Benefits and strengths of the disproportionality analysis for identification of adverse drug reactions in a pharmacovigilance database

Assessment of pancreatitis associated with tocilizumab use using the United States Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System database

Tocilizumab (TCZ) is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other systemic inflammatory disorders. There is some evidence suggesting the occurrence of pancreatitis following TCZ use. We aimed to determine the reporting of pancreatitis following TCZ use in comparison with other drugs using the United States Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database. We extracted adverse event reports submitted to FAERS during 2013-2019. A reporting odds ratio (ROR) with the lower bound 95% confidence interval (CI) > 1 and a lower limit of a two-sided 95% interval of information component (IC025) more than zero was considered significant. Following deduplication, 3,383,910 adverse event reports were available; 144 (0.004%) reports were of pancreatic adverse events associated with TCZ use, and 15,907 (0.47%) associated with other drugs. Of the 144 cases, 74 (51.39%) received concomitant medications with pancreatotoxic potential. The likelihood of reporting of pancreatic events, compared with any other adverse event, with TCZ use was 1.32 times higher than that with other drugs. The lower bound of the 95% CI of the ROR and IC remained above the criteria of significance throughout the study period, except 2013. The findings suggest disproportionately high reporting of pancreatitis in patients receiving TCZ as compared with other drugs. This marginally high reporting is not likely to be of immediate clinical concern and needs to be interpreted cautiously.

Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor-induced autoimmune diseases: Current evidence

Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4i) have an important place in the management of type 2 diabetes. The DPP-4 enzyme is ubiquitously distributed throughout the human body and has multiple substrates through which it regulates several important physiological functions. DPP-4 regulates several immune functions, including T-cell activation, macrophage function, and secretion of cytokines. Studies have reported an increase in autoimmune diseases like bullous pemphigoid, inflammatory bowel disease, and arthritis with DPP-4i use. The relationship of DPP-4i and autoimmune diseases is a complex one and warrants further research into the effect of DPP-4 inhibition on the immune system to understand the pathogenesis more clearly. Whether a particular cluster of autoimmune diseases is associated with DPP-4i use remains an important contentious issue. Nevertheless, a heightened awareness from the clinicians is required to identify and treat any such diseases. Through this review, we explore the clinical and pathophysiological characteristics of this association in light of recent evidence.

Adverse reactions with levamisole vary according to its indications and misuse: a systematic pharmacovigilance study

AIM

Levamisole was initially prescribed for the treatment of intestinal worms. Because of immunomodulatory properties, levamisole has been used in inflammatory pathologies and in cancers in association with 5-fluorouracil. Levamisole is misused as a cocaine adulterant. Post-marketing reports have implicated levamisole in the occurrence of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and its use is now limited in Europe and North America. In contrast, all other parts of the World continue to use single-dose as an anthelmintic. The aim of this study was to identify ADRs reported after levamisole exposure in VigiBase, the WHO's pharmacovigilance database, and analyze their frequency compared to other drugs and according to levamisole type of use.

METHODS

All levamisole-related ADRs were extracted from VigiBase®. Disproportionality analyses were conducted to investigate psychiatric, hepatobiliary, renal, vascular, nervous, blood, skin, cardiac, musculoskeletal and general ADRs associated with levamisole and other drugs exposure. In secondary analyses, we compared the frequency of ADRs between levamisole and mebendazole and between levamisole type of use.

RESULTS

Among the 1763 levamisole-related ADRs identified, psychiatric disorders (Reporting Odds-Ratio with 95% confidence intervals: 1.4 [1.2-2.6]), hepatobiliary disorders (2.4 [1.9-4.3]), vasculitis (6.5 [4.1-10.6]), encephalopathy (22.5 [17.4-39.9]), neuropathy (4.3 [2.9-7.1]), hematological disorders, mild rashes and musculoskeletal disorders were more frequently reported with levamisole than with other drug. The majority of levamisole-related ADRs occurred when the drug was administrated for a non-anti-infectious indication.

CONCLUSION

The great majority of the levamisole-related ADRs concerned its immunomodulatory indication and multiple doses regimen. Our results suggest that single-dose treatments for anthelmintic action have a good safety profile.

Assessment of adverse events associated with remdesivir use for coronavirus disease 2019 using real-world data

Background: Remdesivir has been used for treating patients with moderate to severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) although there is conflicting evidence regarding its usefulness. Data regarding its safety largely come from the clinical trials conducted to support its emergency use authorization (EUA). This study aimed to identify the adverse events of remdesivir with disproportionately high reporting using real-world data.Research design and methods: The adverse event reports submitted to the United States Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) by health-care professionals for drugs that have received EUA or approved for the treatment of COVID-19 in the US were studied. Adisproportionality analysis was performed to determine adverse events more frequently reported with remdesivir compared with other COVID-19 drugs in the database.Results: Elevated liver enzymes, acute kidney injury, raised blood creatinine levels, bradycardia, cardiac arrest, and death had disproportionately higher reporting with remdesivir as asuspect drug compared with other drugs. There is no significant difference in the reporting of these events based on patient sex or age.Conclusions: Our study confirms the drug label information regarding liver enzyme elevation. The renal and cardiac safety signals identified necessitate reevaluation for potential drug-labeling changes.

Cardiovascular Adverse Events Reported from COVID-19 Vaccines: A Study Based on WHO Database

BACKGROUND

Thirteen COVID-19 vaccines are granted emergency approval. It is crucial to monitor their adverse events post vaccination. The present study focuses on cardiovascular adverse events post-COVID-19 vaccination and aims to determine adverse events with the administered vaccine.

METHODOLOGY

The cardiovascular (CVS) adverse events were extracted for three broad headings (SOCs) - cardiac disorders, vascular disorders, and investigations. Descriptive statistics were reported in the form of percentage and frequency, and the disproportionality analysis was conducted.

RESULTS

For the cardiovascular system, 4863 adverse events (AEs) were reported from BNT162b2 Pfizer, 1222 AstraZeneca, Moderna, and other COVID-19 vaccines. Common adverse events observed with vaccines under study were tachycardia (16.41%), flushing (12.17%), hypertension (5.82%), hypotension (3.60%) and peripheral coldness (2.41%). Based on disproportionality analysis (IC025 values), acute myocardial infarction, cardiac arrest, and circulatory collapse were linked to the vaccines in the age group >75 years. Hypertension, severe hypertension, supraventricular tachycardia, sinus tachycardia, and palpitations were associated across all age groups and either gender. Amongst the investigations, abnormal ECG findings raised C-reactive protein, elevated D dimer, and troponin were reported in specific age groups or gender or all subjects.

CONCLUSION

Although cardiovascular events have been reported with the COVID-19 vaccines, the causality is yet to be established because such CVS AEs are also usually associated with the general public even without intervention. Hence, people should be administered these vaccines, and sustained monitoring of these AEs should be done.

[Antidepressive agents and hypertension: A case/no-case study in French pharmacovigilance database]

INTRODUCTION

Drug-induced hypertension was described with several pharmacological classes. The association between hypertension and antidepressant drugs (AD) is controversial. The objective of this study was to evaluate the link between hypertension and ADs.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A retrospective disproportionality analysis from observations consecutively reported to the French pharmacovigilance database between 1985 and 2020 was performed. The relationship between the suspected ADs and the occurrence of hypertension was assessed by calculating the reporting odds ratio (ROR) in a case/non-case design. A negative (paracetamol) and a positive (celecoxib) control were used to validated this disproportionality method.

RESULTS

We compared 6725 cases (including 464 AD-related cases) to 789,483 non-cases (including 56,440 AD-related cases). The reporting of hypertension was significantly associated with serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRI) (ROR 1.43, 95 % CI 1.26-1.64) and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI) (ROR 6.41, 95 % CI 4.25-9.67) but not with other ADs classes. Concerning ADs analyzed independently of their AD class, a significant signal was observed with many SNRIs (duloxetin, milnacipran and venlafaxin) and with all MAOIs (moclobemide, iproniazide) (ROR between 2.04 and 17.93) but not with others ADs. The ROR value of positive (celecoxib) and negative (paracetamol) controls were ROR=1.53; IC95 %=1.04-2.26 and ROR=0.72; IC95 %=0.65-0.80, respectively.

CONCLUSION

We found a significant association between development or worsening of hypertension and SNRIs and MAOIs but not with others ADs, in this study performed in real conditions of life. It is therefore advisable to remain cautious when prescribing ADs and to check systematically for hypertension.

Delirium Associations with Antibiotics: A Pharmacovigilance Study of the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS)

Background

Ertapenem, cefepime, imipenem, ofloxacin, ceftazidime, clarithromycin, cefaclor, levofloxacin, linezolid, moxifloxacin, azithromycin, piperacillin–tazobactam, trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole, metronidazole, ciprofloxacin, and cefuroxime are known to be associated with delirium. Other antibiotics may also lead to delirium, but no study has systemically compared delirium associations for many available antibiotics.

