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Fulltext Effectiveness of posthemodialysis administration of pregabalin (75 mg) in treatment resistance uremia pruritus

Khan TM, Aziz A, Suleiman AK

J Pharm Bioallied Sci, 2016 3 10;8(1):74-6.
PMID: 26957874 DOI: 10.4103/0975-7406.171736

Uremic pruritus (UP) is one of the complications faced by majority of the patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD). Due to complex pathophysiology of UP, most of the anti-inflammatory and tropical lubricants often not provide a long lasting control over pruritus. Recently the uses of certain anti-epileptics are found to demonstrate promising relief to UP. To test the effect of 75 mg pregabalin in patients with treatment resistance pruritus. Data was prospectively collected from a patient with ESRD and suffering from treatment resistance pruritus. Intensity of pruritus was recorded using 5D-itching scale (5D-IS) and visual analogue scale (VAS). Pre and post assessment was done for this patient, on initial assess the parathyroid hormone level of the patient was 70.5 pg/ml with a serum phosphate level of 2.61 mmol/L. Upon initial assess the VAS score was 8 and 5D-IS score was twenty. After the duration of four weeks of pregabalin 75 mg post hemodialysis, 5D-IS score reduced to 8 and VAS score move down to 3. Pregabalin 75 mg post hemodialysis was found to reduce the intensity of UP. Pregabalin 75 mg post hemodialysis can be another option to treat UP.
Pharmaceutical Pricing Policies and Procedures in Saudi Arabia: A Narrative Review

Khan TM, Emeka P, Suleiman AK, Alnutafy FS, Aljadhey H

Ther Innov Regul Sci, 2016 Mar;50(2):236-240.
PMID: 30227009 DOI: 10.1177/2168479015609648

From inception, the health care system in Saudi Arabia has ensured the availability of health care facilities to its people. This article discusses the pharmaceutical pricing policies and the impact of health drug prices on the public in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A review of government and Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) policy documents, guidelines, and articles published in PubMed and other indexed journals (N = 10) was performed to identify the relevant literature. Results showed that the government appears poised and focused on the availability of better health care facilities to the Saudi population. The pharmaceutical market in Saudi Arabia commands a large portion of the pharmaceuticals market share in the entire Middle East region. The government, through the SFDA, sets the prices of pharmaceutical products. There are occasional price variations, which are induced by a number of factors. However, because the Saudis enjoy free health care coupled with the recent introduction of a compulsory health insurance policy, the impact of price variation is not felt. In addition, the Saudis prefer using branded medicines. The SFDA plays a major role in price regulation by setting up rules for pharmaceutical product pricing. However, there appears to be little or no impact of pharmaceutical price variation in Saudi Arabia because of better earning power among the population and free health care access to public health facilities.
Key Elements of Pharmacoinformatics for the Degrees of Bachelor and Master of Pharmacy

Zainal INA, Karim NAA, Soh YC, Suleiman AK, Khan TM, Hameed MA, et al.

Ther Innov Regul Sci, 2017 Jul;51(4):419-425.
PMID: 30227049 DOI: 10.1177/2168479017701977

The Internet and rapid development of technology has led to the application of pharmacoinformatic technologies in improving the efficiency of the medication use process. By integrating pharmacoinformatics in pharmacy education, a qualified workforce of pharmacists well trained in the perspective of both pharmacy practice and informatics for safe and positive health-related outcomes can be produced. This survey assessed the level of importance of the suggested topics for pharmacoinformatics courses for pharmacy bachelor's and master's degrees by giving a questionnaire to pharmacy lecturers in both public and private universities, and to pharmacists registered with the Ministry of Health, Malaysia. Briefly the study of pharmacoinformatics was classified into 5 major areas: Drug Information Services, Information Technology & Internet, Drug Formulary Management, Supply Chain Management, and Health Policy. The relative importance of all relevant topics were evaluated and reported. It was found that compared with the undergraduate level, master's degree had higher expectations, and thus a more in-depth pharmacoinformatics curriculum content. In addition, the experiential method of learning instead of formal lectures alone was used on pharmacy master's courses. The findings from this survey could serve as a guide to improve pharmacoinformatics curricula in order to produce pharmacists who can safely and effectively utilize pharmacy informatics to disseminate information in drug use.
Fulltext Comparing dual oral agents plus insulin vs. Triple oral agents in uncontrolled type II diabetes: A pilot study

Gul N, Rehman IU, Shah Y, Ali AM, Ali Z, Shehzad O, et al.

