ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:To observe the efficacy and safety of pidotimod combined with triamcinolone acetonide in the treat-ment of oral lichen planus(OLP). METHODS:Data of 60 patients with OLP were retrospectively analyzed and divided into obser-vation group(35 cases)and control group(25 cases)by different medication. Control group was treated with triamcinolone aceton-ide 1 ml+2% Lidocaine injection 1 ml,embrocated in the local lesion area according to lesion size,3 times a day;observatioh group was additionally treated with Pidotimod dispersible tablets 800 mg between meals based on the treatment of control group, twice a day,and then changed to 800 mg,orally,once a day after 2 weeks. The treatment course was 4 weeks. The clinical effica-cy and incidence of adverse reactions in 2 groups were observed. RESULTS:After 1 and 3 month(s),the total effective rates in ob-servation group were significantly higher than control group,the difference was statistically significant(P0.05). CONCLUSIONS:Pidotimod combined with triamcinolone acetonide has significant efficacy in the treatment of OLP,with good safety.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Since 1998 the serious public health problem in South East Asia of counterfeit artesunate, containing no or subtherapeutic amounts of the active antimalarial ingredient, has led to deaths from untreated malaria, reduced confidence in this vital drug, large economic losses for the legitimate manufacturers, and concerns that artemisinin resistance might be engendered. METHODS AND FINDINGS: With evidence of a deteriorating situation, a group of police, criminal analysts, chemists, palynologists, and health workers collaborated to determine the source of these counterfeits under the auspices of the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) and the Western Pacific World Health Organization Regional Office. A total of 391 samples of genuine and counterfeit artesunate collected in Vietnam (75), Cambodia (48), Lao PDR (115), Myanmar (Burma) (137) and the Thai/Myanmar border (16), were available for analysis. Sixteen different fake hologram types were identified. High-performance liquid chromatography and/or mass spectrometry confirmed that all specimens thought to be counterfeit (195/391, 49.9%) on the basis of packaging contained no or small quantities of artesunate (up to 12 mg per tablet as opposed to approximately 50 mg per genuine tablet). Chemical analysis demonstrated a wide diversity of wrong active ingredients, including banned pharmaceuticals, such as metamizole, and safrole, a carcinogen, and raw material for manufacture of methylenedioxymethamphetamine ('ecstasy'). Evidence from chemical, mineralogical, biological, and packaging analysis suggested that at least some of the counterfeits were manufactured in southeast People's Republic of China. This evidence prompted the Chinese Government to act quickly against the criminal traders with arrests and seizures. CONCLUSIONS: An international multi-disciplinary group obtained evidence that some of the counterfeit artesunate was manufactured in China, and this prompted a criminal investigation. International cross-disciplinary collaborations may be appropriate in the investigation of other serious counterfeit medicine public health problems elsewhere, but strengthening of international collaborations and forensic and drug regulatory authority capacity will be required.
