This is a bimonthly publication targeting identified problematic therapeutic issues in a brief, simple and practical manner.
The process leading up to publication involves a rigorous, systematic literature review by different working groups of the Therapeutics Initiative, the creation of a draft which is circulated for comment among a sizeable group of over 100 local, national and international specialists with expertise in the particular therapeutic area and the commission of original artwork/illustration.
The message is developed collaboratively by different working groups of the Therapeutics Initiative. The current Editor in Chief is Dr. Tom Perry, Chair of the Education Working Group of the Therapeutics Initiative.
Therapeutics Letters on common therapies have been regularly published since 1994 and distributed free of charge to physicians and pharmacists in British Columbia to increase awareness and improve prescription habits.
The Therapeutics Letter is a member of the International Society of Drug Bulletins (ISDB), a world-wide network of independent drug bulletins that aims to promote international exchange of quality information on drugs and therapeutics.
ISSN: 2369-8691 (Online)
ISSN: 2369-8683 (Print)
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the most common clinical conditions of women in primary care. This Letter describes antimicrobial best practices for the treatment of sym
Some prescribers “titrate” patients to high “target” doses of cyclobenzaprine, duloxetine, gabapentin or pregabalin; and some guidelines advocate progressive dose increases
Therapeutics Letter 7 summarized the evidence about optimal drug therapy for primary (idiopathic) hypertension in 1995, concluding that thiazide-like drugs should be first choice.1
Vignette: An 83 year old faces conflict between her own preference for a simpler medication regime and a specialist who emphasizes that she will “need” to take her 8 drugs (14
Tramadol was marketed as an opioid analgesic in Germany in 1977, but not licenced in Canada until 2005. Health Canada has announced that it will add tramadol to Schedule I of the C
Therapeutics Letters 48, 49 and 77 summarized the effects of statins in secondary and primary prevention populations studied in randomized controlled trials (RCTs).1,2,3 This best
Soon after mirtazapine was licensed in Canada, a 2002 Therapeutics Letter concluded that it has “no proven efficacy or safety advantage over other antidepressant therapies”.1 M
Vanessa Young of Oakville, Ontario died suddenly on March 19, 2000 at age 15. She was taking cisapride, a drug prescribed to “enhance stomach emptying” of whose link to fatal c
Primary care prescribers who treat a wide variety of conditions in community-dwelling patients require broad prescribing knowledge.1,2 The number of existing drug options and new d
Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) were introduced in 1988. Health Canada, professional, and academic groups all agree that they should be prescribed at the lowest dose and for the shor