Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMSs): Are They Improving Drug Safety? A Critical Review of REMSs Requiring Elements to Assure Safe Use (ETASU)

Legal and Ethical Issues in the Neurology of Reproductive Health

Women may acquire neurologic conditions during their reproductive years. As a result, the potential for pregnancy must be considered when selecting appropriate treatment of these women. Physicians who adhere to the standard of care through sound clinical judgment, use of shared decision-making, provide appropriate and timely consultation and follow-up, and clearly document all aspects of patient care minimize legal liability in the event of an unanticipated pregnancy resulting in fetal harm due to treatment with a teratogenic medication.

Implementation and Use of Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies Programs in Practice: A Scoping Review of the Literature

BACKGROUND

 Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) programs intend to improve medication safety but can add significant administrative burdens to providers and health systems. Various stakeholders have made efforts to use technology to improve REMS programs.

OBJECTIVES

 The objective of this scoping review is to describe studies evaluating workflows, automation, or electronic data exchange related to REMS programs.

METHODS

 A literature search of PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science was performed for articles published between January 2007 and July 2021. Studies were identified using the relevant Medical Subject Headings terms and related keywords. Articles must have described a workflow change and measured the impact of the workflow change.

RESULTS

 Of 299 citations initially identified, 7 were included in the final review after removing duplicates and articles not meeting predefined inclusion criteria. Included studies consisted of three manuscripts and four conference abstracts. Electronic health record interventions, such as customized order sets and clinical decision support alerts, were the most common strategy reported. Other strategies included developing a portal to verify REMS enrollment, requiring prescribers to contact the dispensing pharmacy, provider education, and restrictions based on the provider specialty. One study evaluated automated data exchange for REMS program processes in a mock environment. Although only three studies reported baseline metrics for comparison, all studies noted an improvement or benefit to the implemented workflow process changes.

CONCLUSION

 There is limited evidence describing REMS workflows, automation, and electronic data exchange. Various strategies to address REMS program requirements were reported, but no studies described the use of data exchange standards in a real-world setting despite efforts by the Food and Drug Administration and other stakeholders. Additional efforts are needed to automate REMS programs.

The Use of Real-World Data to Assess the Impact of Safety-Related Regulatory Interventions

The regulation of medicines seeks to ensure the efficacy, safety, and quality of prescription and non-prescription medicines. Given that the conditions under which a medicine's benefits outweigh its risks are complex, it is essential that communications about the safe and effective use of medicines be clear and actionable. Assessing the impact of interventions to improve the safe and effective use of medicines is a developing area, and one in which real-world data are playing an increasingly important role. Although real-world data are commonly used to assess the impact of regulatory interventions, there are several areas where their use could be improved. Specific areas for improvement include assessing regulatory interventions across a wider range of medicines, rather than concentrating on a relatively few therapeutic areas; assessing more clinically relevant outcomes rather than relying on measures such as changes in the number of prescriptions, which may not always correlate with the desired impact; assessing the potential unintended or negative consequences of regulatory interventions; applying methods to address potential confounders; assessing long-term, rather than just short-term, impacts of an intervention; increasing the use of comparator groups, when feasible; and evaluating the impact of regulatory interventions from multiple dimensions, rather than from a single dimension. Expanded use of real-world data could inform some of these efforts, although data sources beyond administrative claims data will likely be necessary to achieve all these goals.

Optimization of REMS Program Compliance in a Large Academic Health System

Ensuring compliance with all applicable Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) programs within a health system is challenging. These FDA-mandated programs are numerous, unique, and ever-changing. Actions require several stakeholders and moving parts. In addition, the effectiveness and impact of these programs has been challenged and is not always clear, which hampers buy-in and therefore compliance.

F&MCW is a health network in southeastern Wisconsin that includes five hospitals and almost 40 clinics. Since 2014, several system-wide approaches to medication use, including formulary alignment and REMS program optimization, have taken place with an over-arching goal of providing efficient, safe, and consistent care for the patients and populations served.

This manuscript describes the steps that took place over the past six years or so related to REMS program optimization. It also offers practical tips for other health systems based on lessons learned through this one institution’s experiences.

Pediatric opioid fatalities: What can we learn for prevention?

The aim of this study was to highlight 19 cases investigated by the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner over the last 12 years involving accidental or undetermined manner of death opioid ingestions leading to fatalities in young children. These pediatric ingestions have closely mirrored the opioid epidemic in adults transitioning from prescription medications to illicit drugs including fentanyl and fentanyl analogues. Unlike a typical adult ingestion for purposes of self-harm or pleasure, poisonings in toddlers and infants are usually the result of curiosity, exploration, a decreased sense of danger, or imitation of adult or older sibling behavior. Eleven of the decedents were between the ages of 8 and 24 months. Among the cases were 12 prescription opioid exposure deaths and 7 illicit drug poisonings. A majority of the decedents were found unresponsive in an unkept home and/or in unsafe sleeping spaces with easy access to drugs or drug materials, which stresses the importance of safe pediatric sleeping conditions. After a complete pathological investigation, several of the cases had physical or scene evidence demonstrating that foil, plastic, or paper small enough to be ingested can contain enough potent opioid to cause death. Details from the toxicological investigation are included for each case to provide postmortem whole blood drug concentrations for forensic practitioners. Accidental pediatric poisonings are preventable. Risk reduction through improving awareness and education of the dangers of opioids is a key factor in mitigating these tragedies.

