Special Edition of Prescrire International

TOP TEXTS OF 2019 SPECIAL EDITION

How we work Prescrire’s complex, collective editing process has been fine-tuned over the years Prescrire’s reviews, written by specially trained healthcare professionals, are based on an exhaustive search of the literature, and undergo scrutiny by a large panel of outside reviewers plus rigorous quality control procedures.

Editorial  Antibiotics: no market, no interest

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NEW PRODUCTS

Dupilumab ( dupixent °) in adults with atopic dermatitis An option for very troublesome eczema after failure of ciclosporin Midostaurin ( rydapt °) for some types of acute myeloid leukaemia Improved survival, but adverse effects underestimated Pembrolizumab (KEYTRUDA°) in urothelial carcinoma SC tocilizumab ( roactemra °) in giant cell arteritis An alternative to methotrexate Cladribine: insufficient clinical benefit in multiple sclerosis Methylphenidate during preg- nancy: teratogenic and fetotoxic, with concerns about long-term effects Gabapentin and pregabalin: deaths reported Silver sulfadiazine cream: dispro- portionate adverse effects Stable angina and antithrombotic drugs Addition of rivaroxaban to aspirin: uncertain benefits, proven harms Minor ischaemic stroke and anti- platelet drugs Very little advantage from adding clopidogrel to aspirin

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Editors free from conflicts of interest The absence of any direct or indirect financial links to the pharmaceutical industry is an absolute requirement to be a member of the Prescrire team. Any such link is cause for dismissal from the

All the reviews published in Prescrire (aside from a few clearly labelled exceptions, such as readers’ letters) are written by Prescrire’s Editorial Staff. Prescrire does not publish unsolicited manuscripts from outside contributors. The production of reviews draws upon a wide range of skills, all exer- cised under the supervision of Prescrire’s Editor.This team approach is reflected in the collective byline “©Prescrire”. Written and edited by healthcare professionals Prescrire’s editors are physicians (both general practitioners and specialists, in individual practice or on hospital staff), pharmacists (working in pharmacies or hospitals), nurses and dentists. A few are economists or journalists with specific expertise in the area of health- care. All Prescrire editors have received extensive in-house training in Prescrire’s editorial production process.

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Prescrire Editorial Staff. A vast network of reviewers

ADVERSE EFFECTS

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Once they are in an advanced stage of editing and quality control, all draft reviews are sent to outside reviewers (10 to 40 reviewers read each draft at this stage). These reviewers critique each article in terms of content, style, relevance, newsworthiness, presentation of argu- ments and usefulness in daily practice. The reviewers are specialists in the sub- ject being discussed, methodologists, or healthcare professionals representa- tive of Prescrire’s readers (and chosen from their midst).

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REVIEWS

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Reliable, rigorously independent information on treatments and healthcare strategies, to enable fully informed decision-making. No grants, no advertising. No shareholders, no sponsors. Prescrire is financed by its subscribers.

OUTLOOK

Drugs in 2018: a brief review

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Publicly-funded research: too opaque! Towards better patient care: drugs to avoid in 2019

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P rescrire I nternational S pecial E dition 2019 • P age 1