Objective While reporting of adverse drug reactions (ADR) and adverse drug events (AE) following Chinese medicine injection (CMI) is becoming more common, the reporting quality is of concern. Methods A checklist about the reporting quality of ADR/AE was set up, and the ADR/AE reporting of Herba Houttuyniae injection was chosen as an example. Electronic databases Chinese Journal Net (CJN) (1994-2009) and Chinese Science and Technological Journal Net (VIP) (1989-2009) were searched for target literature. Results Based on our search strategy, 210 articles were included, with 175 articles reporting single or several cases of ADR/AE following Herba Houttuyniae injection (type I report). There were 7 reports from regional or national ADR monitoring centers (type II report), and 28 summary reports from a single hospital or medical center (type III report). All 210 papers mentioned ‘adverse effect,’ ‘safety’ or related meaning words in their titles, but 199 articles did not have abstract. Patient demographic characteristics were not fully reported in these articles. In type I articles, only 97 cases (43.11%) mentioned whether patients had or did not have a history of allergies, while 128 cases (56.89%) in Type II papers and Fourteen (50%) type III papers, did not mention allergic history of patients. Only three articles (3/210, 1.43%), all of them type I, mentioned the syndrome type in Chinese medicine. None of the papers gave clear indications of the type and grade of ADR/AE of patients. Most papers did not report details of the CMI procedure, such as the drug company, product serial number, or the drug’s validity period. Data about the occurrence time and management of ADR/AE was also inadequately reported. Conclusion and recommendations The current reporting format of ADR/AE in clinical CMIs is not standardized. Much fundamental information of ADR/AE following CMI is therefore missing. A standard reporting format for ADR should be developed, and should include the following: 1) a title mentioning adverse effects and safety; 2) a structured abstract including adequate information about the patient and the disease treated, the drug used, the specific ADR/AE, physician response to the ADR/AE, and result of management; 3) demographic characteristic of the patients (gender, age, etc.); 4) clinical characteristics of patients (disease, syndrome, etc); 5) allergic history of patients; 6) diagnosis and syndrome based on Chinese medicine theory; 7) detailed information about the Chinese materia medica intervention (the manufacturer of the drug, series number, valid dates, dosage, route of administration, menstruum, dripping speed, etc.); 8) concomitant drug use; 9) time and symptoms of ADR/AE; 10) type and grading of ADR/AE; 11) physiological systems affected by ADR/AE; 12) specific treatment and prognosis for ADR/AE; 13) evidence of the cause and effect of ADR/AE; 14) any other possibility of ADR/AE. Also, a ADR/AE registration system should be established.
A total of 109 varieties of Chinese medicine injections have been approved by the State Food and Drug Administration of China, all of which have the potential to induce adverse drug reactions (ADRs). Major ADRs include systemic anaphylaxis, anaphylactic shock, acute intravascular hemolysis, hepatorenal damage, skin lesion, cardiac damage, respiratory system injury, and gastrointestinal disorders. Contributing factors of ADRs include healthcare workers’ inadequate attention to ADRs of Chinese medicine injections, complex ingredients, allergic uncertainties, and inappropriate drug use in children and the aged. To decrease ADRs resulting from Chinese medicine injections, it is essential to improve the selection of drug indications, delivery of proper dosage regimens, compliance with drug instructions, and selection of solvents for the drugs.
Adverse drug reactions (ADR) are one important type of safety data for investigational products and post-market drugs. Standardized coding is beneficial to normative ADR analysis and reporting. However, terms peculiar to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) are not included in the widely used international adverse reaction terminologies. This paper briefly introduced the differences of World Health Organization adverse reaction terminology (WHOART) and medical dictionary for regulatory activities (MedDRA) which was developed by the International Council for Harmonization of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH). Based on the existing development of TCM terminologies for coding ADRs, basic path for developing internationally recognized TCM terminologies was proposed in this paper.
