NGC Update Service: May 16, 2016 ► Announcements

NGC Update Service: May 16, 2016

Announcements

Conference News

• The Guidelines International Network (G-I-N) 13th annual conference will take place from September 27-30, 2016 in Philadelphia. This conference will be co-hosted by the American College of Physicians, ECRI Institute and Penn Medicine. The theme is "Individualised Guidelines and Clinical Performance Measurement in an Era of Personalised Medicine." Registration now open. For more information, visit the G-I-N Conference Web site.
• The Guidelines International Network North America (G-I-N NA) continues to sponsor a monthly webinar series on topics of interest to the North American guideline community. Information on upcoming webinars, as well as audio files and slides from past webinars, are available on the G-I-N Web site.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Advisories

• May 2, 2016: Brintellix (vortioxetine) : FDA has approved a brand name change for the antidepressant Brintellix (vortioxetine) to decrease the risk of prescribing and dispensing errors resulting from name confusion with the blood-thinning medicine Brilinta (ticagrelor). The new brand name of the drug will be Trintellix, and it is expected to be available starting in June 2016. No other changes will be made to the label or packaging, and the medicine is exactly the same.
• May 3, 2016: Aripiprazole (Abilify, Abilify Maintena, Aristada) : FDA is warning that compulsive or uncontrollable urges to gamble, binge eat, shop, and have sex have been reported with the use of the antipsychotic drug aripiprazole (Abilify, Abilify Maintena, Aristada, and generics). These uncontrollable urges were reported to have stopped when the medicine was discontinued or the dose was reduced. These impulse-control problems are rare, but they may result in harm to the patient and others if not recognized.
• May 10, 2016: Olanzapine : FDA is warning that the antipsychotic medicine olanzapine can cause a rare but serious skin reaction that can progress to affect other parts of the body. FDA is adding a new warning to the drug labels for all olanzapine-containing products that describes this severe condition known as Drug Reaction with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms (DRESS).
• May 12, 2016: Fluoroquinolone Antibacterial Drugs : FDA is advising that the serious side effects associated with fluoroquinolone antibacterial drugs generally outweigh the benefits for patients with sinusitis, bronchitis, and uncomplicated urinary tract infections who have other treatment options. For patients with these conditions, fluoroquinolones should be reserved for those who do not have alternative treatment options.

Health Awareness Topics - May 2016

• Arthritis Awareness Month (see related guidelines)
• Hepatitis Awareness Month (see related guidelines)
• Melanoma/Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month ® (see related guidelines)
• Mental Health Month (see related guidelines)
• National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month (see related guidelines)
• National Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month (see related guidelines and guideline synthesis)
• National Stroke Awareness Month (see related guidelines)
• Preeclampsia Awareness Month (see related guidelines)

How to Participate

• Submit Guidelines: Visit our Submit Guidelines page for information on how to submit your organization's guidelines.
• Suggest a Guideline for Possible Inclusion: Submit your suggestions for evidence-based clinical practice guidelines that you would like to see included in NGC.