Common Dosage Form Research Articles

СОВРЕМЕННЫЙ ФАРМАЦЕВТИЧЕСКИЙ РЫНОК АНТИБАКТЕРИАЛЬНЫХ ПРЕПАРАТОВ ДЛЯ ЛЕЧЕНИЯ ИНФЕКЦИЙ В АМБУЛАТОРНЫХ УСЛОВИЯХ

The article presents the results of the analysis of systemic antibacterial drugs registered in the State Register of Medicines [4] and available medicines in pharmacy organizations in Voronezh. Antibiotics and synthetic antibacterial agents are one of the most important groups of medicines, since many of them are included in the list of Vital and essential medicines [5]. Despite the overall improvement in the quality of life, infectious diseases have been and remain a serious health problem worldwide. The growth of antibiotic resistance pushes scientists to search and develop new drugs with the necessary spectrum of action and resistance [1]. This, in turn, obliges pharmaceutical and medical professionals to study the ever-expanding range of medicines in pharmacy organizations to prescribe effective treatment [2]. At the same time, specialists need to take into account external and internal factors affecting the pharmaceutical market in the Russian Federation in order to prescribe to patients not only high-quality and effective, but also affordable drugs. Thus, it was revealed that at the time of the study, 38% of all registered antibacterial drugs were located in Voronezh. Some International nonproprietary names (INN), including in the list of Vital and essential medicines, are completely absent in pharmacies (polymyxin b and daptomycin). In general, there is an active growth in the rate of registration of new drugs in the pharmaceutical market of the Russian Federation. In this article, using mathematical analysis methods, the percentage ratio of ATС groups [3,6] in the assortment of antibacterial drugs of systemic action is determined, the most common drugs and dosage forms in pharmacy organizations, as well as their manufacturers, were identified.

Availability and Cost of Expensive and Common Generic Prescription Drugs: A Cross-sectional Analysis of Direct-to-Consumer Pharmacies.

Direct-to-consumer (DTC) pharmacies sell generic prescription drugs, often at lower prices than traditional retail pharmacies; however, not all drugs are available, and prices vary. To determine the availability and cost of generic drugs at DTC pharmacies. Cross-sectional study. Five national DTC pharmacies in April and May 2023. Each qualifying form of 100 generic drugs with the highest cost-per-patient (expensive) and the 50 generic drugs with the highest number of patients (common) in Medicare Part D in 2020 MAIN MEASURES: Availability of these drugs and the lowest DTC pharmacy price for a standardized drug strength and supply (e.g., 30 pills), compared to GoodRx retail pharmacy prices. Of the 118 expensive generic dosage forms, 94 (80%) were available at 1 or more DTC pharmacies; out of 52 common generic dosage forms, 51 (98%) were available (p < 0.001). Of the 88 expensive generics available in comparable quantities and strengths across pharmacies, 42 (47%) had the lowest cost at Amazon, 23 (26%) at Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company, 13 (14%) at Health Warehouse, and 12 (13%) at Costco; for 51 common generic formulations, 16 (31%) had the lowest cost at Costco, 14 (27%) at Amazon, 10 (20%) at Walmart, 6 (12%) at Health Warehouse, and 5 (10%) at Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company. For the 77 expensive generics with available GoodRx retail pharmacy prices, the median cost savings at DTC pharmacies were $231 (95% CI, $129-$792) or 76% (IQR, 53-91%); for 51 common generics, savings were $19 (95% CI, $10-$34) or 75% (IQR, 67-83%). Many of the most expensive generic drugs are unavailable at direct-to-consumer pharmacies. Meanwhile, less expensive, commonly used generics are widely available, but drug prices vary by pharmacy and savings are modest, requiring patients to shop around for the lowest cost.

