Comparison of electronic self‐reported prescription medication use during pregnancy with the national prescription register in Denmark

COVID-19 Vaccination Reactions and Risk of Breakthrough Infections Among People With Diabetes: Cohort Study Derived From Community Reporters

BACKGROUND

This exploratory study compares self-reported COVID-19 vaccine side effects and breakthrough infections in people who described themselves as having diabetes with those who did not identify as having diabetes.

OBJECTIVE

The study uses person-reported data to evaluate differences in the perception of COVID-19 vaccine side effects between adults with diabetes and those who did not report having diabetes.

METHODS

This is a retrospective cohort study conducted using data provided online by adults aged 18 years and older residing in the United States. The participants who voluntarily self-enrolled between March 19, 2021, and July 16, 2022, in the IQVIA COVID-19 Active Research Experience project reported clinical and demographic information, COVID-19 vaccination, whether they had experienced any side effects, test-confirmed infections, and consented to linkage with prescription claims. No distinction was made for this study to differentiate prediabetes or type 1 and type 2 diabetes nor to verify reports of positive COVID-19 tests. Person-reported medication use was validated using pharmacy claims and a subset of the linked data was used for a sensitivity analysis of medication effects. Multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate the adjusted odds ratios of vaccine side effects or breakthrough infections by diabetic status, adjusting for age, gender, education, race, ethnicity (Hispanic or Latino), BMI, smoker, receipt of an influenza vaccine, vaccine manufacturer, and all medical conditions. Evaluations of diabetes medication-specific vaccine side effects are illustrated graphically to support the examination of the magnitude of side effect differences for various medications and combinations of medications used to manage diabetes.

RESULTS

People with diabetes (n=724) reported experiencing fewer side effects within 2 weeks of vaccination for COVID-19 than those without diabetes (n=6417; mean 2.7, SD 2.0 vs mean 3.1, SD 2.0). The adjusted risk of having a specific side effect or any side effect was lower among those with diabetes, with significant reductions in fatigue and headache but no differences in breakthrough infections over participants' maximum follow-up time. Diabetes medication use did not consistently affect the risk of specific side effects, either using self-reported medication use or using only diabetes medications that were confirmed by pharmacy health insurance claims for people who also reported having diabetes.

CONCLUSIONS

People with diabetes reported fewer vaccine side effects than participants not reporting having diabetes, with a similar risk of breakthrough infection.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04368065; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04368065.

Factors associated with medication adherence among adults with asthma

OBJECTIVE

Asthma medication adherence is of crucial importance for successful disease management. The aim of this study was to identify and rank factors associated with medication adherence among adults with asthma in the general population.

METHODS

We used data on physician-diagnosed asthma, medication adherence, and factors associated with asthma medication adherence from the Danish General Suburban Population Study using a cross-sectional study design. We ranked factors associated with asthma medication adherence based on the magnitude of odds ratios, and the population attributable fractions.

RESULTS

Among 20,032 individuals from the general population, 1,128 (6%) suffered from asthma and 822 (73%) of these were adherent to asthma medications. Based on odds ratios, the three top-ranked factors associated with asthma medication adherence were asthma attacks within the past year (4.0; 95% CI: 2.9-5.5), allergy medication use (3.8; 2.6-5.6), and age above median (3.4; 2.4-4.7), followed by asthma severity markers like airway obstruction, and coughing with mucus. Based on population attributable fractions, the three top-ranked factors associated with adherence to asthma medications were asthma attacks within the past year (70%), age above median (57%), and use of allergy medication (49%).

CONCLUSIONS

The study showed that in the general population recent asthma attacks, higher age, and taking allergy medication were the three most important factors associated with asthma medication adherence. The importance of maintaining adherence to asthma medications even in the absence of severe disease or expressed asthma symptoms should be better communicated to the general population.

Prenatal exposure to nitrofurantoin and risk of childhood leukaemia: a registry-based cohort study in four Nordic countries

Background

Studies have suggested increased risks of childhood leukaemia after prenatal exposure to antibiotics, particularly nitrofurantoin. However, these findings may be related to the underlying maternal infection. This multinational study aimed to investigate the association between prenatal nitrofurantoin exposure and childhood leukaemia while accounting for maternal infection.

Methods

In a population-based cohort study of children born in Denmark, Finland, Norway or Sweden from 1997 to 2013, prenatal exposure to nitrofurantoin or pivmecillinam (active comparator) was ascertained from national Prescription Registries. Childhood leukaemia was identified by linkage to national Cancer Registries. Poisson regression was used to estimate incidence rate ratios (IRRs) and incidence rate differences (IRDs) with inverse probability of treatment weights applied to account for confounding.

Results

We included 44 091 children prenatally exposed to nitrofurantoin and 247 306 children prenatally exposed to pivmecillinam. The children were followed for 9.3 years on average (standard deviation 4.1). There were 161 cases of childhood leukaemia. The weighted IRR for prenatal nitrofurantoin exposure when compared with pivmecillinam was 1.34 (95% confidence interval 0.88, 2.06), corresponding to an IRD of 15 per million person-years. Higher point estimates were seen for first- and third-trimester exposure. There was no evidence of a dose–response relationship.

Conclusions

Prenatal exposure to nitrofurantoin was not substantially associated with childhood leukaemia, although a slightly elevated IRR with confidence intervals including the null was observed, corresponding to a small absolute risk. The lack of a dose–response relationship and a clear biological mechanism to explain the findings suggests against a causal association.

Risk and impact of chronic cough in obese individuals from the general population

BACKGROUND

Obese individuals may be at higher risk of chronic cough. We investigated the risk and impact of chronic cough in obese individuals from the general population.

