News

Two drugs newly marketed in the US, Ponesimod for treatment of multiple sclerosis and Voclosporin for treatment of lupus nephritis, have been added to the QTdrugs list in the Possible Risk of TdP category. They will also be added to the list of Drugs to Avoid for patients with congenital long QT syndrome.

AZCERT is proud to announce its participation in a multi-stakeholder collaboration with scientists from the University of Arizona, University of Utah, Purdue University and Banner Health to develop and disseminate a clinical decision support program designed to assist the safe use of QT prolonging drugs. This work has been funded by grants from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The COVID-19 vaccines that are rolling out across the US and the world are our only hope for ending the global pandemic. While other precautions, like covering your mouth and nose with a mask and staying at least 6 feet away from others will still need to be adhered to — for the time being — in order to stop the pandemic it is imperative that we use every tool available.

The Torsades risk category for Sertindole, a drug for the treatment of schizophrenia, has changed....

Six drugs have been added to the QTdrugs list. The list of over 290 medicines is available free for non-commercial use. The list can be searched on the CredibleMeds website or using free smartphone apps.

AZCERT and Partners in Care Foundation (Partners) unite to address social determinants of health (SDoH) and Medication Safety

AZCERT recently made its MedSafety Scan decision support system available to health care professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic. In case you missed the announcement, and to keep you informed on how MedSafety Scan is progressing, we are sharing with you a copy of our first newsletter sent to all MSS registrants.

With no drug yet proven to reduce deaths due to COVID-19, scores of clinical trials are underway testing already available drugs (marketed and investigational) in the hope that one or a combination of these will be effective. Unfortunately, outside of these trials, many patients are being treated with drugs that have potentially lethal side effects which raises the very important question…. Are these drugs saving more lives than they might be taking?

The Cardiac Safety Research Consortium has posted a comprehensive list of resources related to cardiac safety, drug development and COVID-19

We hope the following COVID-19 update will have value as you face challenges related to the safe use of medicines for COVID-19. It is being sent to all healthcare providers and/or research scientists registered to receive information from the CredibleMeds website. Today, there are many drugs known to cause torsades de pointes (TdP) that are either being tested in clinical trials or used off-label, sometimes with little or no medical supervision.