Objective To analyze the adverse drug reactions (ADR) of Ciwujia injection and the relative influence factors. Methods We searched all clinical studies and ADR reports of Ciwujia injection from the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) database. The relevant information such as the diseases for treatment; menstruum, dosage and compatibility of Ciwujia injection; the age, gender and allergic history of patients; and the category, treatment and prognosis of ADR were collected and analyzed. Results In the 800 clinical studies, only 97 (12.1%) reported 285 ADR cases, 144 ADR reports including 236 ADR cases. Of the ADR cases, the male to female ratio was 1׃1.34, mainly in 40 to 69 years group; The ADR cases mainly including anaphylactic shock and local pain in ADR reports and clinical studies, respectively; 72.3 percent ADR cases were Ⅲ to Ⅳ class, 4 anaphylactic shock cases died; the diseases for treatment of ADR cases mainly were coronary artery heart disease and cerebral infarction; 27 (11.4%) ADR cases had allergic history; The menstruum of Ciwujia injection mainly were 5% glucose, 0.9% NaCl and 10% glucose, drug incompatibility in 36 ADR cases; The usual dosage of Ciwujia injection was 20-60 ml; 196 (83.0%) ADR cases occurred in first time medication, mainly in the early 30 minutes of medication used. Conclusion (1) In both ADR reports and clinical studies of Ciwujia injection, there are some problems of ADR and adverse drug events (AE) were not easily distinguishable, key information of total prescriptions divided by drug persons were lacking, so we can’t calculate the ADR rate, the reporting quality remained to be improved. (2) To support the rational drug use, the basic researches of Ciwujia injection remains to be further studied, especially the dose-finding studies. (3) As one of the most frequently reported ADR of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) injection, high quality ADR monitoring, normative ADR reporting and timely analyzing the ADR reason of Ciwujia injection is extremely urgent.
Objective To assess reduction of adverse drug reaction incidence in patients with colorectal cancer receiving Jianpi herbs combined with chemotherapy. Methods The randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing Jianpi herbs combined with chemotherapy were searched through CBMdisc, CJFD, Wangfang Data and PubMed. The search was updated to September 2007. Software RevMan5, provided by Cochrane Library, was used to perform meta-analysis. Results Six RCTs were identified in this systematic review. All the methodology quality of the enrolled RCTs was gaded C. The pooled analysis showed that Jianpi herbs combined chemotherapy significantly reduced the incidences of grade I and grade II leucopenia [grade I with RR= 0.50 and 95%CI (0.31 to 0.80); grade II with RR= 0.37 and 95%CI (0.21 to 0.66)], grade II nausea and vomiting [RR= 0.51, 95%CI (0.31 to 0.84)] compared with routine chemotherapy. There was no statistical difference in reduction of neurotoxicity between the two groups. Conclusion The methodological quality of the RCTs using Jianpi herbs combined with chemotherapy on treating colorectal cancer should be improved. Based on this systematic review, Jianpi herbs combined with chemotherapy may reduce the incidence of mild to moderate adverse drug reaction, such as leucopenia and nausea and vomiting, in patients with colorectal cancer. Well-designed RCTs are needed in the future.
Objective To investigate the adverse drug reactions (ADRs) of patients with SARS in Xiao Tang Shan Hospital. Methods We developed and distributed Drug Use Handbook and established ADRs monitoring group to guide resaonable drug use. We followed up the process and collected clinical report on ADRs. We retrospectively analyzed the data on ADRs by the classification and grade of ADRs according to WHO and Hospital Information Sysytem (HIS) of Chinese PLA General Hospital. Results We collected 193 (87 males and 106 females) patients with ADRs among 680 SARS patients with incidence rate of ADRs of 28.38%. The ADRs incidence rate was higher in females and elders. Critical SARS patients and SARS patients with diabetes were more susceptible to ADRs. Large dosage and combination of drugs may induce ADRs. Steroids may be a main cause of ADRs. The ADRs incidence rate induced by injection was higher than that induced by all kinds of oral drugs. ADRs mainly happened in hematological, endocrine and digestive systems. Conclusion SARS patients are prescribed many kinds of medications. Large dosage of so many medications may lend to high incidence rate of ADRs. Steroid should be cautiously used in the treatment of SARS.
