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The iGuard Risk Rating system presented today at the International Societyfor Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) 13th Annual InternationalMeeting held from May 3-17, 2008 in Toronto, Canada is helping to address thisproblem. The iGuard Risk Rating system is a (patent pending) process forsummarizing the likelihood and severity of adverse events contained in eachmedication's prescribing information into a single rating. The iGuard RiskRatings, from lowest to highest, are as follows: 1) Green: Low Risk - Suitablefor widespread use; 2) Blue: General Risk - Use under normal care of a doctor;3) Yellow: Guarded - Be on the lookout for safety events; 4) Orange: ElevatedRisk - Create a personal risk reduction plan with your doctor; and 5) Red:High Risk - Requires careful consideration of risk versus benefit.
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"Like the color code system developed for homeland security, the iGuardRisk Ratings summarize a patient's risk for developing serious side effects ina way that is easy to understand," said Elisa Cascade, co-author of the iGuardRisk Rating system. "Recognizing that many patients are taking multiplemedications, the iGuard Risk Ratings are personalized to a patient'smedication and health history so patients can be warned of potentially seriousdrug interactions and know which medications they need to be most diligent inmonitoring."
Consumer feedback on the iGuard Risk Ratings has been very positive,especially for patients like Susan Wehrle of Merced California. "In myparticular case, iGuard has proven extremely necessary because of the sheervolume of information I must track, and need to coordinate my multiplemedications and numerous health conditions," said Susan. "At the presenttime, I'm diagnosed with 14 different medical conditions, and take a minimumof 17 different prescription medications daily, which doesn't even include myChemotherapy drugs or any 'immediate need' [i.e., antibiotics, etc.]medications I might require. Without iGuard, it would be an insurmountabletask, trying to track all the potential drug-drug interactions and safetyprecaution information on my own."
About iGuard.org
iGuard.org, headquartered in Princeton, NJ, is a free and secure source ofinformation for registered users who want to get informed, stay informed andshare feedback about their medications. It offers balance and timely contentto help patients manage their healthcare for themselves or loved ones.Registration is free online at www.iguard.org .
ISPOR is a nonprofit, international organization that strives to translatepharmacoeconomics and outcomes research into practice to ensure that societyallocates scarce health care resources wisely, fairly, and efficiently.For more information: www.ispor.org , www.iguard.org
* US Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Controland Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. November 2006 DHHSPublication 2006-1232, p 28
Institute of Medicine (IOM). 2007. Adverse Drug Event Reporting: The Rolesof Consumers and Health-Care Professionals, Workshop Summary. Washington DC:National Academies Press.Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), clickappropriate link.Hugo Stephensonhttp://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=67979
SOURCE iGuard.org