Optimizing environmental sustainability in pharmaceutical 3D printing through machine learning

3D Printing (3DP) of pharmaceuticals could drastically transform the manufacturing of medicines and facilitate the widespread availability of personalised healthcare. However, with increasing awareness of the environmental damage of manufacturing, 3DP must be eco-friendly, especially when it comes to carbon emissions. This study investigated the environmental effects of pharmaceutical 3DP. Using Design of Experiments (DoE) and Machine Learning (ML), we looked at energy use in pharmaceutical Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM). From 136 experimental runs across four common dosage forms, we identified several key parameters that contributed to energy consumption, and consequently CO2 emission. These parameters, identified by both DoE and ML, were the number of objects printed, build plate temperature, nozzle temperature, and layer height. Our analysis revealed that minimizing trial-and-error by being more efficient in R&D and reducing the build plate temperature can significantly decrease CO2 emissions. Furthermore, we demonstrated that only the ML pipeline could accurately predict CO2 emissions, suggesting ML could be a powerful tool in the development of more sustainable manufacturing processes. The models were validated experimentally on new dosage forms of varying geometric complexities and were found to maintain high accuracy across all three dosage forms. The study underscores the potential of merging sustainability and digitalization in the pharmaceutical sector, aligning with the principles of Industry 5.0. It highlights the comparable learning traits between DoE and ML, indicating a promising pathway for wider adoption of ML in pharmaceutical manufacturing. Through focused efforts to reduce wasteful practices and optimize printing parameters, we can pave the way for a more environmentally sustainable future in pharmaceutical 3DP.

A prospective observational study of prescription pattern in dermatology outpatient department of associated hospitals of Rajasthan University of Health Sciences-college of medical sciences, Jaipur

Background: Skin diseases are chronic in nature and they require lifetime treatment. Prescription pattern reflects health professional attitude towards the disease and role of drugs in its treatment. The study of prescription pattern is important to make medical care rational and monitoring adverse drug reactions. Methods: An observational and prospective study was carried out in Skin and VD department along with department of pharmacology, RUHS college of medical sciences, Jaipur. Data collection was done in three months after ethical approval. Data was entered and analysed with latest Microsoft Excel version. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the results. Results: During the study period, a total of 979 prescriptions were included and analysed, out of which the usage of dermatological drugs was maximum among males (n=520, 53.11%). Total 2848 drugs were prescribed in 6 different dosage forms. The most common dosage form prescribed was tablet (1267, 44.49%) followed by cream (685, 24.05%). Total 1632 (57.30%) drugs were prescribed through oral route and 1216 (42.70%) drugs were prescribed through topical route. the present study depicted that dermatophytosis (n=243, 24.82%) was one of the most common dermatological manifestations. antihistaminic (673, 23.63%) were the most commonly prescribed drug. Conclusions: The study of drug use is an effective tool to promote rational drug prescribing. Such type of study will help in formulation of proper antibiotics, drugs policy, prescription of cost-effective drugs, improvement in the patient compliance and reduction in undesirable effect of drugs.

Penggolongan Obat Berdasarkan Peresepan Obat Asma Di Instalasi Rawat Jalan RSUD Dr Agoesdjam Ketapang

Asthma was included in the top ten causes of morbidity and mortality in Indonesia. The priority of asthma treatment so far is to control symptoms. Therefore, the classification of drugs based on asthma drug prescribing is very necessary. This study aims to determine the characteristics and classes of drug prescribing in outpatient asthma patients at RSUD Dr. Agoesdjam Ketapang in 2020. This research method was carried out in December 2021-January 2022 with a retrospective descriptive method, data obtained from medical record cards of outpatient asthma patients at RSUD Dr. Agoesdjam Ketapang in 2020. The data obtained are presented in the form of percentages, average values and tables. The results showed that of the 61 outpatient asthma patient medical records analyzed by the percentage data, the majority of patients were women (59%) and at the age of 42-49 years (31%). The most widely prescribed drug group was beta-2 agonist (48%) with the most common dosage form being inhalers (51%) and the route of drug use was inhalation (51%). The conclusion is that the use of drugs in asthma patients in the outpatient installation of RSUD Dr. The majority of Agoesdjam Ketapang are women. The majority occurred at the age of 42-49 years, the most widely used drug class was the beta-2 agonist group with the inhaler dosage form and the inhalation route was the most widely used.

