(Circulation. 2000;102:e9007.)
© 2000 American Heart Association, Inc.
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Cardiovascular News
Ibuprofen as Effective as Indomethacin for Patent Ductus Arteriosus
Ibuprofen is as effective as indomethacin for the treatment of patent ductus arteriosus in premature infants suffering from respiratory distress syndrome, and it has fewer effects on the kidneys, according to a report released early by the New England Journal of Medicine (N Engl J Med. In press; Posted July 11, 2000). The journal elected to post the article before its September 7, 2000 publication date because of its potential therapeutic implications.
In the study, Bart Van Overmeire, MD, of the University Hospital in Antwerp, Belgium, and his multicenter team randomly assigned 148 infants with respiratory distress syndrome and patent ductus arteriosus to receive 3 intravenous doses of either indomethacin or ibuprofen on the third day of life. The group found that the rate at which the ductus closed was similar for the 2 treatments. Ductal closure occurred in 49 of 74 infants who received indomethacin and in 52 of 74 given ibuprofen. The percentage of infants needing a second course of medicine or surgery did not differ significantly among the groups.
Oliguria occurred in 5 infants treated with ibuprofen and in 14 treated with indomethacin. The researchers concluded that ibuprofen therapy given on the third day of life works as well in these infants as indomethacin, with fewer kidney effects.
Panel Opposes Offering Anti-Cholesterol Drugs Over-the-Counter
A panel that advises the US Food and Drug Administration on which
medicines should be offered without a physician’s prescription said on
July 14, 2000 that it opposed a pharmaceutical company–proposed plan
to offer statins over-the-counter. The