Originally aired July 9, 2014: Statins for COPD, ARDS and human-bovine Rotavirus vaccine

Fahad and Amol want you to:

1. Understand that 2 high quality RCTs demonstrate that statins are not effective in improving clinical outcomes in either COPD or Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS).

2. Recognize that a novel Rotavirus vaccine was developed through an international public-private partnership that is safe, effective, and affordable for low income countries.

Continuing Medical Education

Internists can receive 0.5 hours of Continuing Medical Education credit for each podcast they listen to through the Canadian Society of Internal Medicine (MOC Category 1) and the American Medical Association (PRA Category 1). To receive CME credit for listening to this podcast, please click here to fill out our Evaluation and Impact Assessment Form.

The papers

National, Heart, Lung and Blood Institute ARDS Clinical Trials Network, Truwit JD, Bernard GR et al. Rouvastatin for sepsis-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome. N Engl J Med 2014; 370(23):2191-2200. (PubMed).

Criner GJ, Connett JE, Aaron SD, et al. Simvastatin for the prevention of exacerbations in moderate-to-severe COPD. N Engl J Med 2014; 370(23):2201–2210. (PubMed).

Bhandari N, Rongsen-Chandola T, Bavdekar A, et al. Efficacy of a monovalent human-bovine (116E) rotavirus vaccine in Indian infants: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Lancet 2014; Jun 21; 383(9935):2136-43. (PubMed).

Other articles mentioned:

Drazen JM, Gelijns AC. Statin strikeout. N Engl J Med 2014; 370(23):2240–2241. (PubMed).

Canada’s Prescription Opioid Crisis. Karen Born, Greta Cummings, and Andreas Laupacias. Healthy Debate. January 9, 2014.

Good Stuff

Fahad: Ontario’s housing crisis is also a health crisis, Stephen Hwang, Kwame McKenzie, Toronto Star, July 06, 2014.

Amol: New opioid standards to tackle widespread, serious abuse in Canada, Kelly Grant, The Globe and Mail, July 07, 2014.