Particle Scale Insights into a KG-Pharma RoTab Tablet Press Feed-Frame System Using the Discrete Element Method (DEM) Modeling

In the pharmaceutical industry, tablets are a common dosage form. As part of the manufacturing process, powder in a tablet press passes through a feeding system called the feed-frame before reaching the die cavity. Under different manufacturing conditions (e.g., paddle speed, turret speed), issues such as segregation of powder blend components, over lubrication, and drug particle attrition often occur in the tablet press feed-frame, which affect the final drug product quality. Therefore, developing a particle-scale understanding of powder behavior in a feed-frame is essential. This paper used the discrete element method (DEM) to study powder flow in the feed-frame of a kg-pharma RoTab tablet press. Simulation results show that an increase in paddle speed has less effect on tablet mass than turret speed and that an increase in turret speed reduces tablet mass and increases variability in the tablet mass. The effect of paddle speed and turret speed on the API content in the tablet is small, but large paddle speeds exacerbate the segregation of powder blend components in the feed frame, increase particle traveled distance, particle shear work, and torque on the paddle wheel, thereby increasing particle over lubrication and attrition. However, the increase in paddle speed reduces the mean residence time of drug particles and prevents over lubrication at low turret speeds. Increasing the turret speed reduces tablet mass, particle shear work, paddle torque, and mean residence time. Although increasing turret speed can effectively prevent particle attrition and over lubrication, short residence times are not conducive to mixing excipients and API components, leading to higher tablet mass variability. This study not only gives us a particle-level insight into the process but can also be used to inform and optimize the design of experimental studies.

Analysis of Characteristics and Regularity of Chinese Patent Medicine for the Treatment of Irregular Menstruation Included in Chinese Pharmacopoeia Based on Data Mining

The aim of this study was to explore and analyze the characteristics and patterns of Chinese patent medicine for treating irregular menstruation, as included in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, using data mining techniques. We established an Excel database based on the prescriptions for irregular menstruation in the Pharmacopoeia of China, and used the TCM Inheritance Assistance Platform (TCMISS V3.0) software to analyze the data. After selecting medicines that met the criteria, we established a prescription database and conducted a statistical analysis of medication frequency, prescription rules, cluster analysis, and the distribution of herbs according to the four qi, five flavors, and meridians.Seventy-one Chinese patent medicines met the inclusion criteria, containing a total of 235 individual herbs. The most common dosage forms were pills and capsules. There were 10 primary flavors, including Angelica sinensis, Ligusticum wallichii, prepared Rehmannia root, Radix paeoniae alba, Poria cocos, Radix liquiritiae, Codonopsis pilosula, motherwort, vinegar with incense, and donkey-hide gelatin. These herbs are mainly used to tonify the blood, promote blood circulation, relieve pain, and warm the body. They are commonly attributed to the liver meridian and have a sweet taste. Using cluster analysis, we identified three groups of core drugs. Group 1 included Angelica, Ligusticum chuanxiong, and Rehmannia; Group 2 included white peony root, Poria cocos, and Dangshen; Group 3 included licorice, gelatin, motherwort, and vinegar with incense. The treatment of irregular menstruation in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia mainly involves blood tonics, blood-moving agents, and analgesics, providing an objective basis for the clinical use of Chinese patent medicine in the treatment of irregular menstruation.

Assessment of Antimicrobial Prescribing in Ophthalmology Outpatient Department of a Tertiary Care Hospital

Background: Analysing drug prescribing pattern is crucial to prevent antibiotic resistance in community. The study aims to analyse the pattern of antibiotic drug prescription in outpatient department (OPD) of Ophthalmology. Methods: It was an observational study done over 3 months period in OPD of Ophthalmology DMGMC &amp; H. Data were collected from case record form for demographic profile, nature of disease and type of antibiotic prescribed and route of administration. Results: A total of 250 patients were analysed from Ophthalmology OPD. Maximum patients belonged to 20-50 years (66.8%). The proportion of male (58%) as compared to females (42%). Average drug prescription was 1.08. Most commonly used antibiotic was Moxifloxacin. Maximum patients were diagnosed with conjunctivitis (22.8%) followed by external hordeolum (16%), cataract (12%) blepharitis (10%) and dacryocystitis (10% each). Among antibiotics fluroquinolones were used most (42.08%), followed by broad spectrum antibiotic chloramphenicol (20.8%) followed by aminoglycosides (16.8%). Maximum number of drugs were administered in topical form (64.8%).Conclusion: The present study found that fluroquinolone antibiotic was prescribed maximum. Most common dosage form of prescribed drug was eye drop. Antibiotics need to judiciously used in all OPD set up to prevent drug resistance.