Regulatory experience of handling Risk Management Plans (RMPs) for medicinal products in the EU

Introduction: Risk Management Plans (RMPs) aim to optimize a medicinal product's benefit/risk balance for the individual patient and the target population. Despite differences in regulatory RMP requirements between jurisdictions worldwide, their ultimate aim is to protect public health.Areas covered: The review presents findings of different RMP requirements by different regulatory authorities and additional risk minimization measures (issued between January 2010 and December 2018) indicate how RMPs and additional risk minimization measures translate into actions to protect public health within the European Union (EU) member states and worldwide. Areas covered also include the different International Council for Harmonization (ICH) regional requirements of RMPs by the different regulatory authorities as well as data regarding the number of RMP assessments carried out by the EMA, FDA and Japan, and number of safety communications issued in Malta (taken as an example of a typical small EU member state) and in the United States of America (USA).Expert opinion: The EU legislation adopted in 2010 required RMPs to be included in all new applications for medicinal products in the EU, both for EU centrally authorized and nationally authorized medicinal products. Lessons learnt by EU regulators during this process are discussed in this review.

Menstruation and contraception patterns of female adolescent transplant recipients

BACKGROUND

There is a lack of knowledge regarding menstrual cycles and contraception usage for adolescent transplant patients and families. Solid organ transplant patients start teratogenic medications which have pregnancy implications. We explore adolescent female solid organ transplant recipient and guardian's contraceptive knowledge and attitudes as well as menstrual patterns.

METHODS

A cross-sectional descriptive research design was utilized to collect information from adolescent female transplant patients who are on mycophenolate mofetil after solid organ transplant and their guardians within our freestanding children's hospital via a survey. The sample consisted of all female adolescent patients who have completed a solid organ transplant and are on mycophenolate mofetil from April 2016 through May 2017.

RESULTS

Twenty-one patients were approached, of which nineteen patients and seventeen guardians completed the survey. The average age of the patient was 16.2 years. The average age at time of transplant was 12.2 years. The type of transplants includes renal (57.1%), heart (23.8%), and liver (4.8%). There were six patients (33.3%) who had a history of sexual activity; among these patients, the mean number of partners in the last year was 1.2. Menstrual concerns included dysmenorrhea, irregular bleeding, and heavy bleeding pre- and post-transplant, respectively. Participants reported contraceptive counseling prior to and after transplant approximately half of the time.

CONCLUSIONS

Adolescent solid organ transplant patients have multiple reproductive needs including contraception, dysmenorrhea, and irregular bleeding. Integration of contraceptive knowledge into clinical care received by adolescents with solid organ transplants is supported by knowledge gained through this study.

Antidepressant Use in Medicaid-Insured Youth: Trends, Covariates, and Future Research Needs

BACKGROUND

Detailed research on long-term antidepressant (AD) trends within a single large US Medicaid population of youth has not heretofore been reported.

METHODS

Administrative claims data for eight annual timepoints across 28 years (1987-2014) were organized for youth (<20 years old) who were continuously enrolled during each study year in a mid-Atlantic state Medicaid program. Total annual AD prevalence and age-, gender-, race-, eligibility group-, and diagnosis-specific prevalence were formed from bivariate analyses; logistic regression assessed the change in use (2007-2014) adjusted for covariates. AD-polypharmacy data were assessed in 2014.

RESULTS

The major findings are: 1) AD use in state Medicaid enrollees grew 14-fold between 1987 and 2014. Data from 2014 revealed significantly increased odds of youth with SSRI/SNRI dispensings compared to 2007 (AOR=1.15 95% CI 1.11-1.19), representing 78% of total AD users. 2) Recent AD increases were greatest for 15-19-year olds. 3) AD use in girls passed up AD use in boys for the first time in 2014. 4) In 2014, ADs for foster care (12.7%) were 6 times greater than for their income-eligible Medicaid-counterparts. 5) In 2014, a quarter of AD-medicated youth were diagnosed with a behavior disorder. 6) More than 40 percent of AD medicated youth had >=1 other concomitant psychotropic classes for 60 or more days.

CONCLUSIONS

Second-generation antidepressant use in Medicaid-insured youth has increased despite growing questions that pediatric AD benefits may not outweigh harms. These patterns support the call for publicly funded, independent investigator-conducted post-marketing outcomes research.

