This week: 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

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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.