Preparation of Levothyroxine Transdermal Gels and Preliminary Pharmacokinetic Study in Hypothyroidism Rat Model

Background: Hypothyroidism is a common disorder due to inadequate thyroid hormone secretion. In patients with hypothyroidism, levothyroxine (LT4) is the treatment of choice, and tablets are the most common dosage form. However, the main limitation of tablet LT4 is malabsorption. Objective: This study intends to develop a new dosage form of percutaneous drug delivery for levothyroxine. Absorption of levothyroxine sodium through the application of gel formulation was studied using a hypothyroidism rat model. Methods: A formulation of levothyroxine sodium gel was developed and selected. In-vitro transdermal experiments were performed using the vertical Franz diffusion pool method, and gel formulation was used for animal research (hypothyroidism rats model). Total 30 rats were randomly divided into 6 groups, and one was the normal control group. The other 5 groups were prepared as hypothyroidism models. After applying different doses of gel preparation to the rat model, we measured serum total thyroxine (TT4), free triiodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxine (FT4), and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) using fluorescence determination of luminescence immunoassay. Results: The optimum formulation of levothyroxine gels comprised 20% polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), 5% glycerol, 2% azone, and 6% oleic acid. The application of levothyroxine sodium gel resulted in quick and smooth action so that the predicted level of the normal control group could be reached within 2 weeks, and it lasted steadily for 8 weeks. Conclusion: This research study successfully developed and tested an optimal formulation of levothyroxine gel with therapeutic benefit on hypothyroidism in rats.

Cutaneous/Mucocutaneous Leishmaniasis Treatment for Wound Healing: Classical versus New Treatment Approaches

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) and mucocutaneous leishmaniasis (ML) show clinical spectra that can range from a localized lesion (with a spontaneous healing process) to cases that progress to a generalized systemic disease with a risk of death. The treatment of leishmaniasis is complex since most of the available drugs show high toxicity. The development of an effective topical drug formulation for CL and ML treatment offers advantages as it will improve patient’s compliance to the therapy given the possibility for self-administration, as well as overcoming the first pass metabolism and the high costs of currently available alternatives. The most common dosage forms include solid formulations, such as membranes and semi-solid formulations (e.g., ointments, creams, gels, and pastes). Topical treatment has been used as a new route of administration for conventional drugs against leishmaniasis and its combinations, as well as to exploit new substances. In this review, we discuss the advantages and limitations of using topical drug delivery for the treatment of these two forms of leishmaniasis and the relevance of combining this approach with other pharmaceutical dosage forms. Emphasis will also be given to the use of nanomaterials for site-specific delivery.

Puzzle out Machine Learning Model-Explaining Disintegration Process in ODTs.

Tablets are the most common dosage form of pharmaceutical products. While tablets represent the majority of marketed pharmaceutical products, there remain a significant number of patients who find it difficult to swallow conventional tablets. Such difficulties lead to reduced patient compliance. Orally disintegrating tablets (ODT), sometimes called oral dispersible tablets, are the dosage form of choice for patients with swallowing difficulties. ODTs are defined as a solid dosage form for rapid disintegration prior to swallowing. The disintegration time, therefore, is one of the most important and optimizable critical quality attributes (CQAs) for ODTs. Current strategies to optimize ODT disintegration times are based on a conventional trial-and-error method whereby a small number of samples are used as proxies for the compliance of whole batches. We present an alternative machine learning approach to optimize the disintegration time based on a wide variety of machine learning (ML) models through the H2O AutoML platform. ML models are presented with inputs from a database originally presented by Han et al., which was enhanced and curated to include chemical descriptors representing active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) characteristics. A deep learning model with a 10-fold cross-validation NRMSE of 8.1% and an R2 of 0.84 was obtained. The critical parameters influencing the disintegration of the directly compressed ODTs were ascertained using the SHAP method to explain ML model predictions. A reusable, open-source tool, the ODT calculator, is now available at Heroku platform.

