Showing posts with label Adverse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Adverse. Show all posts

Friday, June 8, 2012

Health 2.0 and ONC Announce the Winner of the Reporting Device Adverse Events Challenge

SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire -06/07/12)- Today, Health 2.0 and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) are announcing the winner of the Investing in Innovation initiative's (i2) Reporting Device Adverse Events Challenge. The i2 initiative utilizes prizes and challenges to facilitate innovation and obtain solutions to intractable health IT problems. Aligned with the Obama administration's innovation agenda, it is the first federal program to operate under the authority of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act.

The Challenge -- which launched on September 12, 2011 -- called attention to adverse events related to medical devices. With the spread of electronic health records, medical devices will continue to play increasing roles in monitoring and collecting patient data. As patients play larger roles in managing their health, the devices that are used in hospitals, clinics and homes must become easier to use and monitor. The United States has a limited system for the post-market surveillance of medical devices, specifically as relating to monitoring product safety and effectiveness. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) operates the Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience (MAUDE) database, which catalogs reports of adverse events involving medical devices used in a variety of settings.

In order to improve the post-market surveillance of medical devices, it is important to innovate beyond the MAUDE database. ONC identified a need for a system that increased the rate of reporting of adverse events, improved the quality of the reported data, collected and analyzed information on providers using devices and patients receiving the devices and makes the data more dynamic and continuous to identify trends in real-time. The Reporting Device Adverse Events Challenge tasked teams with creating applications to meet these needs.

"This was one of our most technically difficult i2 Challenges. We commend the participating teams for their efforts and encourage them to continue to work on their products after the Challenge," said Wil Yu, Special Assistant for Innovations at ONC.

As the winner, Team IOSTREAM will receive $25,000 in prizes. A brief summary of the winning application follows:

IOSTREAM -- submitted by Doug Brown -- the MedDAERS system by IOSTREAM is a web-portal for health professionals and consumers to voluntarily report the adverse events, product problems and product use errors associated with medical devices. Submitted reports are converted into electronic versions of the MedWatch 3500 form. The website has two entry points -- the first is for users who wish to fill out and submit voluntary reports, the second is those with login credentials and is used to view the XML formatted voluntary reports that have been submitted.

To learn more about the Reporting Device Adverse Events Challenge, visit the Challenge's website (http://www.health2con.com/devchallenge/reporting-device-adverse-events-challenge/).

About ONC
ONC is the principal Federal entity charged with coordination of nationwide efforts to implement and use the most advanced health information technology and the electronic exchange of health information. The position of National Coordinator was created in 2004, through an Executive Order and legislatively mandated in the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act) of 2009. For more information, see http://healthit.hhs.gov/.

About the Investing in Innovation (i2) Initiative
The Investing in Innovation (i2) program utilizes prizes and challenges to facilitate innovation and obtain solutions to intractable health IT problems. Aligned with the Administration's innovation agenda, i2 is the first federal program to operate under the authority of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010, signed into law by President Obama on January 4, 2011. For details see http://www.health2con.com/devchallenge/challenges/onc-i2-challenges/

About Health 2.0
The conference. The media network. The innovation community. The Health 2.0 Conference is the leading showcase of cutting-edge innovation transforming the health care system. Since its beginning in 2007, Health 2.0 has served as a community resource for search and online tools to help consumers manage their health and connect to providers. Now that the industry has caught up, Health 2.0 covers the entire cloud, web, mobile and unplatforms technology revolution that is shaking up every sector of health care. For more, visit http://www.health2con.com.


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Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Gilenya (Fingolimod): MS Drug Under Health Canada Review in Light of Serious Adverse Events

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire -02/27/12)- Health Canada is informing Canadians of an ongoing safety review of the multiple sclerosis (MS) drug Gilenya (the brand name for fingolimod). The review was initiated following reports of serious adverse events, including 11 deaths reported internationally. No deaths have been reported in Canada.

Gilenya is a prescription drug authorized for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis to reduce the frequency of attacks (relapses) and delay physical disability. Gilenya is generally recommended when other MS treatments have not been effective or cannot be tolerated. It was authorized in Canada in March 2011.

Currently, it is not clear whether the deaths were caused by Gilenya or whether other factors may have played a role. Four of the 11 reports involved serious heart-related events (three involved heart attacks and one involved a disturbance of the heart rhythm), while the other seven are unexplained. Among these seven is a report involving a patient in the United States who died within 24 hours of taking the first dose.

At the time of authorization, it was known that Gilenya can be associated with certain types of heart rhythm disturbances. The Canadian labelling contains several important warnings with respect to these risks. At this time, when the drug is used as recommended in the authorized Canadian drug label, the benefits of Gilenya are considered to outweigh the risks.

Healthcare professionals are advised to continue to follow the labeling instructions closely, particularly with respect to patient monitoring. Specifically, the label recommends that physicians:

 

--  Obtain an ECG (electrocardiogram) before the first dose if one is not
available in the last 6 months
--  Observe patients for signs and symptoms of bradyarrhythmia (slow heart
rate), including periodic assessment of heart rate, for at least six
hours after the first dose (or if more than two weeks have passed since
the previous dose).
--  Initiate appropriate treatment if clinically important heart-related
symptoms occur. Symptoms include bradyarrhythmia or atrioventricular
block (a problem with the conduction of electricity in the heart).
Continue to manage and monitor patients until symptoms have resolved.
--  Measure blood pressure regularly as Gilenya is known to increase blood
pressure.

Patients taking Gilenya who experience symptoms of heart problems should report them immediately. Symptoms include chest pain, slow or irregular heartbeat, or feeling dizzy. Patients should not stop taking Gilenya without first consulting a healthcare professional. Patients who have any questions or concerns about their Gilenya therapy should speak to their healthcare professional.

Before starting Gilenya, patients should tell their doctor if they are taking other medications such as drugs used to treat abnormal heart rhythms, beta blockers or calcium channel blockers, or if they have a history of heart-related problems such as low heart rate, heart rhythm disorders, congestive heart failure, or fainting.

Health Canada continues to assess all available information, including information from the company (Novartis), and information from other regulators. Health Canada will take appropriate action based on the results of its review. This includes communicating new safety information to health professionals and the public as soon as the review is complete, as appropriate.

Drug labels, also known as "Product Monographs," contain important prescribing and safety information for health professionals and patients, and are available by search of Health Canada's Drug Product Database (http://webprod3.hc-sc.gc.ca/dpd-bdpp/index-eng.jsp).

How to report side effects to health products

To report suspected adverse reaction (side effect) to these or other health products, please contact Health Canada's Canada Vigilance Program toll-free at 1-866-234-2345, or complete a Canada Vigilance Reporting Form (http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/dhp-mps/medeff/report-declaration/index-eng.php) and send to us using one of these methods:

- Fax: 1-866-678-6789

- Internet: www.healthcanada.gc.ca/medeffect

- Mail (Get a postage-paid label (http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/dhp-mps/medeff/report-declaration/post_paid-affranchi-eng.php)):

 

Canada Vigilance Program
Marketed Health Products Directorate
Ottawa, ON, Address Locator 0701E
K1A 0K9

Egalement disponible en francais


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