Objective

The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between delirium and antibiotics using the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).

Methods

FAERS reports from January 1, 2004 to December 31, 2018 were included in the study. Reporting odds ratios (RORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for the association between antibiotics and delirium were calculated. An association was considered to be statistically significant when the lower limit of the 95% CI was greater than 1.0.

Results

A total of 10,015,622 reports (including 16,982 delirium reports) were considered, after inclusion criteria were applied. Statistically significant delirium RORs (95% CI) for antibiotics were: ertapenem 21.07 (16.38–27.10), cefepime 9.8 (6.37–15.09), imipenem 9.68 (6.75–13.89), ofloxacin 7.73 (4.00–14.92), ceftazidime 6.09 (2.73–13.62), clarithromycin 5.34 (4.37–6.53), cefaclor 5.32 (1.71–16.58), ampicillin–sulbactam 4.49 (2.13–9.45), levofloxacin 4.47 (3.88–5.16), linezolid 4.33 (3.28–5.72), moxifloxacin 3.51 (2.81–4.38), azithromycin 2.76 (2.09–3.64), piperacillin–tazobactam 2.41 (1.47–3.93), trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole 2.36 (1.61–3.47), metronidazole 1.85 (1.31–2.60), ciprofloxacin 1.83 (1.44–2.33), and cefuroxime 1.81 (1.03–3.20).

Conclusion

This study found statistically significant increased risk of reporting delirium with ertapenem, cefepime, imipenem, ofloxacin, ceftazidime, clarithromycin, cefaclor, ampicillin–sulbactam, levofloxacin, linezolid, moxifloxacin, azithromycin, piperacillin–tazobactam, trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole, metronidazole, ciprofloxacin, and cefuroxime.

Hyponatremia Following Antipsychotic Treatment: In Silico Pharmacodynamics Analysis of Spontaneous Reports From the US Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System Database and an Updated Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Hyponatremia associated with antipsychotic drugs is a rare but potentially life-threatening adverse drug reaction; the underlying pharmacological mechanism has not yet been explained.

METHODS

We investigated the relationship between pharmacological targets of antipsychotic drugs and the occurrence of hyponatremia by conducting a nested case-control study using the Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System database. Multiple logistic regression was used to determine the associations between antipsychotics receptor occupancy and hyponatremia. We also performed a systematic review of clinical studies on this association.

RESULTS

Of 139 816 reports involving at least 1 antipsychotic, 1.1% reported hyponatremia. Olanzapine was the most frequently suspected drug (27%). A significant positive association was found between dopamine D3, D4, and hyponatremia, while adrenergic α 1, serotonin 5-HT1A, and 5-HT2A receptor occupancies were negatively associated. A multivariable stepwise regression model showed that dopamine D3 (adj. odds ratio = 1.21; 95% CI = 1.09-1.34; P < .05) predicted the risk for hyponatremia (P < .05), while serotonin 5-HT2A occupancy (Adj. odds ratio = 0.78; 95% CI = 0.68-0.90; P < .01) exhibited a protective effect against hyponatremia. Among the 11 studies included in the systematic review, incidence rates of hyponatremia diverged between 0.003% and 86%, whereas the odds of developing hyponatremia from effect studies ranged between 0.83 and 3.47.

CONCLUSIONS

Antipsychotic drugs having a combined modest occupancy for D3 and 5-HT2A receptors and higher levels of D3 receptor occupancy correspond to different degrees of risk for hyponatremia. Based on the few, relatively large-scale available studies, atypical antipsychotics have a more attenuated risk profile for hyponatremia.

Diarrhoea with the angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitor sacubitril + valsartan: A pharmacovigilance study

Diarrhoea is an adverse drug reaction of the angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitor (ARNI) sacubitril + valsartan. It was also described with olmesartan and more recently with other angiotensin receptor blockers. The study was performed to compare diarrhoea reports in pharmacovigilance databases with sacubitril + valsartan and valsartan. The study used reports of diarrhoea with the ARNI sacubitril + valsartan registered: first in the French PharmacoVigilance Database (FPVD) and second in Vigibase®, the WHO Global Individual Case Safety Report database. After description of the main characteristics, disproportionality analyses were performed. Results are reported as reporting odds ratios (ROR) with 95% confidence interval. We found 29 reports of diarrhoea with sacubitril + valsartan in the FPVD and 686 in Vigibase®. With sacubitril + valsartan, diarrhoea occurred more frequently in males around 70 years with a median delay of 3 days. With valsartan, diarrhoea occurred more frequently in females around 68 years with a median delay of 0.5 days. In the FPVD, a significant association was found with sacubitril + valsartan in comparison with valsartan alone before (ROR = 8.78 [5.19-14.85]) and after (ROR = 11.19 [5.89-21.25]) exclusion of concomitant drugs known to be associated with diarrhoea. A significant association was also found in Vigibase® after adjustment on age, sex, reporter and its location (ROR = 1.31 [1.14-1.50]). Diarrhoea reported with sacubitril + valsartan has marked differences in gender, delay of occurrence and frequency of reporting in comparison with diarrhoea with valsartan. From a pharmacodynamic point of view, these results suggest a specific role of sacubitril in diarrhoea.

A VigiBase descriptive study of fluoroquinolone induced disabling and potentially permanent musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders

Recent drug safety concerns described fluoroquinolone (FQ)-induced serious musculoskeletal reactions. The objective of this study was to characterize reports with FQ-associated disabling musculoskeletal disorders, from VigiBase. The analysis included all FQ-induced musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders adverse drug reaction (ADR) reports (up to July-2019), (disabling/incapacitating, or recovered/resolved with sequelae or fatal). We described aspects like reporter, suspected FQs, ADRs, associated corticosteroid therapy. We also looked into the disproportionality data in terms of proportional reporting ratio (PRR) and information component (IC) values. A total of 5355 reports with 13,563 ADRs and 5558 FQs were reported. The majority of reports were for patients aged 18-64 (62.67%), and the female gender prevailed (61.76%). Consumers reported almost half (45.99%), with a peak in reporting rates in 2017. Top reported ADRs were arthralgia (16.34%), tendonitis (11.04%), pain in extremity (9.98%), tendon pain (7.63%), and myalgia (7.17%). Top suspected FQs were levofloxacin (50.04%), ciprofloxacin (38.41%), moxifloxacin (5.16%), ofloxacin (3.17%) and norfloxacin (1.01%). For these, FQs-ADR association was supported by the disproportionality analysis. Corticosteroids were associated with about 7% of tendon related reports. The results augment the existing data on FQs safety concerns, specifically their potential effect on the musculoskeletal system.

Haematologic malignancies associated with clozapine v. all other antipsychotic agents: a pharmacovigilance study in VigiBase®

BACKGROUND

Clozapine is mainly used in patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia and may lead to potentially severe haematologic adverse events, such as agranulocytosis. Whether clozapine might be associated with haematologic malignancies is unknown. We aimed to assess the association between haematologic malignancies and clozapine using Vigibase®, the WHO pharmacovigilance database.

METHODS

We performed a disproportionality analysis to compute reporting odds-ratio adjusted for age, sex and concurrent reporting of antineoplastic/immunomodulating agents (aROR) for clozapine and structurally related drugs (loxapine, olanzapine and quetiapine) compared with other antipsychotic drugs. Cases were malignant lymphoma and leukaemia reports. Non-cases were all other reports including at least one antipsychotic report.

RESULTS

Of the 140 226 clozapine-associated reports, 493 were malignant lymphoma cases, and 275 were leukaemia cases. Clozapine was significantly associated with malignant lymphoma (aROR 9.14, 95% CI 7.75-10.77) and leukaemia (aROR 3.54, 95% CI 2.97-4.22). Patients suffering from those haematologic malignancies were significantly younger in the clozapine treatment group than patients treated with other medicines (p < 0.001). The median time to onset (available for 212 cases) was 5.1 years (IQR 2.2-9.9) for malignant lymphoma and 2.5 years (IQR 0.6-7.4) for leukaemia. The aROR by quartile of dose of clozapine in patients with haematologic malignancies suggested a dose-dependent association.

CONCLUSIONS

Clozapine was significantly associated with a pharmacovigilance signal of haematologic malignancies. The risk-benefit balance of clozapine should be carefully assessed in patients with risk factors of haematologic malignancies. Clozapine should be used at the lowest effective posology.

Five Years of Sacubitril/Valsartan-a Safety Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials and Real-World Pharmacovigilance

PURPOSE

In PARADIGM-HF, sacubitril/valsartan showed a significant reduction in mortality and hospitalization for patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. Despite proven efficacy, sacubitril/valsartan has moderate uptake in clinical practice. This study explores the safety profile of sacubitril/valsartan by comparing adverse events in RCT and real-world use.

