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#GivingTuesday is a global day of giving. One week from today, you’ll have the opportunity to join people around the world and support a cause that is close to your heart.

Since AZCERT launched CredibleMeds^® in 1999, it has become the trusted resource to guide safe medication use for healthcare providers, research scientists, individuals and caregivers around the world. Mark your calendar, spread the word and stay tuned for more details! Or don’t wait and...

We ask you to consider designating AZCERT as your Amazon Smile charitable connection so that Amazon will donate to AZCERT. 

Thank you for your continued support of CredibleMeds. 

Scientific Review Committee, AZCERT, Inc.

Raymond L. Woosley, MD, PhD
Klaus Romero, MD, MS
C.Will Heise, MD
Tyler Gallo, PharmD
Jared Tate, PharmD
David Woosley, MPH

CredibleMeds.org

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Over the next 24 hours, people around the world will come together to celebrate generosity and make an impact. Make it a powerful #GivingTuesday by supporting CredibleMeds and its mission to provide and manage the critical information we need about medicines.

Your gift to AZCERT will empower CredibleMeds’ resources, including QT drugs lists that patients and doctors rely on to use medicines safely.

Give now and spread the word to friends and family who also want to make an impact.

Thank you for your continued support of CredibleMeds. 

Scientific Review Committee, AZCERT, Inc.

Raymond L. Woosley, MD, PhD
Klaus Romero, MD, MS
C.Will Heise, MD
Tyler Gallo, PharmD
Jared Tate, PharmD
David Woosley, MPH

CredibleMeds.org

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September 10, 2020

Re: Addition of six drugs to the QTdrugs categories

We are writing to inform you that the following four drugs have been added to the category of drugs with a Possible Risk of Torsades de Pointes (TdP):

• Levetiracetam, a drug for the treatment of epilepsy
• Ozanimod, a drug used to treat multiple sclerosis
• Remimazolam, a sedative
• Oliceridine, an opioid used to treat pain

Also, another drug used to treat parasitic infections, Meglumine antimoniate, has been added to the Known Risk of TdP category, and the decongestant, Levmetamphetamine, has been added to the list of Drugs to be Avoided by patients with congenital long QT. 

Some additional news and reminders: 

1. If you use the copyrighted QTdrugs lists as part of your work for a commercial, for-profit company without a commercial license, you are in violation of AZCERT's copyright policy.  Please refer to the QTdrugs Subscription Agreement and contact us at info@azcert.org to obtain a license for commercial use of QTdrugs technology. 

2.  For non-commercial use, the QTdrugs list is available free from the CredibleMeds website or via the CredibleMeds mobile app and can be obtained  by clicking either of these links:

3.  AZCERT has made its decision support program, MedSafety Scan®, available at MedSafetyScan.org for open-source use during the COVID-19 pandemic to help healthcare providers assess a patient's risk of QT prolongation and to detect potentially dangerous drug-drug interactions.  

Thank you for your continued support of CredibleMeds.  Your questions and feedback are always welcomed.

Ray Woosley and the Scientific Review Committee 

Scientific Review Committee

Raymond L. Woosley, MD, PhD
Klaus Romero, MD, MS
C.Will Heise, MD
Tyler Gallo, PharmD
Jared Tate, PharmD
David Woosley, MPH
 

CredibleMeds.org

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December 17, 2020

Re: Revision to the QTdrugs List

We are writing to inform you that Sertindole, a drug used in the treatment of schizophrenia, has been moved from the Possible Risk of Torsades de Pointes (TdP) category to the Known Risk of TdP category because of newly available evidence that it is associated with TdP.

Also, we hope you will try AZCERT's web-based decision support program, MedSafety Scan®, available at MedSafetyScan.org for open-access use during the COVID-19 pandemic.   The program can help healthcare providers quickly assess a patient's risk of QT prolongation and detect potentially dangerous drug-drug interactions.

The features of MedSafety Scan are described in detail in a recent article published in Trends in Cardiovascular Medicine titled Assisted prescribing: Clinical decision support with MedSafety Scan. 

Thank you for your continued support of CredibleMeds. We hope you have a safe and joyous holiday season. Click here to make it snow!

Ray Woosley and the Scientific Review Committee 

Scientific Review Committee

Raymond L. Woosley, MD, PhD
Klaus Romero, MD, MS
C.Will Heise, MD
Tyler Gallo, PharmD
Jared Tate, PharmD
David Woosley, MPH
 

CredibleMeds.org

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March 19, 2020

Re: Recent revisions to QTdrugs.org Lists

Dear subscribers to CredibleMeds:

Like you, we at CredibleMeds are adjusting to changes in daily life required by the COVID-19 pandemic and we hope you and your loved ones are safe. Our communication at this time is only meant to keep you informed of recent changes to the QTdrugs list that might be important for your safe use of medicines, especially during these difficult times.

In such a crisis, drastic measures and innovative approaches are needed and can be justified, but one area under investigation requires a special caution. Several of the medicines now being tested for efficacy in the treatment of COVID-19 are on the list of drugs known to have a risk of Torsades de Pointes (TdP) arrhythmia.  These include the antimalarials, chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine, that are being combined with azithromycin or with the antivirals, lopinavir/ritonavir.  Each of these drugs alone can cause QT prolongation and chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin are on the CredibleMeds’ list of drugs known to cause TdP.  Additional information on this topic is on our CredibleMeds home page.

