MONTREAL, Aug. 19 /PRNewswire/ - The International Society for Pharmacoepidemiology will hold its 21st International Conference on Pharmacoepidemiology and Therapeutic Risk Management, August 21 to 24, 2005 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
Last year’s annual meeting raised grave concerns about the use of anti- inflammatory medications and the coincidence of sudden-cardiac death, leading many regulatory agencies to review the safety review processes and to force the withdrawal of certain medications.
This year, data will be reviewed which suggests that all anti- inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and COX-2 inhibitors should carry warning labels; other data may suggest that NSAIDs are safe and could reduce the risk of heart attacks. Researchers will also discuss NSAID under use in prevention in subgroups, such as the elderly and African Americans.
According to 2005 Scientific Program Committee Chair Dr. Wayne A. Ray, FISPE, Director of Pharmaco-epidemiology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, researchers will present bell-wether findings relating to human safety, risk management, drug policy and pharmaco-economics:
- Patent system oddities and poor enforcement lead Medicaid to pay more - Lack of information and control for fetal safety when drugs are first marketed; thalidomide a case in point - Illicit prescription drug use, a nationwide health problem, contributing not just to chronic conditions such as insomnia, arthritis and migraine, but also to a type of co-occurring psychiatric disorder related to substance-use disorders
Other significant topics to be presented by epidemiology researchers from around the world will include:
- Beta-Blockers and increased bone formation, decreased hip and vertebral fractures - Antidepressant Use and Suicidality in Pediatric Patients - Isotretinoin, Pregnancies, Abortions, and Birth Defects - Late-pregnancy Use of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors and Pulmonary Hypertension in Newborns - Antiepileptic Drugs and Fractures - Prescribing of Antipsychotic Medications for US Children For details see: http://www.pharmacoepi.org/meetings/21stconf/index.aspx
For a copy of abstracts, to attend the conference and receive news updates contact Charles Pitts, Media relations, at 514 984 5614 cell or cpitts@oroalliance.com . Daily briefings will be held on-site.
ISPE
The International Society for Pharmacoepidemiology is a member-driven, not-for-profit forum of healthcare professionals. See: www.pharmacoepi.org
INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR PHARMACOEPIDEMIOLOGY
CONTACT: Yola Moride, PhD, Chair, Communications Committee, InternationalSociety for Pharmacoepidemiology (ISPE), yola.moride@umontreal.ca OrCharles Pitts, Oroalliance, Media Relations, (514) 984-5614,cpitts@oroalliance.com ; Mark H. Epstein, ScD, Executive Secretary,International Society for Pharmacoepidemiology, (703) 477-7187,mepstein@paimgmt.com