METHODS

We studied hypotension, renal dysfunction, hyperkalemia, and angioedema associated with sacubitril/valsartan in RCTs and pharmacovigilance databases. A random-effects meta-analysis was performed with six RCTs investigating sacubitril/valsartan vs. control/comparators in heart failure patients. WHO's VigiBase, FAERS, and EMA's EudraVigilance were mined to obtain spontaneously reported real-world adverse events. Disproportionality analysis was performed with the FDA's OpenVigil 2.0.

RESULTS

Six RCTs enrolled 15,538 patients with heart failure with reduced and preserved ejection fractions. There was no statistical difference for the composite of hypotension, renal dysfunction, hyperkalemia, and angioedema between sacubitril/valsartan and its comparators viz. ACEi or ARBs (OR 1.23, CI 0.98-1.56; p = 0.08). A total of 103,038 adverse events were registered in the spontaneous reporting systems. Hypotension was the most reported adverse event. Proportions of composite adverse events were 20% in VigiBase, 17% in FAERS, and 39% with EudraVigilance. Disproportionality analysis showed a lower risk of adverse events with sacubitril/valsartan than other guideline-directed heart failure medications used in clinical practice.

CONCLUSION

With increased uptake of sacubitril/valsartan, risks of hypotension, renal dysfunction, hyperkalemia, and angioedema appear low and acceptable in RCTs and global clinical practice.

Beyond the 'purple drank': Study of promethazine abuse according to the European Medicines Agency adverse drug reaction reports

BACKGROUND

Promethazine is a medicinal product, available on its own or in combination with other ingredients including dextromethorphan, paracetamol and/or expectorants. Anecdotal reports have however indicated that promethazine may have a misuse potential, especially in adolescents.

OBJECTIVE

We here aimed at studying how this phenomenon has been reported to the European Monitoring Agency Adverse Drug Reactions database.

METHODS

After a formal request to the European Monitoring Agency, the promethazine-specific dataset has been studied, performing a descriptive analysis of misuse/abuse/dependence-related adverse drug reaction reports. The study was approved by the University of Hertfordshire (LMS/PGR/UH/03234).

RESULTS

The analysis of promethazine data showed increasing levels of misuse/abuse/ dependence issues over time (2003-2019). Out of a total number of 1543 cases of adverse drug reactions, the abuse/misuse/dependence-related cases reported were 557, with 'drug abuse' (300/557: 53.8%) and 'intentional product misuse' (117/557: 21.0%). being the most represented adverse drug reactions. A high number of fatalities were described (310/557: 55.6%), mostly recorded as 'drug toxicity/drug abuse' cases, with opiates/opioids having been the most commonly reported concomitant drugs used.

CONCLUSION

Anecdotal promethazine misuse/abuse reports have been confirmed by European Monitoring Agency data. Promethazine misuse/abuse appears to be an alarming issue, being associated with drug-related fatalities. Thus, healthcare professionals should be warned about a possible misuse of promethazine and be vigilant, as in some countries medicinal products containing promethazine can be purchased over the counter. Since promethazine is often available in association with opioids, its abuse may be considered a public health issue, with huge implications for clinical practice.

Cardiovascular toxicities associated with abiraterone compared to enzalutamide-A pharmacovigilance study

BACKGROUND

Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is standard-of-care for advanced prostate cancer. Studies have generally found increased cardiovascular risks associated with ADT, but the comparative risk of newer agents is under-characterized. We defined the cardiac risks of abiraterone and enzalutamide, using gonadotropic releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists to establish baseline ADT risk.

METHODS

We used VigiBase, the World Health Organization pharmacovigilance database, to identify cardiac adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in a cohort taking GnRH agonists, abiraterone, or enzalutamide therapy for prostate cancer, comparing them to all other patients. To examine the relationship, we used an empirical Bayes estimator to screen for significance, then calculated the reporting odds ratio (ROR), a surrogate measure of association. A lower bound of a 95% confidence interval (CI) of ROR > 1 reflects a disproportionality signal that more ADRs are observed than expected due to chance.

FINDINGS

We identified 2,433 cardiac ADRs, with higher odds for abiraterone compared to all other VigiBase drugs for overall cardiac events (ROR 1•59, 95% CI 1•48-1•71), myocardial infarction (1•35, 1•16-1•58), arrythmia (2•04, 1•82-2•30), and heart failure (3•02, 2•60-3•51), but found no signal for enzalutamide. Patients on GnRH agonists also had increased risk of cardiac events (ROR 1•21, 95% CI 1•12-1•30), myocardial infarction (1•80, 1•61-2•03) and heart failure (2•06, 1•76-2•41).

INTERPRETATION

We found higher reported odds of cardiac events for abiraterone but not enzalutamide. Our data may suggest that patients with significant cardiac comorbidities may be better-suited for therapy with enzalutamide over abiraterone.

FUNDING

None.

Analysis of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy using the Japanese Adverse Drug Event Report database

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a common adverse event associated with several antineoplastic drugs; however, the precise risks and time course of reactions of particular drugs are not clearly understood. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between anticancer agents and CIPN development using data from the Japanese Adverse Drug Event Report (JADER) database and to characterize the time-to-onset and outcomes of CIPN. Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy was defined using the Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities preferred terms. Disproportionality analysis was performed by calculating the reporting odds ratio (ROR) with 95% confidence interval for signal detection. Data of nine Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) drug categories correlated with CIPN development, in addition to the data of the time-to-onset and outcomes. Among 622,289 reports in the JADER database from April 2004 to March 2020, there were 1883 reports of adverse events corresponding to peripheral neuropathy. The ROR (95% confidence interval) for vinblastine, sorbent-based paclitaxel (sb-PTX), oxaliplatin, and bortezomib was 20.4 (12.5–33.4), 13.6 (11.9–15.7), 26.2 (23.6–29.1), and 30.8 (26.6–35.8), respectively. The median duration (interquartile range) to CIPN development after the administration of vinca alkaloids and analogues, taxanes, platinum compounds, and monoclonal antibodies was 11.0 (5.0–46.5), 22.5 (6.0–82.5), 22.0 (6.0–68.5), and 32.5 (11.3–73.8) days, respectively. The median duration (interquartile range) of sb-PTX and nanoparticle albumin-bound (nab)-PTX was 35.0 (7.0–94.0) and 5.5 (3.0–29.3) days, respectively. Our analysis of records in the JADER database revealed several drugs associated with a high risk for CIPN development. In particular, the development of CIPN after vinca alkaloid administration should be closely monitored for 2 weeks after administration. CIPN caused by nab-PTX showed significantly faster onset than that by sb-PTX. Patients who receive taxanes or monoclonal antibodies often do not show an improvement; accordingly, early treatment is required.

Ocular Safety Profile of BRAF and MEK Inhibitors: Data from the World Health Organization Pharmacovigilance Database

PURPOSE

BRAF inhibitors (BRAFi) and MEK inhibitors (MEKi) significantly improved metastatic melanoma prognosis. Ocular adverse effects (OAEs) represent an uncommon but disabling toxicity of these drugs. We aimed to characterize the ocular safety profile of BRAFi or MEKi and to detect possible safety signals.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective, observational, pharmacovigilance study using VigiBase, the World Health Organization global safety database. Ocular adverse effects were classified according to the eye segments and the inflammatory pattern based on the Standardization of Uveitis Nomenclature. Associations among BRAFi monotherapy, MEKi monotherapy, and BRAFi+MEKi combination therapy and OAE reporting were assessed using disproportionality analysis. Results were expressed with the reporting odds ratio (ROR) and its 95% confidence interval (CI).

RESULTS

From January 2010 to October 2019, 1568 OAE cases were reported with BRAFi or MEKi. Among them, 1006 cases with sufficient data were included, corresponding to 310 (30.8%), 124 (12.3%), and 572 (56.9%) cases reported with BRAFi, MEKi, or BRAFi+MEKi combination therapy, respectively. BRAF inhibitor monotherapy was significantly associated with the reporting of iris and ciliary body abnormalities (ROR, 8.7; 95% CI, 6.0-12.5), diffuse abnormalities (ROR, 7.1; 95% CI, 5.4-9.4), anterior uveitis (ROR, 8.6; 95% CI, 6.0-12.1), and panuveitis (ROR, 7.1; 95% CI, 5.4-9.4). MEK inhibitor monotherapy was associated with the reporting of retinal and choroid abnormalities (ROR, 9.5; 95% CI, 7.4-12.2), diffuse abnormalities (ROR, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.1-6.1), and panuveitis (ROR, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.1-6.1). Combinations of BRAFi and MEKi therapies were associated with OAEs from both drugs, with a possible synergistic or additive effect for diffuse abnormalities and panuveitis.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study characterizes the ocular safety profile of BRAFi and MEKi. We identify possible safety signals for several OAEs not previously reported with BRAFi and MEKi. Our data provide the rationale for a personalized management of OAE in patients with BRAFi+MEKi combination therapy according to the type of ocular reaction.