Objective To evaluate the safety of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) versus azathioprine (AZA) for rejection after renal transplantation. Methods We searched MEDLINE (1966 to Jun. 2004), EMBASE (1984 to Jun. 2004), The Cochrane Library (Issue 2, 2004) and Chinese Biomedical Database (CBM, 1979 to Jun. 2004). Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing MMF with AZA for rejection after renal transplantation were included. The quality of included studies such as randomization, blinding, allocation concealment was evaluated and meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 4.1.1 software. Results Twenty-Four RCTs comparing MMF (2 g/day or 3 g/day) with AZA for rejection after renal transplantation were identified. The digest system morbidity of MMF group was higher than that of AZA group. The incidence of vomiting, bellyache and diarrhea of MMF 3 g/day group was statistical by higher than that of AZA group (P＜0.05). The cytom egalovirus (CMV) infection morbidity of MMF 3 g/day group during 6 months, 1 year and 2 years follow-up was higher than AZA group with statistical difference, but for MMF 2 g/day group, this difference was only seen during 1 year follow-up. Leukopenia incidence of MMF 3g/day group was higher than AZA group with statistical difference, but this difference was not seen in MMF 2 g/day group. Thrombocytopenia incidence of MMF 3 g/day group was lower than AZA group with statistical difference. For skin carcinoma morbidity, no statistical difference was found among MMF 3 g/day, MMF 2 g/day and AZA groups. Conclusions Compared with AZA, MMF represents higher digest system side-effects incidence, higher morbidity of leucopenia and CMV infection and lower incidence of thrombocytopenia. The dose-response relationship of adverse drug reaction is found.
Using Chinese Materia Medica (CM) as injections is an innovation that is proving effective in extensive clinical use in Mainland China. However, recent reports have focused on adverse reactions, ignoring the considerable successes of these preparations. In order to achieve balance in the media and in the minds of the public, we suggest the first step is to clarify the concepts of and differences between adverse drug reactions (ADR) and adverse events (AE) for all concerned—the public, medical practitioners, government officials, and lawmakers. Second, the State Food and Drug Administration should raise the requirements for Chinese Medicine Injection (CMI) registration and license approval and emphasize the importance of evidence-based CMI development and evidence-based CMI license approval. Thirdly, drug companies and institutions should reinforce basic research about the quality control of herbs and CMI-drug interactions. Fourth, the Government should clarify the legal responsibilities for CMI approval agencies, CMI developers, medical doctors, and patients. Fifth, the medical association and Government should enhance training for health care professionals concerning the usage of CMIs. And finally sixth, State Food and Drug Administration should monitor the content and quality of the directions for use of CMI.
Objectives We conducted a literature review of 33 kinds of Traditional Chinese medicine injections (CMIs) on the national essential medicine list (2004 edition) of China in ADR articles to retrieve basic ADR information and research trends related to CMIs and to provide evidence for the research and development as well as the rational use of CMIs, particularly pharmacovigilance and risk management of CMIs. Methods We electronically searched Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM, Jan. 1978-April 2009), the China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database (CNKI, Jan. 1979-April 2009), Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database (VIP, Jan. 1989-April 2009) and the Traditional Chinese Medicine Database (Jan. 1984 April 2009). We also retrieved the websites of Ministry of Health and State Food and Drug Administration, to collect data about CMIs ADRs reports and regulations from “Newsletter of Adverse Drug Reactions” (Issue 1 to 22). Then we descriptively analyzed all the results on the year published, periodicals and types of study design of included ADR literatures, the major CMIs as well as the regulations about their ADRs. Results (1) There were 5 405 citations found in total and 2160 were removed because of duplication. After screening the title, abstract and full text of the selected papers, 1 010 studies finally met the eligible criteria. (2) The total and cumulative amount of research articles