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For 50 years, Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin (DTB) has provided rigorous and independent evaluations of, and practical advice on, individual treatments and the overall management of disease for doctors, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals. DTB has always been wholly independent of the pharmaceutical industry, Government and regulatory authorities. DTB is also free of advertising and other forms of commercial sponsorship.
Please subscribe to the DTB podcast to get episodes automatically downloaded to your mobile device and computer. Also, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the DTB Podcast iTunes podcast page - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/dtb-podcast/id307773309.
* The purpose of this podcast is to educate and to inform. The content of this podcast does not constitute medical advice and it is not intended to function as a substitute for a healthcare practitioner’s judgement, patient care or treatment. The views expressed by contributors are those of the speakers. BMJ does not endorse any views or recommendations discussed or expressed on this podcast. Listeners should also be aware that professionals in the field may have different opinions. By listening to this podcast, listeners agree not to use its content as the basis for their own medical treatment or for the medical treatment of others.

DTB podcast

In this podcast, James Cave (Editor-in-Chief) and David Phizackerley (Deputy Editor) talk about the January 2023 issue of DTB. They begin with another reminder of the concerns over the use of sodium valproate. They talk about the closure of NPS MedicineWise in Australia and the uncertainty over the future of Australian Prescriber - https://dtb.bmj.com/content/61/1/2. They highlight the risk of eye problems with dupilumab  - https://dtb.bmj.com/content/61/1/6 (see more links below) and the challenge of making sure that primary care clinical systems record drugs prescribed by specialists. They discuss toxocarosis in humans and the risk of environmental contamination from parasiticides used for deworming cats and dogs (https://dtb.bmj.com/content/61/1/3 and https://dtb.bmj.com/content/61/1/7).

Dupilumab links:
1. Reji MA, Haque A, Goyal S, et al. Dupilumab-induced ocular surface disease: a primer. BMJ Case Reports CP 2022;15:e249019. https://casereports.bmj.com/content/15/4/e249019

2. Nahum Y, Mimouni M, Livny E, et al. Dupilumab-induced ocular surface disease (DIOSD) in patients with atopic dermatitis: clinical presentation, risk factors for development and outcomes of treatment with tacrolimus ointment. British Journal of Ophthalmology 2020;104:776-9. https://bjo.bmj.com/content/104/6/776

The contact address for the DTB team is dtb@bmj.com.
Please subscribe to the DTB podcast to get episodes automatically downloaded to your mobile device and computer. Also, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the DTB Podcast iTunes podcast page (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/dtb-podcast/id307773309). Thank you for listening.

Happy New Year, sad news from Australia, toxocarosis in humans and yet more on valproate safety

In this podcast, James Cave (Editor-in-Chief) and David Phizackerley (Deputy Editor) talk about the March 2023 issue of DTB. They discuss incorrect penicillin allergy labels and ways that these can be corrected (https://dtb.bmj.com/content/61/3/34). They review clinical trial results for lecanameb in early Alzheimer's disease (https://dtb.bmj.com/content/61/3/37) and also talk about a new combined oral contraceptive that contains estetrol and drospirenone (https://dtb.bmj.com/content/61/3/39). They begin by discussing a proposal from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to lower the threshold for offering statins for primary prevention.

The contact address for the DTB team is dtb@bmj.com.
Please subscribe to the DTB podcast to get episodes automatically downloaded to your mobile device and computer. Also, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the DTB Podcast iTunes podcast page (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/dtb-podcast/id307773309). Thank you for listening.

Penicillin allergy, lecanemab and Alzeimer's disease, a new oral contraceptive and statins for all

In a series of podcasts to mark the 60th anniversary of DTB, we talk to some of DTB's Editorial Board members and other colleagues about their work and their involvement with DTB. In this podcast, recorded May 2022, David Phizackerley (DTB's deputy editor) talks to Joanna Girling who is a consultant in obstetric medicine in north London and has been involved with DTB since 2006. Joanna talks about her clinical work, her role with establishing the local maternity network and her involvement in research. She also talks about supporting women who have pre-existing medical conditions and who are pregnant or who are planning pregnancy and the importance of checking that they are on the most appropriate medicines.

The contact address for the DTB team is dtb@bmj.com.
Please subscribe to the DTB podcast to get episodes automatically downloaded to your mobile device and computer. Also, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the DTB Podcast iTunes podcast page (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/dtb-podcast/id307773309). Thank you for listenin

DTB 60th anniversary podcast interview - Joanna Girling

In this podcast, James Cave (Editor-in-Chief) and David Phizackerley (Deputy Editor) talk about the April 2023 issue of DTB. They discuss evidence around morning and evening doses of antihypertensive medication (https://dtb.bmj.com/content/61/4/50). They review a study that analysed health technology assessment decisions made in Australia, Canada and England (https://dtb.bmj.com/content/61/4/51) and also talk about managing skin conditions in women who are planning pregnancy or who are pregnant (https://dtb.bmj.com/content/61/4/55). They begin by responding to a listener's letter about last month's podcast.

The Prescribing for pregnancy series of articles can be found here: https://dtb.bmj.com/pages/prescribing-for-pregnancy-series/

When should you take antihypertensive medication. Prescribing for skin conditions in pregnancy

In this podcast, James Cave (Editor-in-Chief) and David Phizackerley (Deputy Editor) talk about the May 2023 issue of DTB. They celebrate 60 years since DTB became independent from The Medical Letter and discuss what DTB stands for (https://dtb.bmj.com/content/61/5/66). They review a retrospective cohort study involving people taking oral anticoagulants that compared the risk of bleeding and embolic events in new users of NSAIDs with those not prescribed NSAIDs (https://dtb.bmj.com/content/61/5/67). They also talk about the main review article that explores the therapeutics of siRNA medicines (https://dtb.bmj.com/content/61/5/72). They begin by discussing the UK Government’s recent Budget statement that the MHRA will introduce a new approval process for medicines that have been licensed elsewhere.

May 2023 - another DTB celebration (or two), OACs and NSAIDs, and siRNA-based therapeutics

In this podcast, James Cave (Editor-in-Chief) and David Phizackerley (Deputy Editor) talk about the June 2023 issue of DTB. They discuss new guidelines on post-exposure prophylaxis
for varicella or shingles during pregnancy (https://dtb.bmj.com/content/61/6/82). They review the effect of low-dose aspirin on fractures and falls (https://dtb.bmj.com/content/61/6/85), and talk about a study that does not provide meaningful cardiovascular outcome data for inclisiran (https://dtb.bmj.com/content/61/6/86). The main review article explores hospitalisation as a consequence of medication-related harm and the need to reduce the burden of harm caused by medication (https://dtb.bmj.com/content/61/6/87). They begin by discussing an announcement from NHS England that antibiotics will be provided without the need for a prescription from community pharmacies to free up GP time.

The contact address for the DTB team is dtb@bmj.com.
Please subscribe to the DTB podcast to get episodes automatically downloaded to your mobile device and computer. Also, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the DTB Podcast iTunes podcast page (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/dtb-podcast/id307773309). Thank you for listening.

Happy New Year, sad news from Australia, toxocarosis in humans and yet more on valproate safety

BMJ talk medicine