COVID-19 in DMARD-treated patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases: Insights from an analysis of the World Health Organization pharmacovigilance database

Background

To determine whether the use of disease‐modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) is linked to the risk of COVID‐19 among patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRDs).

Methods

We performed a disproportionality analysis of the World Health Organization pharmacovigilance database between January 1, 2020, and June 10, 2020. The frequency of COVID‐19 reports for all DMARD classes identified was compared with that for all other reports for all other drugs and quoted as the reporting odds ratio (ROR) (95% confidence interval [CI]).

Results

Among 980,446 individual case‐safety reports voluntarily recorded in the database, 398 identified COVID‐19 in DMARD‐treated patients with IRDs. There were 177 (44.5%) patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 120 (30.1%) with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), 93 (23.4%) with psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and 8 (2.0%) with juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Most of the cases of COVID‐19 occurred in patients taking anti‐TNF agents (84.2%), resulting in a significant disproportionality signal (ROR [95% CI]: 8.31 [7.48–9.23]) – particularly in patients with RA, AS or PsA. A significant inverse disproportionality was found for the anti‐IL‐6 agent tocilizumab (ROR [95% CI]: 0.12 [0.02–0.88]) and JAK inhibitors (ROR [95% CI]: 0.33 [0.19–0.58]) in patients with RA – suggesting that these two drug classes are safer in the context of RA.

Conclusion

Our results are in line with the literature on a potentially better safety profile for anti‐IL‐6 agents and JAK inhibitors. The WHO pharmacovigilance data suggest that COVID‐19 is significantly more frequent in patients with IRDs treated with TNF inhibitors.

Signal Detection of Adverse Drug Reactions of Cephalosporins Using Data from a National Pharmacovigilance Database

This case-non-case study aims to detect signals not currently listed on cephalosporin drug labels. From 2009 to 2018, adverse event (AE) reports concerning antibacterial drugs (anatomical therapeutic chemical (ATC) code J01) in the Korea Adverse Events Reporting System (KAERS) database were examined. For signal detection, three indices of disproportionality, proportional reporting ratio (PRR), reporting odds ratio (ROR), and information component (IC), were calculated. The list of signals was compared with ADRs on the drug labels from the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, and South Korea. A total of 163,800 cephalosporin-AE combinations and 72,265 all other J01-AE combinations were analyzed. This study detected 472 signals and 114 new signals that are not included on the drug labels. Cefatrizine-corneal edema (PRR, 440.64; ROR, 481.67; IC, 3.84) and cefatrizine-corneal ulceration (PRR, 346.22; ROR, 399.70; IC, 4.40) had the highest PRR, ROR, and IC among all signals. Additionally, six serious AEs that were not listed on drug labels such as cefaclor-induced stupor (ten cases) and cefaclor-induced respiratory depression (four cases) were found. Detecting signals using a national pharmacovigilance database is useful for identifying unknown ADRs. This study identified signals of cephalosporins that warrant further investigation.

Neuroleptic malignant syndrome associated with long-acting injectable versus oral second-generation antipsychotics: Analyses based on a spontaneous reporting system database in Japan

Long-acting injectable antipsychotics (LAI-APs) remain underutilized. One reason is the concern that LAI-APs might cause serious adverse events such as neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) and lead to prolonged symptoms compared with oral treatment. Because the risk of NMS associated with LAI second-generation antipsychotics (LAI-SGAs) remains unclear, we compared reporting frequency, time to onset, and mortality of NMS between LAI- and oral SGAs using data from a Japanese spontaneous adverse event reporting database between April 2004 and September 2019. Of 5791 patients reporting adverse events due to LAI-SGAs or the equivalent oral SGAs, 768 (13%) developed NMS. LAI aripiprazole and LAI paliperidone were associated with a significantly lower reporting frequency of NMS than the equivalent oral SGAs (adjusted reporting odds ratio [95% confidence interval]: 0.35 [0.19-0.63] and 0.40 [0.27-0.59], respectively). Between 42% and 62% of the NMS associated with LAI- and oral SGAs other than LAI risperidone occurred within 30 days after initiation. The proportion of mortality due to NMS associated with oral aripiprazole was 13.1% and no deaths occurred in patients with NMS associated with LAI aripiprazole. The proportions of mortality due to NMS associated with oral risperidone/paliperidone, LAI risperidone, and LAI paliperidone were 8.8%, 4.2%, and 3.4%, respectively. Our findings showed that LAI-SGAs were not associated with a higher reporting frequency and mortality of NMS compared with oral SGAs, although clinicians need to closely monitor the occurrence of NMS not only during oral SGA treatment, but also, and in particular, in the early stage of LAI-SGA treatment.

Exploring a Safety Signal of Antipsychotic-Associated Pneumonia: A Pharmacovigilance-Pharmacodynamic Study

An association between antipsychotic drugs and pneumonia has been demonstrated in several studies; however, the risk for pneumonia caused by specific antipsychotics has not been extensively studied. The underlying mechanism is still unknown, and several receptor mechanisms have been proposed. Therefore, using a combined pharmacovigilance-pharmacodynamic approach, we aimed to investigate safety signals of US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved antipsychotics for reporting pneumonia and the potential receptor mechanisms involved. A disproportionality analysis was performed to detect a signal for reporting "infective-pneumonia" and "pneumonia-aspiration" and antipsychotics using reports submitted between 2004 and 2019 to the FDA adverse events spontaneous reporting system (FAERS) database. Disproportionality was estimated using the crude and the adjusted reporting odds ratio (aROR) and its 95% confidence interval (CI) in a multivariable logistic regression. Linear regressions investigated the relationship between aROR and receptor occupancy, which was estimated using in vitro receptor-binding profiles. Safety signals for reporting infective-pneumonia were identified for clozapine (LL = 95% 3.4, n = 546 [aROR: 4.8]) as well as olanzapine (LL = 95% 1.5, n = 250 [aROR: 2.1]) compared with haloperidol, while aRORs were associated with higher occupancies of muscarinic receptors (beta = .125, P-value = .016), yet other anti-muscarinic drugs were not included as potential confounders. No safety signals for reporting pneumonia-aspiration were detected for individual antipsychotics. Multiple antipsychotic use was associated with both reporting infective-pneumonia (LL 95%: 1.1, n = 369 [aROR:1.2]) and pneumonia-aspiration (LL 95%: 1.7, n = 194 [aROR: 2.0]). Considering the limitations of disproportionality analysis, further pharmacovigilance data and clinical causality assessment are needed to validate this safety signal.

Combination of vancomycin plus piperacillin and risk of acute kidney injury: a worldwide pharmacovigilance database analysis

BACKGROUND

Excess of acute kidney injury (AKI) secondary to the association of vancomycin plus piperacillin is debated.

OBJECTIVES

To detect a signal for an increased risk of AKI with the vancomycin and piperacillin combination compared with other vancomycin-based regimens.

METHODS

Using VigiBase, the WHO global database of individual case safety reports (ICSR) from 1997 to 2019, we conducted a disproportionality analysis comparing the reporting of AKI cases between different vancomycin-based regimens (vancomycin plus piperacillin, cefepime or meropenem). To take into account a possible notoriety bias, we secondarily restricted the study period to before 2014, the date of the first publication of AKI in patients receiving vancomycin plus piperacillin. Results are expressed using the reporting OR (ROR) and its 95% CI.

RESULTS

From 1997 to 2019, 53 701 ICSR concerning vancomycin have been registered in the database, including 6016 reports of AKI (11.2%), among which 925 (15.4%) were reported with vancomycin/piperacillin, 339 (5.6%) with vancomycin/cefepime and 197 (3.7%) with vancomycin/meropenem. ROR (95% CI) for AKI was 2.6 (2.4-2.8) for vancomycin/piperacillin, 2.5 (2.2-2.9) for vancomycin/cefepime and 0.5 (0.4-0.6) for vancomycin/meropenem versus other vancomycin-containing regimens. After restriction of the study period to 1997-2013, the ROR for AKI remains significant only for vancomycin/piperacillin [ROR (95% CI) = 2.1 (1.8-2.4)].

CONCLUSIONS

We found a disproportionality in reports of AKI in patients receiving vancomycin plus piperacillin compared with vancomycin in other regimens. This suggests a drug-drug interaction between these two antibiotics resulting in an increased risk of AKI.

