DTB Podcast

May 2023 - another DTB celebration (or two), OACs and NSAIDs, and siRNA-based therapeutics

In this podcast, James Cave (Editor-in-Chief) and David Phizackerley (Deputy Editor) talk about the May 2023 issue of DTB. They celebrate 60 years since DTB became independent from The Medical Letter and discuss what DTB stands for (https://dtb.bmj.com/content/61/5/66). They review a retrospective cohort study involving people taking oral anticoagulants that compared the risk of bleeding and embolic events in new users of NSAIDs with those not prescribed NSAIDs (https://dtb.bmj.com/content/61/5/67). They also talk about the main review article that explores the therapeutics of siRNA medicines (https://dtb.bmj.com/content/61/5/72). They begin by discussing the UK Government’s recent Budget statement that the MHRA will introduce a new approval process for medicines that have been licensed elsewhere.

When should you take antihypertensive medication. Prescribing for skin conditions in pregnancy

In this podcast, James Cave (Editor-in-Chief) and David Phizackerley (Deputy Editor) talk about the April 2023 issue of DTB. They discuss evidence around morning and evening doses of antihypertensive medication (https://dtb.bmj.com/content/61/4/50). They review a study that analysed health technology assessment decisions made in Australia, Canada and England (https://dtb.bmj.com/content/61/4/51) and also talk about managing skin conditions in women who are planning pregnancy or who are pregnant (https://dtb.bmj.com/content/61/4/55). They begin by responding to a listener's letter about last month's podcast.
The Prescribing for pregnancy series of articles can be found here: https://dtb.bmj.com/pages/prescribing-for-pregnancy-series/

DTB 60th anniversary podcast interview - Joanna Girling

In a series of podcasts to mark the 60th anniversary of DTB, we talk to some of DTB's Editorial Board members and other colleagues about their work and their involvement with DTB. In this podcast, recorded May 2022, David Phizackerley (DTB's deputy editor) talks to Joanna Girling who is a consultant in obstetric medicine in north London and has been involved with DTB since 2006. Joanna talks about her clinical work, her role with establishing the local maternity network and her involvement in research. She also talks about supporting women who have pre-existing medical conditions and who are pregnant or who are planning pregnancy and the importance of checking that they are on the most appropriate medicines.
The contact address for the DTB team is dtb@bmj.com.
Please subscribe to the DTB podcast to get episodes automatically downloaded to your mobile device and computer. Also, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the DTB Podcast iTunes podcast page (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/dtb-podcast/id307773309). Thank you for listenin

Penicillin allergy, lecanemab and Alzeimer’s disease, a new oral contraceptive and statins for all

In this podcast, James Cave (Editor-in-Chief) and David Phizackerley (Deputy Editor) talk about the March 2023 issue of DTB. They discuss incorrect penicillin allergy labels and ways that these can be corrected (https://dtb.bmj.com/content/61/3/34). They review clinical trial results for lecanameb in early Alzheimer's disease (https://dtb.bmj.com/content/61/3/37) and also talk about a new combined oral contraceptive that contains estetrol and drospirenone (https://dtb.bmj.com/content/61/3/39). They begin by discussing a proposal from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to lower the threshold for offering statins for primary prevention.
The contact address for the DTB team is dtb@bmj.com.
Please subscribe to the DTB podcast to get episodes automatically downloaded to your mobile device and computer. Also, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the DTB Podcast iTunes podcast page (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/dtb-podcast/id307773309). Thank you for listening.

Swapping to edoxaban, DOACs in renal impairment, inflammatory rheumatic diseases in pregnancy

In this podcast, James Cave (Editor-in-Chief) and David Phizackerley (Deputy Editor) talk about the February 2023 issue of DTB. They discuss concerns over a national initiative in England to transfer people with atrial fibrillation to edoxaban from other DOACs (https://dtb.bmj.com/content/61/2/18). They review a study that examined whether the correct dose of DOAC was used in people with renal impairment (https://dtb.bmj.com/content/61/2/21). They talk about the use of empagliflozin in people with heart failure (https://dtb.bmj.com/content/61/2/22) and finish with an overview of an article that discusses prescribing for pregnancy for those with inflammatory rheumatic disease (https://dtb.bmj.com/content/61/2/24).
60th anniversary interview with Dr John Dowden: https://soundcloud.com/bmjpodcasts/dtb-60th-anniversary-podcast-interview-john-dowden
Trends in direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) prescribing in English primary care (2014–2019): https://heart.bmj.com/content/109/3/195
The contact address for the DTB team is dtb@bmj.com.
Please subscribe to the DTB podcast to get episodes automatically downloaded to your mobile device and computer. Also, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the DTB Podcast iTunes podcast page (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/dtb-podcast/id307773309). Thank you for listening.

