven to be false. (Lancet. 2010;375[9713]:445.)
• An examination of current aspirin use among outpatients in the Reduction of Atherothrombosis for Continued Health (REACH) Registry found that approximately one in four American adults with vascular disease is not taking aspirin for secondary prevention. Half of the patients who were not taking aspirin were treated oral anticoagulants or other antiplatelet agents; however, 15% of patients used no antithrombotic agent at all. (Am J Cardiol. 2010;105:445-52.)
• The Food and Drug Administration Web site includes a new Consumer Update article titled “FDA 101: Smoking Cessation Products.” The article provides information about nicotine replacement products, Chantix (varenicline tartrate), and Zyban (buproprion); it is available at http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm198176.htm.
• The National Association of Chain Drug Stores Foundation has developed the Patient Care Database, a fully searchable resource that includes citations and abstract information (when available) for peer-reviewed and trade journal articles (2007 to present) related to patient care services provided by community pharmacists. The database is intended to provide the public, researchers, and interested parties with access to a body of evidence of community pharmacist-provided care and the resultant patient outcomes. It is available at http://www.nacdsfoundation.org/PCD/.