Cardiovascular Safety Profile of Romosozumab: A Pharmacovigilance Analysis of the US Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS)

Background: Cardiovascular safety concerns for major cardiovascular events (MACE) were raised during the clinical trials of romosozumab. We aimed to evaluate the cardiovascular safety profile of romosozumab in a large pharmacovigilance database. Methods: All cases reported between January 2019 and December 2020 where romosozumab was reported were extracted from the Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). The outcome of interest was MACE (myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, or cardiovascular death). A disproportionality analysis was conducted by estimating the reporting odds ratios (RORs) and 95% confidence intervals. Disproportionality analyses were stratified by sex and reporting region (US, Japan, other). Results: Of the 1995 eligible cases with romosozumab, the majority (N = 1188; 59.5%) originated from Japan. Overall, 206 suspected MACE reports were identified, of which the majority (n = 164; 13.8%) were from Japan, and 41 (5.2%) were from the United States (US). Among Japanese reports, patients were older and more frequently male than reports from the US. Similarly, cases with a reported MACE were older and had higher reports of cardioprotective drugs than those without cardiovascular events. Elevated reports for MACE (ROR 4.07, 95% CI: 2.39–6.93) was identified overall, which was primarily driven by the significant disproportionality measures in the Japanese reports. Conclusions: The current pharmacovigilance study identified a potential signal for elevated MACE, particularly in Japan. The results support the current safety warnings from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to avoid use in high-risk patients.

Fatal adverse drug reactions: A worldwide perspective in the World Health Organization pharmacovigilance database

AIMS

Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are important causes of death. However, the main involved drugs are relatively unknown. The present study was performed to characterise death-related drugs recorded in a large pharmacovigilance database during the last 10 years.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis of VigiBase, the World Health Organization pharmacovigilance database, was performed investigating fatal ADRs registered between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2019 in male and female patients aged ≥18 years and reported by physicians. Analyses were descriptive investigating age, sex and suspected drugs. Differences in reporting according to sex, age and continents were investigated using disproportionality analysis with calculation of reporting odds ratio and its 95% confidence interval.

RESULTS

Among the 23 millions ADRs recorded in VigiBase, 3 250 967 were included with 43 685 fatal. They were reported mainly in patients older than 75 years. The 3 most frequently involved drug classes were antineoplastic/immunomodulating drugs followed by nervous system and cardiac drugs. The top 3 individual drugs were denosumab, lenalidomide and thalidomide with marked differences according to age, sex, continents and countries. The risk of reporting fatal ADRs was higher in males, in the Americas and in patients ≥65 years.

CONCLUSION

Fatal ADRs registered in a large pharmacovigilance database during the last 10 years correspond to just over 1% of the total number of ADRs. They occurred more in males, after 65 years and with antineoplastic/immunomodulating drugs in general. Our study also highlighted, for the first time, important differences in fatal ADRs between continents and countries.

Serious adverse reactions associated with ivermectin: A systematic pharmacovigilance study in sub-Saharan Africa and in the rest of the World

BACKGROUND

Ivermectin is known to cause severe encephalopathies in subjects infected with loiasis, an endemic parasite in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). In addition, case reports have described ivermectin-related serious adverse drug reactions (sADRs) such as toxidermias, hepatic and renal disorders. The aim of this study was to identify suspected sADRs reported after ivermectin administration in VigiBase, the World Health Organization's global individual case safety reports database and analyze their frequency relative to the frequency of these events after other antinematodal drugs reported in SSA and other areas of the world (ROW).

METHODS

All antinematodal-related sADRs were extracted from VigiBase. Disproportionality analyses were conducted to investigate nervous, cutaneous, psychiatric, respiratory, renal, hepatic and cardiac suspected sADRs reported after ivermectin and benzimidazole drug administration across the world, in SSA and RoW.

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

2041 post-ivermectin or post-benzimidazole suspected sADRs were identified including 667 after ivermectin exposure (208 in SSA and 459 in the RoW). We found an increased reporting for toxidermias, encephalopathies, confusional disorders after ivermectin compared to benzimidazole drug administration. Encephalopathies were not only reported from SSA but also from the RoW (adjusted reporting odds ratios [aROR] 6.30, 95% confidence interval: 2.68-14.8), highlighting the fact these types of sADR occur outside loiasis endemic regions.

CONCLUSION

We described for the first time suspected sADRs associated with ivermectin exposure according to geographical origin. While our results do not put in question ivermectin's excellent safety profile, they show that as for all drugs, appropriate pharmacovigilance for adverse reactions is indicated.

Worsening of myasthenia due to antiepileptic, antipsychotic, antidepressant, and sedative medication: An estimation of risk based on reporting frequency

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Many drugs can worsen myasthenia symptoms. The clinician usually relies on cautionary lists compiled according to case reports. We intended to provide a quantitative basis for a risk comparison within the groups of antiepileptic, antidepressant, neuroleptic, and sedative drugs.

METHODS

We extracted adverse drug reaction (ADR) counts (total and myasthenia related) for drugs from these groups and calculated the reporting odds ratio (ROR) within the drug groups from the World Health Organization pharmacovigilance database. For a given drug, the ROR was increased above 1 if the proportion of myasthenia-related ADRs for this drug was larger than the same proportion for the rest of drugs in that same group. If the 95% confidence interval of ROR was >1, this was taken as a signal for a higher risk of the given drug as compared to the average of the respective group.

RESULTS

Gabapentin, sertraline, citalopram, lithium, and amisulpride had a signal for the ROR to be increased above 1 within their respective groups. Bupropion, desvenlafaxine, duloxetine, escitalopram, and paroxetine had ROR values <1. For all other drugs, 1 was within the ROR confidence interval.

CONCLUSIONS

For gabapentin and lithium, the analysis of RORs confirmed case reports and cautionary lists. For a number of antidepressant drugs associated with a higher-than-average risk, no case reports exist substantiating our results. For these drugs, special attention should be paid to this risk. The remarkable difference between citalopram and escitalopram could prompt experimental work to confirm differential influence of the two preparations on neuromuscular transmission.

Beta-blocker-associated hypoglycaemia: New insights from a real-world pharmacovigilance study

AIMS

To investigate the statistical association between hypoglycaemia and β-blocker use and to define what patient and drug characteristics could potentially increase the risk for its occurrence.

METHODS

We investigated the relationship between pharmacological parameters of β-blockers and the occurrence of hypoglycaemia by conducting a case/non case analysis using the Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System database. Pharmacological properties that could represent a predictive factor for hypoglycaemia were analysed through a multilinear binary logistic regression (null hypothesis rejected for values of P < .05). We also performed a systematic review of clinical studies on this association.

RESULTS

Of 83 954 selected reports, 1465 cases (1.75%) of hypoglycaemia were identified. The association was found statistically significant for nadolol (reporting odds ratio [95% confidence interval]: 6.98 [5.40-9.03]), celiprolol (2.35 [1.35-4.10]), propranolol (2.14 [1.87-2.46]) and bisoprolol (1.42 [1.25-1.61]). Paediatric cases (n = 310) showed a positive association with hypoglycaemia for long half-life drugs (odds ratio [95% confidence interval]: 2.232 [1.398-3.563]) and a negative association for β1-selectivity (0.644 [0.414-0.999]). Seven papers were included in the systematic review. Because of great heterogeneity in study design and demographics, hypoglycaemia incidence rates varied greatly among studies, occurring in 1.73% of the cases for propranolol treatment (n total participants = 575), 6.6% for atenolol (n = 30) and 10% for carvedilol (n = 20).

CONCLUSION

Nadolol appears to be the β-blocker significantly most associated with hypoglycaemia and children represent the most susceptible sample. Furthermore, long half-life and nonselective β-blockers seem to increase the risk for its occurrence.

Lessons from Pharmacovigilance: Pulmonary Immune-Related Adverse Events After Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy

PURPOSE

To characterize pulmonary toxicities associated with the use of novel immune checkpoint inhibitors METHODS: Adverse event reports from immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting PD-1/L1 and CTLA-4 were captured from the W.H.O pharmacovigilance database (VigiBase) up until Dec. 31st 2019 and were analyzed to evaluate for measures of association between the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors and pulmonary toxicities. Disproportionality analysis using both frequentist and Bayesian approaches were used to detect signals between pulmonary immune-related adverse events and the use of these agents.

RESULTS

A total of 9202 adverse pulmonary immune checkpoint inhibitor-related events were captured up until 2019. Adverse pulmonary events were compromised of 1305 airway, 18 alveolar, 5491 interstitial, 898 pleural, 560 vascular and 939 non-specific pulmonary events. We found a common association between all immune checkpoint inhibitors studied and pneumonitis, interstitial lung disease, pulmonary embolism and respiratory failure. We also noted other associations between immune checkpoint inhibitors, however not as uniformly across agents. Most of these immune-related adverse drug reactions were noted to be severe and accounted for a significant source of mortality in the reported cases.

CONCLUSION

Immune checkpoint inhibitors are associated with a spectrum of inflammatory pulmonary toxicities. The breadth of pulmonary complications and prevalence may be underappreciated with the use of these agents.