Overview of authorized drug products for subcutaneous administration: Pharmaceutical, therapeutic, and physicochemical properties

There is a growing body of research about subcutaneously administered biologics, emphasizing the need for optimized bioavailability predictions. It is important to inform both translational and in silico models with properties of the drug products and compounds. However, the pharmaceutical, therapeutic and physicochemical properties of market authorized drug products for subcutaneous administration are currently not collated in the public domain. We provide an overview of subcutaneous administered drug products for humans and animals market authorized in EU, Canada, and the US.Data on the drug products were collected from the respective authorities, i.e. European Medicines Agency, Health Canada, and U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Physicochemical properties of active substances were gathered from DrugBank.Human drug products were often indicated for treatment of diabetes and anemia. EU veterinary drug products were often immunologicals. Canadian and US veterinary drug products often acted as antiinfectives for systemic use, on the genito-urinary system or as sex hormones. The final dataset with >1700 subcutaneous drug products is provided. In EU drug products, the majority of active substances were biologics. In the US, drug products most often contained small molecules. Solutions, emulsions and suspensions were the most common dosage forms. A minority of subcutaneous drug products were also registered for intramuscular or intravenous administration.The analysis presented here could aid further research, exploring formulation properties, prescription or sales of market authorized SC drug products and development of inclusive in silico models.

Review of Modified Oral Solid Drug Delivery System and Recent Active Patents

Background: A tablet is a solid dosage form containing active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) and various excipients. Different procedures, such as direct compression of powder mixtures, and dry and wet granulation technologies, are used to create distinct types of tablets. Tablet development is aided by technological advancements in the form of modified-release tablets. Objective: The modified release dosage form can be manufactured to obtain a specific pharmaceutical profile, the specific site of action and reduce the number of dose administrations using a variety of coating technologies. For modified released drug delivery, various sorts of patents are explored. The review's primary goal is to provide information on modified release formulations, formulation methodologies, current active patents based on modified release, and tablet coating technologies. Conclusion: The tablet is a common and convenient pharmaceutical dosage form. Recently, modified release drug administration has largely supplanted traditional tablet drug delivery technologies. The chrono pharmaceutical drug delivery can also involve modified drug delivery. Modified release tablets are used to boost the therapeutic impact of medicine by targeting the location of action on the illness condition. Modified-release tablets are very handy, easy to create, cost-effective, and do not require high-cost equipment, and they are gaining in popularity these days. Patents for modified-release tablet dosage formulations that are currently active were also discussed.

Data mining-based analysis of formulation rules for prescriptions containing herbal pair Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma-Polygalae Radix

By the in-depth excavation of prescriptions containing herbal pair Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma-Polygalae Radix in the Dictionary of Traditional Chinese Medicine Prescriptions, this study analyzed their formulation rules, so as to provide reference for their clinical application and new drug development. First, the prescriptions containing Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma-Polygalae Radix were collected from the Dictionary of Traditional Chinese Medicine Prescriptions, and their indications, herbal compatibility, and dosage forms were analyzed statistically using the Traditional Chinese Medicine Inheritance Support System(TCMISS). Meanwhile, the formulation rules and common dosage forms for the top four indications(amnesia, palpitation, mania, and epilepsy) sorted by frequency were analyzed with Apriori algorithm. A total of 507 prescriptions containing Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma-Polygalae Radix were screened out, involving 15 indications(frequency&gt;10) like amnesia, palpitation, mania, and epilepsy. There were 30 commonly used Chinese herbs(frequency≥60), with the Qi-tonifying herbs(Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizome), mind-tranquilizing herbs(Poria and Poria cum Radix Pini), and Yin-nourishing herbs(Angelicae Sinensis Radix and Ophiopogonis Radix) being the core ones. The commonly used dosage forms were honey pill, paste pill, decoction, and powder. These have indicated that the herbal pair Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma-Polygalae Radix is often combined with Qi-tonifying, Yin-nourishing, and mind-tranquilizing herbs for the treatment of &quot;heart or brain diseases&quot; caused by phlegm production due to spleen deficiency, Qi and blood deficiency, and phlegm-turbidity blocking orifice. In the treatment of amnesia, supplementing essence and replenishing marrow are considered on the basis of tonifying Qi, nourishing Yin, and tranquilizing mind. In the treatment of palpitation and mania, tranquilizing mind is emphasized. In the treatment of epilepsy, the emphasis is placed on resolving phlegm, extinguishing wind, and stopping convulsion.