Comparative effectiveness of risk mitigation strategies to prevent fetal exposure to mycophenolate

Background

In 2012, the US Food and Drug Administration approved a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) programme including mandatory prescriber training and a patient/provider acknowledgement form to prevent fetal exposure to mycophenolate. Prior to the REMS, the teratogenic risk was solely mitigated via written information (black box warning, medication guide (MG period)). To date, there is no evidence on the effectiveness of the REMS.

Methods

We used a national private health insurance claims database to identify women aged 15–44 who filled ≥1 mycophenolate prescription. To compare fetal exposure during REMS with the MG period, we estimated the prevalence of pregnancy at treatment initiation in a pre/post comparison (analysis 1) and the rate of conception during treatment in a retrospective cohort study (analysis 2). Pregnancy episodes were measured based on diagnosis and procedure codes for pregnancy outcomes or prenatal screening. We used generalised estimating equation models with inverse probability of treatment weighting to calculate risk estimates.

Results

The adjusted proportion of existing pregnancy per 1000 treatment initiations was 1.7 (95% CI 1.0 to 2.9) vs 4.1 (95% CI 3.2 to 5.4) during the REMS and MG period. The adjusted prevalence ratio and prevalence difference were 0.42 (95% CI 0.24 to 0.74) and −2.4 (95% CI −3.8 to −1.0), respectively. In analysis 2, the adjusted rate of conception was 12.5 (95% CI 8.9 to 17.6) vs 12.9 (95% CI 9.9 to 16.9) per 1000 years of mycophenolate exposure time in the REMS versus MG periods. The adjusted risk ratio and risk difference were 0.97 (95% CI 0.63 to 1.49) and −0.4 (95% CI −5.9 to 5.0), respectively. Sensitivity analyses on the estimated conception date demonstrated robustness of our findings.

Conclusion

While the REMS programme achieved less pregnancies at treatment initiation, it failed to prevent the onset of pregnancy during treatment. Enhanced approaches to ensure effective contraception during treatment should be considered.

A comparison of response in the presence or absence of a delay in induction therapy with bortezomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone

Purpose

Lenalidomide, bortezomib, and dexamethasone (RVd) has emerged as a preferred induction therapy in multiple myeloma (MM) in the United States. Due to lenalidomide's teratogenic risk, patients and prescribers must comply with a risk evaluation and mitigation strategy (REMS) program. The REMS program limits dispensing to certain third-party specialty pharmacies, whose average prescription fill times are longer than in-house specialty pharmacies. In practice, a delay in procurement of lenalidomide may mean that patients start therapy with only bortezomib and dexamethasone, delaying the start of more effective triplet therapy. The primary objective of this study is to determine if a delay from start of bortezomib and dexamethasone to start of triplet therapy with lenalidomide impacts rate of achievement of very good partial response (VGPR) after four cycles of RVd.

Methods

This was a single-center retrospective review of adults with newly diagnosed MM who received RVd induction therapy at University of North Carolina Medical Center between April 2014 and June 2017. Patients who started lenalidomide ≥10 days after bortezomib comprised the “Delay” group, while those who started lenalidomide concurrently with bortezomib or within 1–9 days after bortezomib comprised the “No Delay” group. The primary outcome was VGPR or better response rate after four cycles of RVd.

Results

Thirty-eight patients met inclusion criteria. Nine patients (23.7%) experienced any delay in initiation of lenalidomide, with a mean delay of 7.8 days (range 1–18). Four patients (10.5%) experienced a delay ≥10 days. No patients in the Delay group were of reproductive potential, compared to 8.8% in the No Delay group ( p = 0.54). VGPR or better response rate did not differ between the Delay and No Delay groups (66.7% vs. 58.8%, p = 0.79). The mean number of lenalidomide prescriptions generated per RVd cycle was 1.35 (range 1–5, SD 0.74).

Conclusions

This study did not demonstrate an effect on clinical response after delays ≥10 days between bortezomib and lenalidomide initiation. No patients in the delay group were females of reproductive potential, which is the primary target for increased safety behind the REMS program.

Abuse-deterrent Opioid Formulations

Abuse-deterrent opioid formulations have been suggested as one way to decrease the abuse, addiction, and overdose of orally prescribed opioids. Ten oral opioid formulations have received abuse-deterrent labeling by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Their properties consist of physical and/or chemical means by which the pills resist manipulation and create a barrier to unintended administration, such as chewing, nasal snorting, smoking, and intravenous injection. In this review, we describe the mechanisms of abuse-deterrent technology, the types of premarketing studies required for FDA approval, the pharmacology of the currently approved abuse-deterrent opioid formulations, and the evidence for and against their influence on opioid abuse. We conclude that there is currently insufficient evidence to indicate that the availability of abuse-deterrent opioid formulations has altered the trajectory of opioid overdose and addiction; however, postmarketing studies are in their infancy, and novel deterrent formulations are continually being developed and submitted for marketing approval.