Cardiotoxicity Induced by Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors: A Pharmacovigilance Study From 2014 to 2019 Based on FAERS

This study was to scientifically and systematically explore the association between cardiotoxicity and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and also to characterize the spectrum of ICI-related cardiac complications. From the first quarter of 2014 to the fourth quarter of 2019, data from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System database were selected to conduct the disproportionality analysis. Reporting odds ratios and information components were used to evaluate the signal after statistical shrinkage transformation. In total, 7,443,137 cases and 36,326,611 drug-adverse event pairs were collected, among which 9,271 cases were identified to be related to ICI-induced cardiotoxicities. The number of male patients was much higher than that of females (5,579 vs. 3,031) and males presented a slightly higher reporting frequency than females in general, which was statistically significant (ROR = 1.04, 95%CI: 0.99-1.09, p < 0.001). Simultaneously, the proportion of serious or life-threatening outcomes in males was significantly higher than in females (ROR = 1.05, 95%CI: 0.96-1.15, p < 0.001). Importantly, ICIs were associated with over-reporting frequencies of cardiotoxicities in general (ROR025 = 1.06, IC025 = 0.08). PD-1 and PD-L1 were found to be related to cardiac adverse events, corresponding to ROR025 = 1.06, IC025 = 0.08, and ROR025 = 1.06, IC025 = 0.08, respectively, while anti-CTLA-4 (cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4) was significantly associated with some specific adverse events rather than common adverse events. The spectrum of cardiotoxicities induced by ICIs mostly differed among individual agents, but also demonstrated some common features. Dyspnea (N = 2,527, 21.25%), myocarditis (N = 614, 5.16%), atrial fibrillation (N = 576, 4.84%), cardiac failure (N = 476, 4.00%), and pericardial effusion (N = 423, 3.56%) were the top five cardiac adverse events reported in the database. Among them, myocarditis was the only one caused by all ICIs with strong signal value and high risk, warranting further attention. Overall, this investigation mainly showed the profile of cardiotoxicities caused by ICIs, which varied between different ICI therapies, but also shared some similarities in specific symptoms such as myocarditis. Therefore, it is vital and urgent to recognize and manage ICI-related cardiotoxicities, known to frequently occur in clinical practice, at the earliest point.

Safety of antipsychotic drugs: A systematic review of disproportionality analysis studies

Antipsychotic drugs are commonly prescribed, mainly for the treatment of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. Disproportionality analysis of pharmacovigilance data from national and international databases have been recently utilized to investigate the side-effect profiles of antipsychotics and have provided unique insights of their safety. Among several national and international spontaneous reporting databases the databases of the World Health Organization (VigiBase), of the European Medicines Agency (EudraVigilance) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FAERS) incorporate millions of Individual Case Safety Reports. The aim of our study was to systematically review published disproportionality analyses on antipsychotic drugs, in order to summarize the current state of methodology and potential strengths of this analysis while highlighting safety signal generated for these pharmacological group. PubMed was searched using a search algorithm combining terms for antipsychotic drugs and disproportionality analysis. A total of 39 articles were found to be eligible corresponding to 38 original disproportionality studies. Different measures of disproportionality were used in each study: reporting odds ratio (ROR), proportional reporting ratio (PRR), empirical Bayes geometric mean (EBGM) and the information component (IC). Despite the inherent limitations of the pharmacovigilance databases disproportionality analysis provides complemented evidence from RCTs on the safety of antipsychotics, especially regarding participants often excluded from RCTs, such as pregnant and breastfeeding women, children and participants with drug abuse, comorbidities or concomitant medications.

Cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors and interstitial lung disease in the FDA adverse event reporting system: a pharmacovigilance assessment

PURPOSE

We assessed pulmonary toxicity of cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK)4/6 inhibitors by analyzing the publicly available FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).

METHODS

Reports of interstitial lung disease (ILD) were characterized in terms of demographic information, including daily dose, latency, concomitant drugs known to be associated with ILD, and causality assessment (adapted WHO system). Disproportionality analyses were carried out by calculating reporting odds ratios (RORs) with 95% confidence interval (CI), accounting for major confounders, including notoriety and competition biases.

RESULTS

ILD reports (N = 161) represented 2.1% and 0.3% of all reports for abemaciclib and palbocilcib/ribociclib, respectively, with negligible proportion of concomitant pneumotoxic drugs. Increased reporting was found for CDK4/6 inhibitors when compared to other drugs (ROR = 1.50; 95%CI = 1.28-1.74), and abemaciclib vs other anticancer agents (4.70; 3.62-5.98). Sensitivity analyses confirmed a strong and consistent disproportionality for abemaciclib. Higher-than-expected reporting emerged for palbociclib (1.38; 1.07-1.77) and ribociclib (2.39; 1.34-3.92) only when removing Japan reports. ILD occurred at recommended daily doses, with median latency ranging from 50 (abemaciclib) to 253 (ribociclib) days. Causality was highly probable in 55% of abemaciclib cases, probable in 68% of palbociclib cases.

CONCLUSIONS

Increased reporting of ILD with CDK4/6 inhibitors calls for further comparative population-based studies to characterize and quantify the actual risk, taking into account drug- and patient-related risk factors. These findings strengthen the role of (a) timely pharmacovigilance to detect post-marketing signals through FAERS and other real-world data, (b) clinicians to assess early, on a case-by-case basis, the potential responsibility of CDK4/6 inhibitors when diagnosing a lung injury.

Tramadol-induced hypoglycemia: A pharmacovigilance study

Several papers have reported that tramadol can induce hypoglycemia. However, in some reports, confounding factors can be found, like coadministration of hypoglycemic drugs. We used the WHO pharmacovigilance database (VigiBase®) to investigate whether tramadol alone could be associated with hypoglycemia. All 2010–2019 ICSRs (Individual Case Safety Reports) with the PT term “hypoglycemia” and tramadol were included. Two disproportionality analyses were performed: 1/after inclusion of all reports, 2/after exclusion of concomitant hypoglycemic drugs. Results are expressed as Reporting Odds Ratios (ROR; 95% CI). Among 10 038 436 ICSRs, 97 639 were included. In comparison with codeine, a significant association was found between tramadol use and reports of hypoglycemia before [ROR = 1.54 (1.43–1.66)] or after [ROR = 1.43 (1.31–1.56)] exclusion of hypoglycemic drugs. Tramadol use is associated with a higher risk of hypoglycemia reports than codeine, the other step 2 analgesic, in the presence as well as in the absence of other hypoglycemic drugs. We concluded that hypoglycemia is an adverse drug reaction of tramadol, which can be observed in diabetic as well as in non-diabetic patients.

Adverse drug reaction risks obtained from meta-analyses and pharmacovigilance disproportionality analyses are correlated in most cases

OBJECTIVE

We aimed at testing if a correlation between adverse drug reactions relative risks estimated from meta-analyses and disproportionality analyses calculated from pharmacovigilance spontaneous reporting systems databases exist, and if methodological choices modify this correlation.

STUDY DESIGN

We extracted adverse drug reactions (ADR) odds ratios (ORs) from meta-analyses used as reference and calculated corresponding Reporting Odds Ratios (RORs) from the WHO pharmacovigilance database according to five different designs. We also calculated the relative bias and agreement of ROR compared to ORs.

RESULTS

We selected five meta-analyses which displayed a panel of 13 ADRs. A significant correlation for 7 out of the 13 ADRs studied in the primary analysis was found. The methods for ROR calculation impacted the results but none systematically improved the correlations. Whereas correlation was found between OR and ROR, agreement was poor and relative bias was important.

CONCLUSION

Despite the large variation in disproportionality analyses results due to design specification, this study provides further evidence that relative risks obtained from meta-analyses and from disproportionality analyses correlate in most cases, in particular for objective ADR not associated with the underlying pathology.

Artificial Intelligence in Pharmacovigilance: Scoping Points to Consider

Artificial intelligence (AI), a highly interdisciplinary science, is an increasing presence in pharmacovigilance (PV). A better understanding of the scope of artificial intelligence in pharmacovigilance (AIPV) may be advantageous to more sharply defining, for example, which terms, methods, tasks, and data sets are suitably subsumed under the application of AIPV. Accordingly, this article explores relevant points to consider regarding defining the scope of AIPV and offers a potential working definition of the scope of AIPV.

Retroperitoneal fibrosis and β-blocking agents: Is there an association?

AIMS

Retroperitoneal fibrosis (RPF) is a rare chronic fibro-inflammatory disorder that may be secondary to certain drugs, including β-blocking agents (BBAs). However, their causative role is unclear. We aimed to investigate this association.

METHODS

Disproportionality analysis was carried out on cases from 1985 to 4 October 2020 in VigiBase, the World Health Organization pharmacovigilance database. The Bayesian-based IC₀₂₅ metric and reporting odds ratio were used in order to assess the adverse event signal. We also analysed all published case reports from the literature regarding BBA-associated RPF to assess the value of suggested supportive clinical evidence.