published about CMIs ADRs significantly increases over time. (3) The included 1,010 articles were scattered among 297 periodicals. A total of 55 journals on pharmaceutical medicine, containing 399 articles, accounted for 39.50% of total; 64 journals on traditional Chinese medicine and pharmaceutical medicine, containing only 197 articles, amounted for 19.50% of total. Only 22 periodicals were included on the core journals of the Beijing University List (2008 edition) (8.94% of the total journals in the list), which published 129 articles (12.77% of the total articles published). (4) We categorized the articles included into eight categories based on their content and study methodology. There were: 348 case reports and 254 case series which accounted for 34.46% and 25.15% of the total articles, 119 overviews (11.78%), 116 randomized controlled trials (11.49%), 78 cross-sectional studies (7.72%), 61 ADR literature analyses (6.04%), and 28 non-randomized controlled clinical studies (2.77%). (5) In the three of top ten journals, "Adverse Drug Reactions Journal", "China Medical Herald", and "Chinese Pharmaceuticals" published literature accounted for 5.84%, 3.76% and 2.67% of the total respectively. (6) The reports of ADRs to Shuanghuanglian, Qingkailing and Yuxingcao injections were the most in all reports for CMIs (All the three injections had more than 200 articles, accounting for 41.95% of the total). The Ministry of Health and the State Food and Drug Administration took measures to supervise them. (7) The four kinds of CMIs (Shuanghuanglian, Ciwujia, Yuxingcao, and Yinzhihuang injections) among the top 5 reported ADR literatures were removed from the market or were suspended for sale. The varieties and numbers of reports for CMIs ADRs have relationship with the supervision to them. Conclusions (1) Articles published on CMIs ADRs increased year by year, but overall the research is of low quality and is scattered in a large number of sources. (2) It is very urgent to create a clear standard to grade ADRs of CMIs for the risk management. (3) It is necessary to enforce safety re-evaluation work for CMIs and to promote the clinical rational use.
Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of metformin for metabolic syndrome. Methods We searched The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, China Biological Medicine Database, VIP, and CMAC up to the year of 2007. Handsearches and additional searches were also conducted. Randomized controlled trials of metformin for metabolic syndrome were included. Two reviewers independently extracted data from eligible studies and evaluated the quality of included studies. Meta-analysis was performed for the results of homogeneous studies by The Cochrane Collaboration’s software RevMan 4.2.9. Results Six trials involving a total of 2442 patients with metabolic syndrome were included. Meta-analysis was not performed due to the apparent heterogeneity. Metformin, compared with placebo, exhibited more favorable effects in reducing the proportion of patients with metabolic syndrome (RR 1.27, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.60), the proportion of patients with low HDL-c (RR 1.61, 95%CI 1.16 to 2.23), wide waist circumference (RR 1.64, 95%CI 1.06 to 2.55), and high FPG (RR 1.55, 95%CI 1.17 to 2.05). Metformin was also more effective in improving FPG and insulin sensitivity. The addition of metformin to atenolol plus nitrendipine was superior to atenolol plus nitrendipine alone in reducing the proportion of patients with high TG (RR 5.57, 95%CI 1.56 to 19.84), abdominal obesity (RR 14.47, 95%CI 3.34 to 62.61), and IGT (RR 16.51, 95%CI 6.06 to 45.0). Compared with low-fat diet therapy, metformin was superior in improving FPG, 2-hour postload plasma glucose, and insulin sensitivity. No differences were observed between metformin and acarbose in the reduction of TG and FPG, but metformin was less effective than acarbose in improving 2-hour postload plasma glucose. No adverse drug reactions were reported. Conclusion Metformin has beneficial effects in reducing the incidence of high FPG, IGT, and abdominal obesity. It also proved beneficial in reducing the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and increasing insulin sensitivity. The therapeutic effects of metformin on blood pressure, obesity, and lipid profile are uncertain. There is insufficient evidence to recommend the use of metformin in the treatment of metabolic syndrome due to low methodological quality, small sample size, and limited number of trials. More high quality, large-scale randomized controlled trials are required.