Australian Doctor 6th Dec Issue | Page 8

8 NEWS
to improve glycaemic control * for T2D patients requiring triple oral therapy 1 †

8 NEWS

6 DECEMBER 2024 ausdoc . com . au

Benign antibiotic ‘ fuelling superbug ’

Rachel Fieldhouse PROPHYLACTIC use of the antibiotic
agent to prevent encephalopathy for patients with liver cirrhosis .
resistant to daptomycin despite not being exposed to the agent .
was resistant to daptomycin than non-exposed patients .
rifaximin is fuelling a dangerous
“ However , there may be impli-
“ Instead , almost all of them had
This relationship was also evident
multidrug-resistant pathogen ,
cations for patients taking rifaximin
been receiving rifaximin ,” Professor
in a cohort of 57 patients receiving
Australian scientists say .
who develop severe infections due to
Kwong said .
rifaximin as antimicrobial prophylaxis
Writing in Nature , they say it causes
VREfm ,” he told Australian Doctor .
The research team , led by the Peter
for haematopoietic stem cell trans-
cross-resistance to the unrelated anti-
“ Instead of using daptomycin
Doherty Institute for Infection and
plantation — regardless of whether the
biotic daptomycin : a last-resort option
empirically , it would be important for
Immunity in Melbourne , performed
patients had chronic liver disease .
for treating vancomycin-resistant
laboratories to confirm that the VRE
large-scale genomic studies on 1000
Bacteria with the mutations
Enterococcus faecium ( VREfm ).
strain causing infection was suscepti-
VREfm samples .
appeared at around the same time as
Associate Professor Jason Kwong .
Infectious diseases physician and study co-author Associate Professor Jason Kwong stressed the antibiotic was still effective as a second-line
ble to daptomycin .”
The discovery followed clinical observations that several patients infected with VREfm had become
Retrospective data for 225 patients with VREfm showed that those with recent exposure to rifaximin were more likely to have an infection that
the approval of rifaximin as prophylaxis for hepatic encephalopathy in the early 2000s , the study authors said . Nature 2024 ; 23 Oct .

FORXIGA ® / DPP4i

( dapagliflozin )

Working together

to improve glycaemic control * for T2D patients requiring triple oral therapy 1 †

* SIDAPVIA ® ( 10mg / 100mg ) combines FORXIGA ® ( SGLT2i ) and sitagliptin ( DPP4i ) with distinct and complementary MOA to improve glycaemic control ( HbA1c ); 1 † SIDAPVIA ® is indicated as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycaemic control in adults with T2D when treatment with both FORXIGA ® and sitagliptin is appropriate . 1 SIDAPVIA ® should be used in combination with metformin unless contraindicated or not tolerated . 1
Selected Safety Information : KETOACIDOSIS – There have been reports of ketoacidosis , including DKA , a serious life-threatening condition requiring urgent hospitalisation in patients taking dapagliflozin and other SGLT2is . Fatal cases of ketoacidosis have been reported in patients taking dapagliflozin . Appropriate precautions for DKA for patients need to be taken during treatment with SGLT2i . 1 VOLUME DEPLETION AND / OR HYPOTENSION – Dapagliflozin induces osmotic diuresis which may lead to a modest decrease in blood pressure . Caution should be exercised in patients for whom a dapagliflozin-induced drop in blood pressure could pose a risk . 1 RENAL IMPAIRMENT – SIDAPVIA ® should not be used for the treatment of diabetes in patients with eGFR persistently below 45 mL / min / 1.73 m 2 . Renal function should be evaluated prior to initiation of SIDAPVIA and periodically thereafter . 1 PANCREATITIS - There have been reports of acute pancreatitis with sitagliptin . If pancreatitis is suspected , SIDAPVIA ® should be discontinued . 1 USE WITH MEDICATIONS KNOWN TO CAUSE HYPOGLYCAEMIA - Hypoglycaemia has been observed when dapagliflozin or sitagliptin was used in combination with insulin or an insulin secretagogue . Therefore , a lower dose of insulin or the insulin secretagogue may be required when used in combination with SIDAPVIA . ® 1 The adverse events with SIDAPVIA ® are consistent with the adverse events for each component . 1
PBS Information : SIDAPVIA ® & FORXIGA ® : Authority Required ( STREAMLINED ). Type 2 Diabetes . Refer to PBS Schedule for full Authority Required Information .
NOW PBS LISTED
PLEASE REVIEW FULL PRODUCT INFORMATION BEFORE PRESCRIBING SIDAPVIA ® OR FORXIGA . ® PRODUCT INFORMATION AVAILABLE ON REQUEST FROM ASTRAZENECA ON 1800 805 342 OR BY SCANNING THIS QR CODE .
Bioequivalence has been confirmed between the SIDAPVIA ® 10 mg / 100 mg tablet and the individual dapagliflozin 10 mg and sitagliptin 100 mg tablets after single dose administration in the fasted state in healthy subjects . 1 BP , blood pressure ; DKA , diabetic ketoacidosis ; DPP4i , dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors ; eGFR , estimated glomerular filtration rate ; HbA1c , glycated hemoglobin ; MOA , mechanism of action ; SGLT2i , sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors ; T2D , type 2 diabetes . Reference : 1 . SIDAPVIA ® Approved Product Information . SIDAPVIA ® and FORXIGA ® are registered trademarks of the AstraZeneca group of companies . Registered user AstraZeneca Pty . Ltd . ABN 54 009 682 311 . 66 Talavera Road , Macquarie Park , NSW 2113 . www . astrazeneca . com . au . For Medical Information enquiries or to report an adverse event or product quality complaint : Telephone 1800 805 342 or via https :// contactazmedical . astrazeneca . com . AU-20534 . 2565 . September 2024 .

3 stroke risk factors quantified

Rada Rouse AF , hypertension and smoking are the stand-out precursors for severe strokes compared with mild or moderate strokes , neurologists say .
The case – control INTER- STROKE study involved data on nearly 27,000 patients across 32 countries , with an average age of 62 .
It found that patients with AF had a 4.7-fold increased risk of severe stroke and 3.6 times the risk of mild to moderate stroke than people without AF .
The mean age of patients with AF was 10 years higher than those without AF , but the researchers said the effect on stroke was significant even after controlling for age .
Patients with high blood pressure ( greater than 140 / 90mmHg ) were 3.2 times more likely to have a severe stroke and 2.9 times more likely to have a mild to moderate stroke than those without high blood pressure , according to the findings published in Neurology .
This was after adjusting for age , sex and stroke type ( ischaemic or haemorrhagic ).
Current smokers had double the risk of severe stroke and 1.7 times the risk of non-severe stroke compared with former or never smokers , wrote the authors , including Professor Graeme Hankey from the University of WA .
All the risk factors examined — including diabetes , high cholesterol , alcohol use , physical inactivity and waistto-hip ratio — were associated with stroke to varying degrees .
Severity was measured by the seven-point Modified Rankin Scale .
Sixty-four per cent of patients with stroke had scores of 0-3 ( mild to moderate ), and 36 % had scores of 4-6 ( severe ). Neurology 2024 ; 13 Nov .