RESULTS

In total, 1599 individual case safety reports of RPF were reported to VigiBase, of which 132 (32%) concerned 16 different single BBA. For 12 of these agents (75%), reporting of RPF was disproportionate, indicating a potential safety signal. Line listing analysis of individual case safety reports showed no consistent time interval from start of BBA to RPF diagnosis (range 0.7-264 mo). Dechallenge was negative or unknown in the majority of cases (74%). In 18 published cases from the literature, time from start of BBA to RPF diagnosis varied widely (range 3-156 mo). BBA were discontinued 6 months before (n = 1) or at the time of RPF diagnosis (n = 17). Most patients (84%) also received RPF specific treatment. Follow-up duration was short (median 5 mo [range 1-24 mo]) and in most cases (83%) relevant follow-up data were lacking.

CONCLUSION

Although disproportionality analysis indicated a potential safety signal for RPF associated with BBAs, clinical evidence did not support a cause-and-effect relationship.

Use of Disproportionality Analysis to Identify Previously Unknown Drug-Associated Causes of Cardiac Arrhythmias Using the Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) Database

INTRODUCTION

Drug-induced QT_c-prolongation is a well-known adverse drug reaction (ADR), however there is limited knowledge of other drug-induced arrhythmias.

PURPOSE

The objective of this study is to determine the drugs reported to be associated with arrhythmias other than QT_c-prolongation using the FAERS database, possibly identifying potential drug causes that have not been reported previously.

METHODS

FAERS reports from 2004 quarter 1 through 2019 quarter 1 were combined to create a dataset of approximately 11.6 million reports. Search terms for arrhythmias of interest were selected from the Standardized MedDRA Queries (SMQ) Version 12.0. Frequency of the cardiac arrhythmias were determined for atrial fibrillation, atrioventricular block, bradyarrhythmia, bundle branch block, supraventricular tachycardia, and ventricular fibrillation and linked to the reported causal medications. Reports were further categorized by prior evidence associations using package inserts and established drug databases. A reporting odds ratio (ROR) and confidence interval (CI) were calculated for the ADRs for each drug and each of the 6 cardiac arrhythmias.

RESULTS

Of the 11.6 million reports in the FAERS database, 68,989 were specific to cardiac arrhythmias of interest. There were 61 identified medication-reported arrhythmia pairs for the 6 arrhythmia groups with 33 found to have an unknown reported association. Rosiglitazone was the most frequently medication reported across all arrhythmias [ROR 6.02 (CI: 5.82-6.22)]. Other medications with significant findings included: rofecoxib, digoxin, alendronate, lenalidomide, dronedarone, zoledronic acid, adalimumab, dabigatran, and interferon beta-1b.

CONCLUSION

Upon retrospective analysis of the FAERS database, the majority of drug-associated arrhythmias reported were unknown suggesting new potential drug causes. Cardiac arrhythmias other than QTc prolongation are a new area of focus for pharmacovigilance and medication safety. Consideration of future studies should be given to using the FAERS database as a timely pharmacovigilance tool to identify unknown adverse events of medications.

Assessment of the Safety Signal for the Abuse Potential of Pregabalin and Gabapentin Using the FAERS Database and Big Data Search Analytics

Introduction: The latest decade, an emerging issue has been the abuse potential of the gabapentinoids pregabalin and gabapentin. The aim of our study was to assess this safety signal combining two different methods of surveillance: search analytics big data and the FDA spontaneous reporting system database. Methods: Analysis of big data and the FAERS was used to detect pregabalin's and gabapentin's abuse potential in comparison with two controls, clonazepam and levetiracetam, and further, the correlation between these domains was investigated. Data from the United States between 2007 and 2020Q2 were analyzed. Results: The FAERS analysis revealed the following pattern of signals: clonazepam > pregabalin ≥ gabapentin > levetiracetam, for both the primary term "drug abuse and dependence" and the secondary terms (withdrawal, tolerance, overdose). The Google domain pattern was slightly different: clonazepam ≥ gabapentin ≥ pregabalin≥ levetiracetam. A monotonic correlation was found between FAERS and Google searches for gabapentin (r = 0.558; p < 0.001), pregabalin (r = 0.587; p < 0.001), and clonazepam (r = 0.295; p = 0.030). Conclusion: Our results revealed that there is preliminary evidence of a safety signal for the abuse potential of pregabalin and gabapentin. Analysis of the FAERS database, supplemented by big data search analytics, suggests that there is potential of using these methods as a supplementary tool to detect drug abuse-related safety signals in pharmacovigilance.

Investigation of Suicidality and Psychological Adverse Events in Patients Treated With Finasteride

Importance

There is ongoing controversy about the adverse events of finasteride, a drug used in the management of alopecia and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). In 2012, reports started emerging on men who had used finasteride and either attempted or completed suicide.

Objective

To investigate the association of suicidality (ideation, attempt, and completed suicide) and psychological adverse events (depression and anxiety) with finasteride use.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This pharmacovigilance case-noncase study used disproportionality analysis (case-noncase design) to detect signals of adverse reaction of interest reported with finasteride in VigiBase, the World Health Organization's global database of individual case safety reports. To explore the strength of association, the reporting odds ratio (ROR), a surrogate measure of association used in disproportionality analysis, was used. Extensive sensitivity analyses included stratifying by indication (BPH and alopecia) and age (≤45 and >45 years); comparing finasteride signals with those of drugs with different mechanisms but used for similar indications (minoxidil for alopecia and tamsulosin hydrochloride for BPH); comparing finasteride with a drug with a similar mechanism of action and adverse event profile (dutasteride); and comparing reports of suicidality before and after 2012. Data were obtained in June 2019 and analyzed from January 25 to February 28, 2020.

Exposures

Reported finasteride use.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Suicidality and psychological adverse events.

Results

VigiBase contained 356 reports of suicidality and 2926 reports of psychological adverse events (total of 3282 adverse events of interest) in finasteride users (3206 male [98.9%]; 615 of 868 [70.9%] with data available aged 18-44 years). A significant disproportionality signal for suicidality (ROR, 1.63; 95% CI, 1.47-1.81) and psychological adverse events (ROR, 4.33; 95% CI, 4.17-4.49) in finasteride was identified. In sensitivity analyses, younger patients (ROR, 3.47; 95% CI, 2.90-4.15) and those with alopecia (ROR, 2.06; 95% CI, 1.81-2.34) had significant disproportionality signals for increased suicidality; such signals were not detected in older patients with BPH. Sensitivity analyses also showed that the reports of these adverse events significantly increased after 2012 (ROR, 2.13; 95% CI, 1.91-2.39).

Conclusions and Relevance

In this pharmacovigilance case-noncase study, significant RORs of suicidality and psychological adverse events were associated with finasteride use in patients younger than 45 years who used finasteride for alopecia. The sensitivity analyses suggest that these disproportional signals of adverse events may be due to stimulated reporting and/or younger patients being more vulnerable to finasteride's adverse effects.

Drug induced stuttering: pharmacovigilance data

Background: Stuttering is a speech disorder characterized by poor fluency of speech despite the speech production organs being normal. Numerous factors contribute to stuttering, and it may also be an iatrogenic effect of certain drugs. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between stuttering and drug exposure.Research design and methods: We investigated the association between drugs and stuttering. We analyzed reports in the World Health Organization global individual case safety reports database (Vigibase) up to 31 May 2020 with the MedDRA lower level terms 'stutter' and 'stuttering.' The association between a drug and the occurrence of the adverse drug reaction was estimated by disproportionality analysis. Reporting odds ratios (ROR) were calculated with 95% confidence intervals.Results: In total, 724 notifications were identified using the MedDRA terms selected. The main drugs implicated were methylphenidate (ROR = 19.58; 95% CI: 13.3-28.8), topiramate (ROR = 12.5; 95% CI: 7.1-22.1), olanzapine (ROR = 12; 95% CI: 8-17.9) and golimumab (ROR = 10.2; 95% CI: 5.5-19.1).Conclusions: When stuttering occurs in a patient treated by drugs affecting neurotransmission, a drug-induced origin of the stutter should be considered.

Disproportionality analysis in VigiBase as a drug repositioning method for the discovery of potentially useful drugs in Alzheimer's disease

Drug repositioning aims to propose new indications for marketed drugs. Although several methods exist, the utility of pharmacovigilance databases for this purpose is unclear. We conducted a disproportionality analysis in the World Health Organization pharmacovigilance database VigiBase to identify potential anticholinesterase drug candidates for repositioning in Alzheimer's disease (AD).

METHODS

Disproportionality analysis is a validated method for detecting significant associations between drugs and adverse events (AEs) in pharmacovigilance databases. We applied this approach in VigiBase to establish the safety profile displayed by the anticholinesterase drugs used in AD and searched the database for drugs with similar safety profiles. The detected drugs with potential activity against acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterases (BuChEs) were then evaluated to confirm their anticholinesterase potential.