Also, on December 26, 2019, the antipsychotic drug, chlorprothixene (Truxal®) was added to the Known Risk of Torsades de Pointes (TdP) list.  The antidepressant, clomipramine (Anafranil®), was moved from the list with Possible Risk of TdP to the Conditional Risk list in the following conditions:  hypokalemia, hypomagnesemia, overdose and when taken with other drugs that prolong the QT interval.

Today, additional changes were made to QTdrugs. The antipsychotics, Lurasidone (Latuda®) and Lumateperone (Caplyta®) and the anticancer drug, Tazemetostat (Tazverik®) were added to the Possible Risk of TdP category.  Cesium chloride, an ingredient in some "dietary supplements" was added to the Known Risk of TdP list.  The following three appetite suppressants were added to the Special Risk category and the Drugs to Avoid in CLQTS category: Diethylpropion (Tenuate®), phendimetrazine (Bontril®) and benzphetamine (Didrex®).

Remember, the QTdrugs lists are always up-to-date in the CredibleMeds mobile app and can be obtained free for personal, non-commercial use by clicking these links:

Thank you for your continued support of CredibleMeds.  Your questions and feedback are always welcomed.

Scientific Review Committee

Raymond L. Woosley, MD, PhD
Klaus Romero, MD, MS
C.Will Heise, MD
Tyler Gallo, PharmD
Jared Tate, PharmD
David Woosley, MPH

CredibleMeds.org

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April 15, 2020

Re: MedSafety Scan for COVID-19 Patients

As a registered visitor to the CredibleMeds website with an interest in the QTdrugs lists, we want to make you aware that today AZCERT is launching an important new decision support program to help clinicians manage the risk of QT prolonging medications when treating patients with COVID-19.  MedSafety Scan® is available without charge and only requires an internet connection for access.  It was scheduled for launch in July, but its release has been accelerated because of the large number of people being prescribed QT prolonging drugs for COVID-19.   

Since no drug therapy has yet been found to be effective for COVID-19, we encourage everyone to support and participate in the clinical trials now underway.  However, we understand that these trials may not be available to everyone and treatment of critically ill patients, even with unproven drugs, may be justified in some cases.  AZCERT and Mayo Clinic recently posted recommendations for the safe use of these medications and we encourage everyone to review these documents.  AZCERT and leading professional medical organizations recommend ECG monitoring and avoidance of any non-essential drugs that prolong QT and increase the risk of TdP in patients.

If you are caring for patients with COVID-19, please register at medsafetyscan.org and log in to use the program.  After you create your “clinical sites” for either “ICU” or “Non-ICU” patients, you can enter each patient’s clinical risk factors and their medicines.  The program quickly reports if any of the medicines are on the QTdrugs lists and calculates the patient’s QTscore for risk of QT prolongation and torsades.  The drugs entered will also be screened for major drug-drug interactions and contraindicated drug pairs.

The program was designed for healthcare professionals and we hope you find it of value and encourage others to use it.  A press release announcing the availability of MedSafety Scan is being sent on Monday April 20th.  Please download here and feel free to share it. 

The website includes a "Feedback" button and we are eager to receive any suggestions for how it can better serve your needs or if you encounter technical problems. 

Thank you for your support of CredibleMeds.  Please, stay safe.

Raymond L. Woosley, MD, PhD

CredibleMeds.org

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May 12, 2020

Re: Addition of Osilodrostat, Carbetocin, Selpercatinib and Rucaparib to QTdrugs

We are writing to inform you that the following four drugs have been added to the list of drugs with a Possible Risk of TdP:

Osilodrostat, a drug for the treatment of Cushing's Disease

Carbetocin, a uterotonic used in obstetrics to prevent excessive bleeding

Selpercatinib, a drug to treat lung and thyroid cancer 

Rucaparib, a drug used to treat ovarian cancer

These drugs will also be added to the list of Drugs to Avoid in CLQTS.

Also, some reminders: 

1. If you use the copyrighted QTdrugs lists as part of your work for a commercial, for-profit company, please refer to the QTdrugs Subscription Agreement and contact us at info@azcert.org to obtain a subscription license. 

2.  The QTdrugs list is available via the CredibleMeds mobile app and can be obtained free for personal, non-commercial use by clicking either of these links:

3.  AZCERT has made its decision support program, MedSafety Scan®, available at MedSafetyScan.org for open-source use during the COVID-19 pandemic to help healthcare providers assess a patient's risk of QT prolongation and to detect potential drug-drug interactions.  

Thank you for your continued support of CredibleMeds.  Your questions and feedback are always welcomed.

Scientific Review Committee

Raymond L. Woosley, MD, PhD
Klaus Romero, MD, MS
C.Will Heise, MD
Tyler Gallo, PharmD
Jared Tate, PharmD
David Woosley, MPH

CredibleMeds.org

View web version | Unsubscribe here