No abstract

Beta-blockers are inferior to CCBs and to RAS inhibitors for reducing several important hard end points. Compared with diuretics, they had similar outcomes, but were less well tolerated. Hence beta-blockers are generally suboptimal first-line antihypertensive drugs.

Analysis 3.3. Comparison 3 Beta-blocker versus calcium-channel blocker (CCB), Outcome 3 Total coronary heart disease......... Analysis 3.4. Comparison 3 Beta-blocker versus calcium-channel blocker (CCB), Outcome 4 Cardiovascular death.

Analysis 3.3. Comparison 3 Beta-blocker versus calcium-channel blocker (CCB), Outcome 3 Total coronary heart disease......... Analysis 3.4. Comparison 3 Beta-blocker versus calcium-channel blocker (CCB), Outcome 4 Cardiovascular death.

Analysis 3.3. Comparison 3 Beta-blocker versus calcium-channel blocker (CCB), Outcome 3 Total coronary heart disease......... Analysis 3.4. Comparison 3 Beta-blocker versus calcium-channel blocker (CCB), Outcome 4 Cardiovascular death.

Background Costly prescription medicines with existing cheaper alternatives tend to be purchased by medically insured consumers of healthcare. In South Africa medical scheme members pay higher out-of-pocket payments for medicines than those without insurance. Aim This study explored reasons for co-payments among insured Pretoria medical scheme members purchasing prescription medicines at private retail pharmacies, despite being insured and protected against such payments. Setting The study took place in retail pharmacies in Pretoria, Gauteng Province, South Africa. Methods An exploratory qualitative study was performed. Semi-structured interviews were conducted among purposefully sampled medical scheme members (12) and nine key informants (six pharmacists and three regulators – one for the pharmaceutical industry, one for medical schemes and one for pharmacists). Three pharmacies (two corporate and one independent) each were identified from high and low socio-economic areas. Scheme members were interviewed immediately after having made a co-payment (eight) or no co-payment (four) from the selected pharmacies. Interviews were recorded, coded and organised into themes. Results Co-payments were deemed confusing, unpredictable and inconsistent between and within pharmacies. Members blamed schemes for causing co-payments. Six sampled pharmacies rarely stocked the lowest-priced medicines; instead, they dispensed medicines from manufacturers with whom they had a relationship. Corporate pharmacies were favoured compared to independents and brand loyalty superseded cost considerations. Medical scheme members did not understand how medical schemes’ function. Conclusion Unavailability of lowest-priced medicines at pharmacies contributes to co-payments. Consumer education about generics and expedited implementation of National Health Insurance could significantly reduce co-payments. Keywords co-payments; high socio-economic; low socio-economic; medical scheme; medicines pricing policy; National Health Insurance; pharmacist; prescribed minimum benefit; retail pharmacy; regulator.

South Africa's transition towards a district-based health system (DHS) aims to offer health promotion and prevention services at community level, through re-engineered primary health care (PHC) services. Along with pharmacy workforce shortages and service delivery challenges, health reform is a clarion call to strategically re-position the pharmacist's role in DHS strengthening. The pharmacist's involvement in the three DHS streams, namely the clinical specialist support teams, school health services and municipal ward-based PHC outreach teams, is pertinent. This paper contextualises pharmacists' current peripheral role in the health system, discusses a team-based approach and identifies opportunities to integrate pharmacy students into the re-vitalised PHC framework. Re-positioning of pharmacists within district clinical specialist support and school health teams could create opportunities for community-based and population-based services whereby a range of clinical and pharmaceutical services could materialise. Pharmacy training institutions could strengthen the DHS through established partnerships with the community and health services. Academic service learning programmes could integrate pharmacy students as part of the PHC outreach teams to promote community health. Interdependence between the health services, pharmacy schools and the community would create a platform to contextualise learning and dismantle existing silos between them. Multi-sectoral engagement could enable pharmacy schools to design strategies to optimise pharmaceutical service delivery and align their activities towards social accountability.

Background: Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) associated with antiretroviral therapy (ART) can rapidly reverse the gains of ART resulting in poor health outcomes. We need an improved understanding of specific ART-related ADRs that influence virologic outcomes. Objective: To investigate the frequency of clinical ADRs and assess their effect on virologic failure in patients on ART. Method: We described the prevalence of major clinical ADRs, and the association between specific ADRs and virologic failure in a clinic cohort of HIV-1 infected Nigerians aged ≥18 years, on firstline ART between June 2004 and February 2012. Multivariable logistic regression was run to identify predictors of virologic failure at 24 and 72 weeks of ART. Results: Data of 12,115 patients with a median age of 34 (interquartile range: 29-41) years, and predominantly females (67%) were evaluated. Overall, 957 (7.9%) patients experienced at least one ADR during a median follow-up period of 4 years (interquartile range: 1-7). The three most prevalent ADRs were lipodystrophy (2.6%), anemia (1.9%), and skin rash (0.7%). Virologic failure rate was 36% and 34% at 24 and 72 weeks of ART, respectively. Anemia independently predicted the odds of virologic failure at 72 weeks of ART (adjusted odds ratio, 1.74; 95% CI: 1.2-2.51); adjusted for sex, age, pre-treatment CD4+ cell count, antiretroviral regimen, and medication refill adherence. Conclusion: Antiretroviral therapy-associated anemia increases the likelihood of late virologic failure. We recommend routine monitoring of hemoglobin levels and prompt management of anemia in all patients on ART as a strategy to improve virologic success rates.