Both trials were double-blind and included adults ( 18 years and older ) with fasting triglyceride levels from 500 to 1500mg / dl ( 5.65 – 16.95mmol / l ). Eligible participants could continue with any other treatments such as lipids , fibrates or cholesterol-absorption inhibitors ( for example , ezetimibe ). Prior to the main trial , individuals entered a four-week diet and lifestyle stabilisation period , after which they were randomised , 2.5:1 to either the krill oil mixture ( which contained 1.24g / day of EPA and DHA as free fatty acids or phospholipid esters or matching placebo . The primary endpoint of both trials was the percentage change from baseline in fasting triglyceride levels at 12 weeks and this change at 26 weeks was considered as the secondary outcome .
Findings A total of 520 patients with a mean age of 54.9 years ( 65.2 % male ) were randomised to the krill oil mixture ( 312 ) or placebo . The mean baseline triglyceride level was 701mg / dl although a third ( 32.3 %) of participants had triglyceride levels greater than 750 .
After12 weeks , the mean percentage change in triglyceride levels was 26 % ( 95 % CI 20.5 – 31.5 %) in those taking the krill oil and 15.1 % ( 95 % CI 6.6 – 23.5 %) in the placebo arm , giving a mean treatment difference of – 10.9 % ( p = 0.02 ). This difference persisted after 26 weeks when the reduction achieved by those given the krill oil mixture had reduced by 33.5 % compared with 20.8 %. When analysed by subgroups including age , sex , race and ethnicity , there were no significant differences . Moreover , adverse events were generally mild to moderate in severity and not considered to be due to the study treatments .
The authors concluded that treatment with the krill oil mixture reduced triglyceride levels and was safe and well tolerated .
References 1 Subramanian S , Chait A . Hypertriglyceridemia secondary to obesity and diabetes . Biochim Biophys Acta 2012 ; 1821 ( 5 ): 819 – 25 . 2 Shearer GC et al . Fish oil – how does it reduce plasma triglycerides ? Biochim Biophys Acta 2012 ; 1821 ( 5 ): 843 – 51 . 3 Nicholls SJ et al . Effect of High-Dose Omega-3 Fatty Acids vs Corn Oil on Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events in Patients at High Cardiovascular Risk : The STRENGTH Randomized Clinical Trial . JAMA 2020 ; 324 ( 22 ): 2268 – 80 . 4 Bhatt DL et al . Cardiovascular risk reduction with icosapent ethyl for hypertriglyceridemia . N Engl J Med 2019 ; 380 ( 1 ): 11 – 22 . 5 Mozaffarian D et al . Effectiveness of a Novel omega-3 Krill Oil Agent in Patients with Severe Hypertriglyceridemia . A Randomized Clinical Trial . JAMA Netw Open 2022 .
Israeli study finds 93 % reduced risk of COVID-19 infection after booster jab
An Israeli study among immunocompetent , young healthcare workers has shown that receipt of a third COVID-19 vaccination with BNT162b2 led to a 93 % reduced risk of
infection with the virus compared with those doubly vaccinated .
The efficacy of a two-dose vaccine regime with BNT162b2 COVID-19 at protecting against infection with the virus has been estimated from clinical trials to be 95 %. 1 Furthermore , real-world Israeli data have revealed how two doses of the vaccine , across all age groups , is effective in preventing both symptomatic and asymptomatic infection . 2 However , evidence from the country began to emerge indicating that immunity against the Delta COVID-19 variant provided by BNT162b2 , waned in all age group a few months after the second vaccination dose . 3 As a result of this reduced protection , in July 2021 , the Israeli government instigated a policy of administering a third dose of BNT162b2 to those aged 60 years and older , and demonstrated a substantial reduction in the rates of infection and severe illness in this age group . 4
While booster doses appear to reduce the risks among older individuals , there is uncertainty over whether this also applies to younger adults . For the present study , 5 the Israeli team sought to assess the association of booster vaccination and COVID-19 infection among healthcare workers at a large teaching hospital in Tel Aviv , Israel and recruited adults who had received two doses of BNT162b2 . Their original plan was to undertake an intervention study to assess the value of this third dose but since the Government mandated that all healthcare workers should receive a booster dose , the study adopted a prospective cohort design instead . The team considered participants to be booster immunised , seven days after their third dose . The primary outcome of the study was a PCR confirmed positive infection that was either symptomatic or asymptomatic .
36 | Issue 100 | hospitalpharmacyeurope . com