DTB 60th anniversary podcast interview - John Dowden

In a series of podcasts to mark the 60th anniversary of DTB, we talk to some of DTB's Editorial Board members and other colleagues about their work and their involvement with DTB.
In this podcast, David Phizackerley (DTB's deputy editor) talks to Dr John Dowden, the editor of Australian Prescriber since 1990. Australian Prescriber (https://www.nps.org.au/australian-prescriber) is an independent peer-reviewed journal providing critical commentary on drugs and therapeutics for health professionals, and like DTB, Australian Prescriber was a founder member of the International Society of Drug Bulletins. At the time of recording, John highlighted that public funding for NPS Medicinewise (https://www.nps.org.au/), the organisation that publishes Australian Prescriber, was under threat and unfortunately the Australian Government withdrew funding and the organisation closed at the end of December. John and his team were made redundant, and the future of Australian Prescriber is uncertain.
We wrote an editorial that criticises the decision to remove funding from NPS Medicinewise and you can find this in the January 2023 issue of DTB (https://dtb.bmj.com/content/61/1/2).
This special series of the DTB Podcast is produced by Letícia Amorim and edited by Brian O'Toole.
Please subscribe to the DTB podcast to get episodes automatically downloaded to your mobile device and computer. Also, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the DTB Podcast iTunes podcast page (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/dtb-podcast/id307773309). Thank you for listening.

Happy New Year, sad news from Australia, toxocarosis in humans and yet more on valproate safety

In this podcast, James Cave (Editor-in-Chief) and David Phizackerley (Deputy Editor) talk about the January 2023 issue of DTB. They begin with another reminder of the concerns over the use of sodium valproate. They talk about the closure of NPS MedicineWise in Australia and the uncertainty over the future of Australian Prescriber - https://dtb.bmj.com/content/61/1/2. They highlight the risk of eye problems with dupilumab - https://dtb.bmj.com/content/61/1/6 (see more links below) and the challenge of making sure that primary care clinical systems record drugs prescribed by specialists. They discuss toxocarosis in humans and the risk of environmental contamination from parasiticides used for deworming cats and dogs (https://dtb.bmj.com/content/61/1/3 and https://dtb.bmj.com/content/61/1/7).
Dupilumab links:
1. Reji MA, Haque A, Goyal S, et al. Dupilumab-induced ocular surface disease: a primer. BMJ Case Reports CP 2022;15:e249019. https://casereports.bmj.com/content/15/4/e249019
2. Nahum Y, Mimouni M, Livny E, et al. Dupilumab-induced ocular surface disease (DIOSD) in patients with atopic dermatitis: clinical presentation, risk factors for development and outcomes of treatment with tacrolimus ointment. British Journal of Ophthalmology 2020;104:776-9. https://bjo.bmj.com/content/104/6/776
The contact address for the DTB team is dtb@bmj.com.
Please subscribe to the DTB podcast to get episodes automatically downloaded to your mobile device and computer. Also, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the DTB Podcast iTunes podcast page (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/dtb-podcast/id307773309). Thank you for listening.

December 2022 - MHT and ’brain fog’, risks from sodium-containing paracetamol and 2022 revisited

In this podcast, James Cave (Editor-in-Chief) and David Phizackerley (Deputy Editor) talk about the December 2022 issue of DTB. They discuss cognitive changes that have been reported during the menopause and whether there is a role for MHT (https://dtb.bmj.com/content/60/12/178). They highlight an observational study that found an association between the use of sodium-containing paracetamol and cardiovascular events (https://dtb.bmj.com/content/60/12/181), and talk about the evidence for increasing the dose of vedolizumab in IBD (https://dtb.bmj.com/content/60/12/183). They begin the podcast by talking about their top three highlights from 2022.
The contact address for the DTB team is dtb@bmj.com.
Please subscribe to the DTB podcast to get episodes automatically downloaded to your mobile device and computer. Also, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the DTB Podcast iTunes podcast page (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/dtb-podcast/id307773309). Thank you for listening.

DTB 60th anniversary podcast interview - Jo Congleton

In a series of podcasts to mark the 60th anniversary of DTB, we talk to some of DTB's Editorial Board members and other colleagues about their work and their involvement with DTB.
In this podcast, David Phizackerley (DTB's deputy editor) talks to Dr Jo Congleton, who is a consultant in Integrated Respiratory Care in Brighton and Hove. She is also clinical lead for the Kent, Surrey, Sussex Academic Health and Science Network (AHSN) Respiratory Programme. Her interests are in chronic respiratory conditions (particularly COPD) and reducing both variation, and inequalities, in care.
This special series of the DTB Podcast is produced by Leticia Amorim.
Please subscribe to the DTB podcast to get episodes automatically downloaded to your mobile device and computer. Also, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the DTB Podcast iTunes podcast page (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/dtb-podcast/id307773309). Thank you for listening.

November 2022 - FMT, methotrexate and COVID vaccine boosters, and Palforzia for peanut allergy

In this podcast, James Cave (Editor-in-Chief) and David Phizackerley (Deputy Editor) talk about the November 2022 issue of DTB. They discuss the use of faecal microbiota transplantation to treat gastrointestinal infections and in particular its role in managing Clostridioides difficile infection (https://dtb.bmj.com/content/60/11/162). They highlight a study that assessed the effect of interrupting methotrexate treatment on COVID-19 booster vaccine response (https://dtb.bmj.com/content/60/11/163) and review a new drug that is licensed for treatment of patients aged 4 to 17 years with a confirmed diagnosis of peanut allergy (https://dtb.bmj.com/content/60/11/166). The podcast begins with the editors talking about the response to October's editorial "Stop advertising".
Please subscribe to the DTB podcast to get episodes automatically downloaded to your mobile device and computer. Also, please consider leaving us a review or a comment on the DTB Podcast iTunes podcast page (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/dtb-podcast/id307773309). Thank you for listening.