Risk of Hospitalization for Adverse Drug Events in Women and Men: A Post Hoc Analysis of an Active Pharmacovigilance Study in Italian Emergency Departments

Suspected adverse reactions to medications and food supplements containing Serenoa repens: A worldwide analysis of pharmacovigilance and phytovigilance spontaneous reports

The safety of Serenoa repens (SR)-containing products was evaluated conducting a retrospective worldwide analysis of pharmaco- and phytovigilance report forms of suspected adverse reactions (SARs) collected up to 31 January 2022. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to estimate the odds ratios (ORs) of serious SAR. A total of 1810 report forms were analysed; 92% of subjects were males, with a median age of 69 years; 44% of cases were defined as serious. Subjects exposed to dietary supplements had a higher risk of developing serious SARs (OR: 1.60 [95% CI: 1.20-2.15]), as subjects exposed to 2-5 (OR: 1. 83 [95% CI: 1.30-2.58]) or more than 5 (OR: 3.45 [95% CI: 2.36-5.06]) suspect/interacting products. The probability of experiencing serious SAR was higher for subjects exposed to concomitant products (OR: 1.55 [95% CI: 1.15-2.08]), to more than four active compounds (OR: 4.38 [95% CI: 3.21-5.99]) and to SR for more than 14 days (OR: 1.89 [95% CI: 1.10-3, 22]), and lower for subjects exposed to higher doses of SR (OR: of 0.34 [95% CI: 0.20-0.58]). This evidence improves awareness on safety of SR containing products, suggesting the need of a further update of periodic reviews by national and international regulatory agencies.

Sex differences in adverse drug reactions: Are women more impacted?

Pharmacovigilance and pharmacoepidemiology studies regarding the sex difference in adverse drug reactions are numerous, and it is now a challenge to take them into account in order to increase drug safety. Here, we present an overview of this topic through data on epidemiology, mechanisms, and methods used for assessing sex differences in drug safety. Because the literature is extensive, we choose to expose a few examples of studies for cardiovascular drugs, anti-infectious, psychotropics, antidiabetics, anticancer drugs and some specific drugs to illustrate our purpose. Many studies show a higher risk in women for most of drugs involving in sex differences. However, physiological, methodological and subjective points have to be taken into account to interpret these results. Clinical trials must also enroll more women to better evaluate sex differences both in efficacy and pharmacovigilance. Nevertheless, when there is a pharmacological rationale underlying the observed association between sex and drug safety profile, it is now unavoidable to think about its consideration for a personalized prescription.

Hospitalisations related to benzodiazepine, Z-drug, and opioid treatment in Italy: a claim on the risks associated with inappropriate use

Purpose

Benzodiazepines (BZD), Z-drugs (ZD), and opioids share a high risk of abuse. This study assessed and characterised adverse events (AEs) related to BDZ, ZD, and opioids leading to emergency department (ED) visits in the Italian setting.

Methods

ED accesses related to BDZ, ZD, and/or opioids were analysed from the MEREAFaPS database. Information on AEs, suspected and concomitant medications was retrieved. Multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate the reporting odds ratios (RORs) of hospitalisation according to the different treatments.

Results

A total of 5,970 pharmacovigilance reports involving BZD/ZD (n = 3,106), opioids (n = 2,767), or their combination (n = 97) were analysed. Compared to opioids, patients with BZD/ZD-related AEs were often younger (51 vs 64 years), more frequently presented 2+ suspected medications (13 vs 3%), and often had a history of abuse (4%). Twenty-three percent of BZD/ZD-related AEs were related to drug abuse (vs 2% of opioid-related ones) and frequently required patient hospitalisation (52% vs 24%), despite the significantly lower clinical complexity of these patients as compared to those on opioids. An increased risk of hospitalisation was found for flurazepam (ROR 1.62; 95% CI, 1.18–2.22), prazepam (2.66; 1.05–6.70), lorazepam (1.26; 1.07–1.49), and morphine (1.76; 1.11–2.79).

Conclusions

These results indicate that, in Italy, the inappropriate use of BZD/ZD is a relevant heath issue, often leading to serious AEs requiring patients’ ED visits and hospitalisation, especially in young women and patients with a history of substance abuse.

Supplementary information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00228-022-03354-7.

Drug-Related Hypersensitivity Reactions Leading to Emergency Department: Original Data and Systematic Review

The aim of the present study is to describe pharmacological characteristics of drug-related allergies and anaphylaxis leading to the emergency department (ED). An 8-year post hoc analysis on the MEREAFaPS Study database was performed (2012−2019). Subjects who experienced drug-related hypersensitivity leading to an ED visit were selected. Logistic regression analyses were used to estimate the reporting odds ratios (RORs) of drug-related allergies and anaphylaxis adjusting for sex, age classes, and ethnicity. In addition, a systematic review of observational studies evaluating drug-related hypersensitivity reactions leading to ED visits in outpatients was performed. Out of 94,073 ED visits, 14.4% cases were drug-related allergies and 0.6% were anaphylaxis. Females accounted for 56%. Multivariate logistic regression showed a higher risk of drug-related allergy among males and all age classes < 65 years, while a higher risk of anaphylaxis was observed for females (ROR 1.20 [1.01−1.42]) and adults (ROR 2.63 [2.21−3.14]). The systematic review included 37 studies. ED visits related to allergy and anaphylaxis ranged from 0.004% to 88%, and drug-related allergies and anaphylaxis ranged from 0.007% to 88%. Both in our analysis and in primary studies, antibacterials, analgesics, and radiocontrast agents were identified as the most common triggers of hypersensitivity.