Analysis of the Medicinal Products for Human Use Authorised in the Russian Federation

The available range of medicinal products is growing every year.The aim of the study was to analyse the range of medicines authorised in the Russian Federation.Materials and methods: the analysis covered the data presented in the State Register of Medicines (as of June 2021) and the current regulations specifying the range of medicines.Results: this article presents the results of analysis of medicines authorised in the Russian Federation, in terms of the following parameters: international non-proprietary names, trade names, groups according to the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System, dosage forms, routes of administration, primary and secondary packaging, storage conditions, and shelf life. The analysis demonstrated that there are over 19 thousand medicines authorised in the Russian Federation, most of which are produced in Russia. The largest groups of medicines are antimicrobial products for systemic use, medicines for the treatment of nervous system and cardiovascular system disorders. The most common dosage form is tablets, and the most common primary packaging is vials. The most frequent storage temperature requirements are 15–25 and 2–8 °C. About half of all medicines have the shelf life of 3 years.Conclusions: the data presented in this article can be used for unification of approaches to maintaining the State Register of Medicines, elaboration of reference books, and will be useful for medicine developers and manufacturers when planning and preparing regulatory submissions.

Preparation of Long-Acting Somatostatin and GnRH Analogues and Their Applications in Tumor Therapy.

Hormonal drugs are essential treatment options for some hormone-dependent or hormone- sensitive tumors. The common dosage forms of hormonal drugs have a short half-life. Hence, frequent administration is needed, which results in poor patient compliance. Nevertheless, using drug delivery technology, somatostatin analogues (SSAs) and gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogues are prepared into long-acting formulations that can significantly prolong the action time of these drugs, reducing medication frequency and increasing patient compliance. Such drugs are advantageous when treating acromegaly, gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs), breast cancer, prostate cancer, and other diseases having a relatively long course. SSAs and GnRH analogues are two typical hormonal drugs, the long-acting formulations of which are essential in clinical practice. This review summarized the preparation methods and clinical application of long-acting formulations in cancer. Further, the action mechanism and new research of SSAs and GnRH analogues were discussed, and suggestions related to the development of long-acting SSAs and GnRH analogues were provided.

Randomized controlled trials of Chinese herbal medicine published in English from 2010 to 2019: a bibliometrics study.

As the use of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) in the international market increases, the number of clinical studies including randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of CHM which published in international journals has also increased. Using bibliometrics, we systematically and comprehensively analyzed the research status of CHM RCTs published in English during the period of 2010 to 2019. Electronic searches in MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases were undertaken. CHM RCTs published in English between January 2010 and December 2019 were included. We randomly selected 20% from the eligible articles. Descriptive statistical analysis was carried out by extracting information on general information, characteristics of the study participants, interventions, outcomes, and risk of bias assessment of included RCTs. Two hundred and twenty-seven CHM RCTs published in English were included in our study. Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine was the journal which published most of the relevant papers (22.0%). A total of 45,774 participants were included, sample size ranged from 12 to 3,143 (median: 115). The most common disease was the circulatory diseases (n=36, 15.9%). Decoction was the most common dosage form (28.2%), and "CHM vs. placebo" was the most common type of control (36.1%). The median of the total number of outcomes was 4 (range, 1-14), 92 (40.5%) did not clearly specify any primary outcome, 56 (24.7%) did not report any adverse event, 41 (18.1%) and 68 (30.0%) reported traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)-specific outcomes and quality of life, respectively. Eighty-five (37.4%) did not report sufficient information about the random sequence generation process, 100 (44.1%) used the adequate allocation concealment, 92 (40.5%) blinded participants and key study personnel, and 24 (10.6%) blinded outcome assessors. Our results provided insight into the research status regarding CHM RCTs published in English during the past decade, this study may be helpful in understanding research trends in this field.

Safety and efficacy of acetylsalicylic acid in the secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseases in combination with comorbid diseases. COVID-19 treatment options

Secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease with aspirin is a very important issue. Аcetylsalicylic acid ensures the prevention of premature death, inhibition of progression and the achievement of partial regression of coronary atherosclerosis, prevention of clinical complications and exacerbations of the disease, reduction of the number of cases and the duration of hospitalization. The most promising direction of modern cardiology is considered to be the prevention of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and their complications (CVD). This is due to two factors: an increase in the life expectancy of the world’s population as a whole and the persistent leadership of coronary heart disease and brain stroke as the leading causes of death, and disability. The pathogenetic aspects of the administration of acetylsalicylic acid are discussed. The most common dosage form of low-dose (ld) preparations of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) for preventive use is an intestinal-soluble tablet — 80.6% in the structure of ldASK preparations. Low-dose ASK preparations are mainly presented (84.4%) in the form of monopreparations containing only ASA as the active substance, most often at a dose of 100 mg. However, the side effects of aspirin limit drug intake. This is also due to the high frequency of comorbid diseases such as bronchial asthma and stomach ulcer. The article discusses the issue of prescribing acetylsalicylic acid and the possibility of treating patients with concomitant bronchial asthma, gastric ulcer and obesity. The prevalence of gastroduodenal lesions was significantly lower with intestinal-coated ASA than with buffered acetylsalicylic acid. It was demonstrated that endoscopic lesions of the gastroduodenal mucosa were significantly less likely when using intestinal-coated ASA (100 mg / day) than when using conventional аcetylsalicylic acid, and the assessment of the lesion when using intestinalcoated ASA was similar to the assessment of placebo without аcetylsalicylic acid. In addition, the issue of the possibility of including аcetylsalicylic acid in the treatment regimen for COVID 19 is being discussed.

Prevalence of Home Storage of Medicines and Associated Factors in Iraq

BACKGROUND: In most families around the world, medicines can be used to treat chronic or acute diseases. Simple access to medicines at home has led to high drug consumption rates for self-limiting diseases. Incorrect use of these home-stocked medications may also contribute to severe health risks, increase pathogens’ tolerance, prolonged distress, increased adversity, medication reactions, and delays in seeking adequate care if misdiagnosis occurs. Nothing is known about how Iraqi people store their medicines at home. AIM: The purpose of this study is to obtain data on the prevalence and related factors of drug storage in Diyala Governorate, Iraq. METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in Diyala Province, Iraq in July 2019. A total of 200 students participated in this study. A pre-tested standardized questionnaire was used to collect data and the analysis was performed using descriptive statistical methods. All the participants (100%) enrolled reported to keep medicines at their homes. RESULTS: The average number of drug users per household is 12.32%. Refrigerators are the main storage location (65%), followed by kitchen counters (33%). The majority of stored drugs were prescribed by physicians (78.5%) and the leading source of those drugs is a private pharmacy (55.71%). The most popular medicinal products stored were analgesics (23.1%), followed by antimicrobials (antibiotics, antibacterial, and antifungal) (19.44%). Among all medicines, currently used drugs accounted for 43.34%, remaining drugs accounted for 29.78%, and reserved drugs accounted for 26.87% for future use. The most common dosage forms of these drugs are tablets (21.16%) and capsules (20.95%). Most participants (82.5%) revealed that they always check the expiration date before use, and (37%) admitted to sharing drugs with others. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of drug storage in households in the Diyala Governorate of Iraq is high because all participants keep drugs at home. Regardless of the method used, these drugs should be retained, and proper storage procedures and conditions are rarely observed.

A hypotonic gel-forming eye drop provides enhanced intraocular delivery of a kinase inhibitor with melanin-binding properties for sustained protection of retinal ganglion cells.

While eye drops are the most common ocular dosage form, eye drops for treating diseases of the posterior segment (retina, choroid, optic nerve) have yet to be developed. In glaucoma, eye drops are used extensively for delivering intraocular pressure (IOP)-lowering medications to the anterior segment. However, degeneration of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in the retina may progress despite significant IOP lowering, suggesting that a complementary neuroprotective therapy would improve glaucoma management. Here, we describe a hypotonic, thermosensitive gel-forming eye drop for effective delivery of sunitinib, a protein kinase inhibitor with activity against the neuroprotective targets dual leucine zipper kinase (DLK) and leucine zipper kinase (LZK), to enhance survival of RGCs after optic nerve injury. Further, binding of sunitinib to melanin in the pigmented cells in the choroid and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) led to prolonged intraocular residence time, including therapeutically relevant concentrations in the non-pigmented retinal tissue where the RGCs reside. The combination of enhanced intraocular absorption provided by the gel-forming eye drop vehicle and the intrinsic melanin binding properties of sunitinib led to significant protection of RGCs with only once weekly eye drop dosing. For a chronic disease such as glaucoma, an effective once weekly eye drop for neuroprotection could result in greater patient adherence, and thus, greater disease management and improved patient quality of life.