PLoS One, 2024;19(11):e0311435.
PMID: 39570934 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0311435

INTRODUCTION: Type II Diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients often do not achieve glycemic control with oral hypoglycemic agents (OHAs). There are two main approaches to address this challenge: transitioning to a triple OHA regimen, or adding Insulin to the existing dual OHA regimen.
AIM: This study aimed to compare the efficacy of adding Insulin to dual OHAs (Sitagliptin + Metformin) against adding a third OHA to Sitagliptin + Metformin in achieving glycemic control among patients with uncontrolled T2DM.
METHOD: A pre-post study was conducted between 21 September 2023 and 21 December 2023 at Services Hospital Peshawar, Pakistan. Patients with uncontrolled T2DM with >7% HbA1c were divided into group 1 (Sitagliptin + Metformin plus a third OHA), and group 2 (Sitagliptin + Metformin plus pre-mixed Insulin 70/30). Glycemic control based on HbA1c values, fasting and random blood sugar levels, lipid profile, and body weight were evaluated after 3 months of therapy. The pre- and post- effect was compared by using a paired t-test.
RESULTS: The study included n = 80 patients with T2DM. Between groups 1 and 2, no significant difference was found in HbA1c values (9.1 vs. 9, with p = 0.724). However, BMI, cholesterol, and LDL significantly decreased in group 1 compared to group 2 (p<0.001 vs. p = 0.131, p = 0.023 vs. p = 0.896, and p = 0.003 vs. p = 0.395, respectively). Additionally, the incidence of hypoglycemic episodes was significantly lower in group 1 (7.5%) than in group 2 (47.5%, p = 0.004). No significant difference was observed between the triple OHA and dual OHA plus Insulin regimens in achieving glycemic control.
CONCLUSION: The triple OHA regimen improved BMI, cholesterol, and LDL levels, and reduced hypoglycemic episodes more effectively than dual OHA plus Insulin, despite similar HbA1c outcomes, suggesting it may be preferable for uncontrolled T2DM.
Fulltext Cold chain time- and temperature-controlled transport of vaccines: a simulated experimental study

Ng CZ, Lean YL, Yeoh SF, Lean QY, Lee KS, Suleiman AK, et al.

Clin Exp Vaccine Res, 2020 Jan;9(1):8-14.
PMID: 32095436 DOI: 10.7774/cevr.2020.9.1.8

Purpose: The objective of this research was to examine the cold chain temperature maintenance for the supply of vaccines and other biological products by pharmaceutical wholesaler.
Materials and Methods: In this study, six configurations using cold vaccine boxes or bags made with different materials, with and without insulation, of different sizes, and number of coolant-packs were used to simulate the configuration used by the pharmaceutical wholesalers for transportation of vaccine. Model vaccines (vial, n=10) were packed using these six configurations which then stored in an incubator at 38℃ and monitored for 24 hours. Each configuration was tested repeatedly for 5 times.
Results: In term of compliance to 2℃-8℃, four out of six tested configurations are effective in cold chain transportation. The effectiveness is highly dependent on the type of passive containers used, size of cold boxes, insulation, and number of coolant-packs. The configuration with a larger polystyrene foam box with five coolant-packs maintained the required temperature up to 23 hours. In contrast, configurations using a polystyrene foam box with four coolant-packs and a large vaccine cold box with two coolant-packs failed to reach below 8℃ throughout the 24 hours.
Conclusion: Packaging method, the material and size of the container could have a direct impact on the effectiveness of cold chain temperature maintenance. Polystyrene foam box, cold box with polyethylene interior lining and polypropylene insulation, a cooler bag with proper number of ice packs could be effectively used for transportation of vaccines within their respective transportation duration allowance.
Challenges of having a child with thalassemia in Pakistan: A phenomenological study

Rehman IU, Khan TM, Bukhsh A, Munawar K, Suleiman AK, Ming LC, et al.

J Pediatr Nurs, 2023;72:e179-e186.
PMID: 37414623 DOI: 10.1016/j.pedn.2023.06.026

BACKGROUND: Thalassemia is a persistent hemolytic disease and has debilitating effects on patients and their parents. Parents of these children experience pain and suffer from additional emotional strain as they provide daily and lifetime care and are mostly concerned about the health and future of their children.
AIM: The study aimed to understand the experiences of parents of children with thalassemia related to their family, financial, social, treatment, and psychological issues in Pakistan.
METHODS: This descriptive phenomenological study recruited 21 parents of children with thalassemia through purposive sampling until data saturation was achieved. Analysis of transcribed interviews was performed through Colaizzi's method and themes and subthemes revolving around diagnosis, challenges, and treatment issues were extracted.
FINDINGS: A total of 21 Pakistani parents participated in this study. Most of the participants were females (n = 16, 76.19%), housewives/stay-at-home moms (n = 13 (61.90%), and were uneducated (n = 6, 28.57%). Regarding genetic traits, only three (14.28%) parents declared that they had genetic traits of thalassemia. The findings of our study revealed that thalassemia is enormously influenced by psychosocial and economic problems because of this disease in their families.
CONCLUSION: Our findings indicated that parents of these children face multi-faceted challenges, such as physical, socio-emotional, financial, and familial. These findings may lead to an adequate understanding of their individual needs and efficient utilization of supportive and care programs.
PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: An understanding of such experiences, involving those distinctive to Pakistani culture, is especially vital to inform the care of these children and enhance their quality of life.