<\/p>\n
Selected items from the News and Latest Additions sections of www.palliativedrugs.com, Safety updates<\/strong> Subsequently, the MHRA have reviewed their data and have corrected the total number of fatal outcomes attributable to hyoscine butylbromide to 8. However, the episodes lacked full data and it is difficult to interpret the specific relevance of the reports to use in a palliative care setting, where the CSCI route of administration is more likely than IV. PCF advises clinicians to remind themselves of the longstanding cautions relating to the use of any antimuscarinic in patients with cardiovascular disease, and to continue to balance the potential for benefit and harm on an individual patient basis. For more information, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Hot topics<\/strong> Cochrane review: methadone for cancer pain<\/strong> Fentanyl nasal spray (Instanyl) SPC updated<\/strong> Latest additions<\/strong> Prepared by Sarah Charlesworth and Andrew Wilcock<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Selected items from the News and Latest Additions sections of www.palliativedrugs.com, the world\u2019s leading palliative care website with over 30,000 members from 169 Countries. Safety updates MHRA warning regarding hyoscine butylbromide MHRA published a warning in February 2017 reminding health professionals about the risk of serious adverse effects with hyoscine butylbromide injection IV\/IM in […]<\/p>\n
\nthe world\u2019s leading palliative care website with over 30,000 members from 169 Countries.<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nMHRA warning regarding hyoscine butylbromide<\/strong>
\nMHRA published a warning in February 2017 reminding health professionals about the risk of serious adverse effects with hyoscine butylbromide injection IV\/IM in patients with underlying cardiac disease. This followed a recent fatality (myocardial infarction) and a subsequent recommendation from the coroner to clarify the cautions section in SPC. The MHRA stated that they had received 9 reports of patients who had died following receiving hyoscine butylbromide injection and published the following advice:<\/p>\n\n
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\nNICE: Care of dying adults in the last days of life quality standard<\/strong>
\nNICE has published a separate specific quality standard on care of dying adults in the last days of life (QS144). This replaces statement 11 in the quality standard for end of life care in adults (QS13), which has now been removed. For more information, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\nThis is the second update to the initial review in 2004 and subsequent update in 2007. The authors conclude that although methadone has been used for many years to treat severe cancer pain, the evidence base is sparse. There is low quality evidence to suggest that methadone has similar analgesic benefits to morphine in the management of severe cancer pain in adults. However, issues such as titrating to an effective dose and adverse effects may limit its potential. Methadone may have a role if other opioids are not tolerated, providing the issues of dose titration and possible severe adverse effects are considered. For more information, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\nThe frequency of use for all strengths of Instanyl \u00ae (fentanyl) nasal spray (Takeda) has been updated in the UK SPC. Patients are still advised to wait 4h before treating another breakthrough pain episode, however the following statement has now been added:
\n\u2018On exceptional occasions where a new episode of pain occurs earlier than 4h after the last dose, patients can use Instanyl to treat it, but they must wait least 2h before doing so. Dose adjustment of the background opioid therapy following pain reassessment should be considered if the patient frequently presents with breakthrough pain episodes that are less than 4 hours apart or with more than four breakthrough pain episodes per 24 hours.\u2019 For more information, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\nPCF updates<\/strong>
\nThe on-line Palliative Care Formulary is being continually updated. For a full list of all the monographs updated since the print publication of PCF5, see the Latest additions section of the website or follow us on twitter @palliativedrugs for the latest updates. Over the next few months we will be working hard in the background on the technical side of the website in preparation for the publication of PCF6 print edition later this year. Part 2 of PCF (which contains the general topics) is being reorganised to make it more user-friendly. The new PCF format will be launched first on the website in April\/May 2017 and will also contain multiple monographs that have been updated during the interim period.<\/p>\n