RESULTS

We identified 22 drugs with safety profiles similar to AD medicines. Among these drugs, 4 (clozapine, aripiprazole, sertraline and S-duloxetine) showed a human BuChE inhibition rate of over 70% at 10^-5  M. Their human BuChE half maximal inhibitory concentration values were compatible with clinical anticholinesterase action in humans at their normal doses. The most active human BuChE inhibitor in our study was S-duloxetine, with a half maximal inhibitory concentration of 1.2 μM. Combined with its ability to inhibit serotonin (5-HT) reuptake, the use of this drug could represent a novel multitarget directed ligand therapeutic strategy for AD.

CONCLUSION

We identified 4 drugs with repositioning potential in AD using drug safety profiles derived from a pharmacovigilance database. This method could be useful for future drug repositioning efforts.

Drug-induced IgA vasculitis in children and adults: Revisiting drug causality using a dual pharmacovigilance-based approach

OBJECTIVES

IgA vasculitis (IgAV) is an immune complex small-vessel vasculitis. Drug-induced IgAV cases were rarely reported in the literature. Drug causality assessment is challenging as many other etiological factors can be involved. We performed a pharmacovigilance study to identify the main drugs reported to induce IgAV.

METHODS

We used the French pharmacovigilance database (FPVD) and the WHO global individual case safety reports database (VigiBase) to retrieve IgAV cases. Cases from the FPVD were reviewed by two investigators using predefined criteria. Disproportionality analyses (case - non-case approach) were conducted in VigiBase to identify drugs significantly associated with IgAV reporting.

RESULTS

Of the 467 IgAV cases retrieved from the FPVD, 115 (47 children and 68 adults) have been assessed as definite or probable, reported with 178 suspected drugs. Overall IgAV cases were mainly male (58%), with a median age of 33.5 (8.0-63.3) years. No death was reported. Besides, we identified 1558 possible IgAV cases in VigiBase. Among them, 40 were associated with a disproportionality in IgAV reporting. Drugs were mainly vaccines, antibiotics and TNF-α blockers, these finding being consistent in both databases. IgAV reporting with TNF-α blockers was significantly associated with their use in inflammatory bowel diseases, psoriasis or ankylosing spondylitis compared to other indications.

CONCLUSIONS

Our systematic study enables the identification of culprit drugs in drug-induced IgAV. These results strengthen the immune pathophysiology of IgAV and the role of underlying disease. The list of suspected drugs may be useful for physicians to manage patients with IgAV and consider appropriate drug discontinuation.

KEY MESSAGES

What is already known about this subject? IgA vasculitis has multifactorial etiology. To date, possible culprit drugs have been reported only in case reports. What does this study add? Using a dual pharmacovigilance-based approach, we identified drugs associated with the occurrence of IgA vasculitis, such as all types of vaccines, major antibiotics and immunomodulatory agents, mainly TNF-α blockers. How might this impact on clinical practice or future developments? Physicians should be aware of drug-induced IgA vasculitis and we provide evidence on the most frequent implicated drugs.

A pharmacovigilance study to quantify the strength of association between the combination of antimalarial drugs and azithromycin and cardiac arrhythmias: implications for the treatment of COVID-19

Background: Hydroxychloroquine, an antimalarial drug, combined with azithromycin has been considered a potential treatment for COVID-19. However, these drugs may cause electrocardiogram QT prolongation (QTp) and torsade de Pointes (TdP). We examined potential safety signals for these cardiac arrhythmias. Methods: Using the OpenVigil 2.1 MedDRA platform, we mined data from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) from December 2019 to June 2020. We extracted individual case safety reports based on exposures of seven antimalarial drugs, azithromycin, and combinations. All other drugs in FAERS served as controls. Events of interest included QTp and TdP, with associations between drug exposures and events expressed as adjusted Reporting-Odds-Ratios (aRORs) and confidence intervals. The lower end of aROR 95% confidence interval >1 was used as the statistically significant signal detection threshold. Results: QTp safety signals were found for hydroxychloroquine[aROR:11.70 (10.40-13.16)], chloroquine[aROR:18.97 (11.30-31.87)], quinine[aROR:16.66 (10.18-27.25)], atovaquone[aROR:6.91 (4.14-11.56)], azithromycin alone [aROR:28.02 (22.87-34.32)] and hydroxychloroquine + azithromycin [aROR:75.23 (51.15-110.66)]. TdP safety signals were found for hydroxychloroquine [aROR: 5.62 (4.94-6.38)], chloroquine[aROR:49.37 (30.63-79.58)], and hydroxychloroquine + azithromycin[aROR:33.09 (21.22-51.61)]. Conclusion: Hydroxychloroquine/chloroquine and/or azithromycin was associated with QTp/TdP safety signals and their use should be monitored carefully.

Facial Paralysis Following Influenza Vaccination: A Disproportionality Analysis Using the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System Database

Background and Objective

Several cases of facial paralysis have been reported following influenza vaccination; however, recent surveillance studies have not shown an increased risk. In this study, we analyzed the vaccine adverse event reporting system (VAERS) data to determine whether the facial paralysis reporting rate is higher in those who received influenza vaccination compared with those who received other vaccines.

Methods

We evaluated reports of facial paralysis in people who received influenza vaccination during January 2015 to October 2019 using Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities Preferred Terms. A disproportionality analysis was performed to determine the proportional reporting ratio (PRR), Chi-square statistic, and reporting odds ratio (ROR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). The demographic and clinical characteristics of the cases were also analyzed.

Results

Two hundred fifty cases of facial paralysis following influenza vaccination were reported during the study period. The median age of the patients was 45 (interquartile range, 30–57) years; 132 (52.8%) patients were females. The majority of the patients received the injected trivalent or quadrivalent seasonal influenza vaccine by intramuscular route. The PRR, Chi-square statistic, and ROR (95% CI) was 2.44, 122.32, and 2.44 (2.08–2.88), respectively; on excluding cases involving concomitant paresis/paralysis of limbs or Guillain–Barre syndrome, the disproportionality statistics were 2.30, 89.37, and 2.30 (1.93–2.75), respectively.

Conclusions

Our study shows increased reporting of facial paralysis following influenza vaccination as compared with other vaccines. Considering the inherent limitations of the VAERS database analysis, and the fact that disproportionality measures only indicate the presence of a signal, our study findings need to be explored in well-designed prospective pharmacoepidemiologic studies.

Do proton pump inhibitors increase mortality? A systematic review and in-depth analysis of the evidence

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) were primarily approved for short-term use (2 to 8 weeks). However, PPI use continues to expand. Widely believed to be safe, we reviewed emerging evidence on increased mortality with PPI long-term use. Our 2016 systematic PPI drug class review found that mortality was not reported as an outcome in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that directly compared different PPIs. We sought more recent and comprehensive data on PPI harm outcomes from research syntheses as a follow-on. A search was conducted from January 2014 to January 2020. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central for evidence from systematic reviews (SRs) and primary studies reporting all-cause mortality in adults treated with a PPI for any indication (duration >12 weeks) compared to patients without PPI treatment (no use, placebo, or H2RA use). Two independent investigators assessed study eligibility, synthesized evidence, and assessed the quality of the included studies. Data on all-cause mortality were sought, analyzed, critically examined, and interpreted herein. From 1304 articles, one SR was identified that reported on all-cause mortality. The SRs pooled three observational studies with data to 1 year: odds ratio, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.53-1.84. A RCT, the COMPASS (Cardiovascular Outcomes for People Using Anticoagulant Strategies) RCT with data to 3 years: hazard ratio (HR) 1.03, 95% CI 0.92-1.15. The US Veterans Affairs cohort study using a large national dataset with data to 10 years found a HR of 1.17, 95% CI (1.10-1.24) and (NNH) of 22. The most common causes of death were from cardiovascular and chronic kidney diseases, with an excess death of 15 and 4 per 1000 patients, respectively, over the 10-year period. Harms arising from real-world medication use are best evaluated using a pharmacovigilance "convergence of proof" approach using data from a variety of sources and various study designs. Given that most PPI indications for use recommended a treatment duration of less than 12 weeks, it seems clear that PPIs were significantly overused in older patients. The median exposure time to PPI ranged from 1 to 4.6 years. Signals of serious harms including increased mortality with long-term PPI use are reported in observational studies. The COMPASS trial findings are not inconsistent with contemporaneous findings from observational studies. The COMPASS RCT was unlikely to detect an increase in mortality given the trial was not powered to detect this outcome. The potential increase in mortality in older patients associated with prolonged PPI exposure needs to be conveyed to health professionals. Clinicians and patients may be able to reverse the relentless expansion of long-term PPI exposure by reviewing indications and considering potential harms as well as benefits.