METHODS

We recorded chronic cough, body mass index (BMI) and other related clinical conditions in 44 554 adults from the Copenhagen General Population Study. Individuals with asthma and/or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were excluded (n=10 977). BMI was divided into: underweight (BMI <18.5 kg/m²), normal weight (18.5-24.9 kg/m²), overweight (25.0-29.9 kg/m²), obese (30.0-34.9 kg/m²) and severely obese (≥35.0 kg/m²).

RESULTS

Among 33 577 adults from the general population, 27 829 (83%) were non-obese and 5748 (17%) were obese. Compared with individuals with normal weight, multivariable adjusted ORs for chronic cough risk were 1.4 (95% CI 1.2 to 1.6) in overweight, 1.9 (95% CI 1.7 to 2.2) in obese and 2.6 (95% CI 2.1 to 3.2) in severely obese individuals. Mediation analyses showed that chronic cough due to obesity was up to 23% mediated by gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Other mediators included low vegetable intake with 10% and occupational exposure with 8%. Among obese individuals, those with versus without chronic cough had worse accompanying respiratory symptoms, more often comorbidities including GERD and diabetes, greater healthcare utilisations, lower lung function and higher blood inflammation (all p<0.05).

CONCLUSION

There is dose-response relationship between BMI and chronic cough, and chronic cough risk is twofold to threefold higher in obese individuals from the general population. This increased risk was partly mediated by GERD, low vegetable intake and occupational exposure, supporting that there may be benefit to gain by ameliorating some of these factors in obese individuals with chronic cough.

Prenatal exposure to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: A follow-up study in the Norwegian mother, father and child cohort

PURPOSE

To estimate the association between Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children in preschool and primary school, and prenatal exposure to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) by timing and duration.

METHODS

This study was based on the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study linked to the Medical Birth Registry of Norway, the Norwegian Patient Registry (NPR) and the Norwegian Prescription Database (NorPD). NSAID exposure was identified by maternal self-report in pregnancy. Child diagnosis of ADHD was obtained from NPR and NorPD. Symptoms of ADHD at age 5 years were measured using Conners' Parent Rating Scale-Revised, where higher scores correspond to more symptoms. To account for time-varying exposure and confounders, marginal structural models were fitted to estimate hazard ratios and mean difference in z-scores.

RESULTS

The analyses on ADHD diagnosis and ADHD symptoms included 56 340 and 34 961 children respectively. Children exposed to NSAIDs prenatally had no increased risk of ADHD diagnosis (first trimester: HR 1.12, 95% CI 0.86;1.45, second trimester: HR 0.98, 95% CI 0.69;1.38, third trimester: HR 0.68, 95% CI 0.31; 1.46) or ADHD symptoms (first trimester: standardized mean difference 0.03, 95% CI -0.03;0.09, second trimester: standardized mean difference 0.03, 95% CI -0.04;0.11, third trimester: standardized mean difference 0.11, 95% CI -0.03; 0.25). There was no duration-response relationship for either outcome.

CONCLUSION

Though non-differential misclassification of the exposure may have attenuated results, these findings are reassuring and suggest no substantially increased risk of ADHD diagnosis or symptoms in children prenatally exposed to NSAIDs, regardless of timing or duration.

Interaction between Maternal Immune Activation and Antibiotic Use during Pregnancy and Child Risk of Autism Spectrum Disorder

Prenatal exposure to maternal immune activation (MIA) has been implicated as a risk factor for the development of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), though the conditions under which this elevated risk occurs are unclear. Animal literature demonstrates that antibiotic use, which affects the composition of the maternal gut microbiota, modifies the effect of MIA on neurodevelopmental outcomes in the offspring. The aim of this study was to assess whether antibiotic use during pregnancy modifies the association between MIA and subsequent risk of ASD, in a prospective birth cohort with 116 ASD cases and 860 typically developing (TD) child controls. There was no evidence of interaction between fever or genitourinary infection and antibiotic use on the odds of ASD in unadjusted or adjusted analyzes. However, we found evidence of an interaction between flu, specifically in second trimester, and antibiotic use at any point during pregnancy on the odds of ASD in the child. Among women who received an antibiotic during pregnancy, flu in trimester two was not associated with ASD (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.99 [0.43-2.28]). Among women who were not exposed to an antibiotic at any point during pregnancy, flu in second trimester was significantly associated with increased odds of ASD (aOR = 4.05 [1.14-14.38], P = .03), after adjustment for child sex, child birth year, maternal age, gestational age, C-section delivery, and low birthweight. These findings should be treated as hypothesis-generating and suggest that antibiotic use may modify the influence that MIA has on autism risk in the child. LAY SUMMARY: We looked at whether the association between activation of the immune system during pregnancy and risk of the child developing autism spectrum disorder (ASD) differed among women who did or did not take an antibiotic at any point during pregnancy. We examined 116 children with ASD and 860 without ASD and found that flu in second trimester was associated with increased ASD, but only among women who did not take an antibiotic during pregnancy. No other immune activation exposures seemed to interact with antibiotic use.

Bridging the Gap Between RCTs and RWE Through Endpoint Selection

This commentary is authored by several industry real-world evidence (RWE) experts, with support from IQVIA, as part of the 'RWE Leadership Forum': a group of Industry Leaders who have come together as non-competitive partners to understand and respond to RWD/E challenges and opportunities with a single expert voice. Here, the forum discusses the value in bridging the industry disconnect between RTCs and RWE, with a view to promoting the use of RWE in the RCT environment. RCT endpoints are explored along several axes including their clinical relevance and their measure of direct patient benefit, and then compared with their real-world counterparts to identify suitable paths, or gaps, for assimilating RWE endpoints into the RCT environment.