Introduction: Pharmacovigilance is essential to monitoring the safety profiles of authorized medicines. Compared with small-molecule drugs, biological drugs are more complex, more susceptible to structural variability due to manufacturing processes, and have the potential to induce immune-related reactions, underscoring the importance of safety monitoring for these products. Although highly similar to reference products, biosimilars are not expected to be structurally identical. For these reasons, proper reporting of potential adverse drug reactions (ADRs) using distinguishable names and batch numbers is essential for accurate tracing of all biological drugs. To address the need for robust pharmacovigilance, the European Parliament and Council of the European Union provided legislation regarding pharmacovigilance of biologics in 2010.
Areas covered: This narrative review examines the current state of pharmacovigilance for biologics in the European Union (EU) and discusses relevant information on pharmacovigilance of biosimilars, the current EU pharmacovigilance system, and areas that could be improved.
Expert opinion: Although steps have been taken to improve pharmacovigilance of biologics in the EU, several enhancements can still be made, including additional training for healthcare professionals on ADR reporting, the use of 2D barcodes that enhance traceability, and an open discussion of potentially missed opportunities in the pharmacovigilance of biosimilars. 相似文献
Comparative survival between neoadjuvant chemotherapy and adjuvant chemotherapy for patients with cT2-4N0-1M0 non–small cell lung cancer has not been extensively studied.
Methods
Patients with cT2-4N0-1M0 non–small cell lung cancer who received platinum-based chemotherapy were retrospectively identified. Exclusion criteria included stage IV disease, induction radiotherapy, and targeted therapy. The primary end point was disease-free survival. Secondary end points were overall survival, chemotherapy tolerance, and ability of Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors response to predict survival. Survival was estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method, compared using the log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards models, and stratified using matched pairs after propensity score matching.
Results
In total, 330 patients met the inclusion criteria (n = 92/group after propensity-score matching; median follow-up, 42 months). Five-year disease-free survival was 49% (95% confidence interval, 39-61) for neoadjuvant chemotherapy versus 48% (95% confidence interval, 38-61) for adjuvant chemotherapy (P = .70). On multivariable analysis, disease-free survival was not associated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy or adjuvant chemotherapy (hazard ratio, 1.1; 95% confidence interval, 0.64-1.90; P = .737), nor was overall survival (hazard ratio, 1.21; 95% confidence interval, 0.63-2.30; P = .572). The neoadjuvant chemotherapy group was more likely to receive full doses and cycles of chemotherapy (P = .014/0.005) and had fewer grade 3 or greater toxicities (P = .001). Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy was associated with disease-free survival (P = .035); 15% of patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy (14/92) had a major pathologic response.
Conclusions
Timing of chemotherapy, before or after surgery, is not associated with an improvement in overall or disease-free survival among patients with cT2-4N0-1M0 non–small cell lung cancer who undergo complete surgical resection. 相似文献
Over 36 million people worldwide are infected with HIV. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has proven to be highly effective to prevent HIV-1 transmission, clinical progression and death. Despite this success, the number of HIV-1 infected individuals continues increasing and ART should be taken for life. Therefore, there are two main priorities: the development of preventive vaccines to protect from HIV acquisition and achieve an efficient control of HIV infection in the absence of ART (functional cure). In this sense, in the last few years, there has been a broad interest in new and innovative approaches such as mRNA-based vaccines. RNA-based immunogens represent a promising alternative to conventional vaccines because of their high potency, capacity for rapid development and potential for low-cost manufacture and safe administration. Some mRNA-based vaccines platforms against infectious diseases have demonstrated encouraging results in animal models and humans. However, their application is still limited because the instability and inefficient in vivo delivery of mRNA. Immunogens, design, immunogenicity, chemical modifications on the molecule or the vaccine delivery methods are all crucial interventions for improvement. In this review we, will present the current knowledge and challenges in this research field. mRNA vaccines hold great promises as part of a combined strategy, for achieving HIV functional cure. 相似文献
Glucocorticoid (GC) induced osteoporosis (GIOP) is the most common form of secondary osteoporosis. It develops in a dose and time dependent manner, due to a rapid and transient increase in bone resorption, followed by the inhibition of bone formation. 相似文献
Melatonin, the main hormone produced by the pineal gland, is secreted in a circadian manner (24‐hr period), and its oscillation influences several circadian biological rhythms, such as the regulation of clock genes expression (chronobiotic effect) and the modulation of several endocrine functions in peripheral tissues. Assuming that the circadian synchronization of clock genes can play a role in the regulation of energy metabolism and it is influenced by melatonin, our study was designed to assess possible alterations as a consequence of melatonin absence on the circadian expression of clock genes in the epididymal adipose tissue of male Wistar rats and the possible metabolic repercussions to this tissue. Our data show that pinealectomy indeed has impacts on molecular events: it abolishes the daily pattern of the expression of Clock, Per2, and Cry1 clock genes and Pparγ expression, significantly increases the amplitude of daily expression of Rev‐erbα, and affects the pattern of and impairs adipokine production, leading to a decrease in leptin levels. However, regarding some metabolic aspects of adipocyte functions, such as its ability to synthesize triacylglycerols from glucose along 24 hr, was not compromised by pinealectomy, although the daily profile of the lipogenic enzymes expression (ATP‐citrate lyase, malic enzyme, fatty acid synthase, and glucose‐6‐phosphate dehydrogenase) was abolished in pinealectomized animals. 相似文献