IQWiG Reports
The German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) receives commissions from the Federal Joint Committee of Self-Administration of the Health Care Services or from the Federal Ministry of Health to conduct evidence assessments. The Institute can also undertake research and other projects under its own initiative.
You can read more about the commissions completed and in progress at IQWiG at the IQWiG website .
High cholesterol levels: Can ezetimibe lower the risk of complications?
There is not enough research on whether people with high cholesterol levels have a benefit by taking ezetimibe in addition to a statin. There is not enough data on adverse effects of ezetimibe.
moreSkin cancer: What benefit does positron emission tomography have for treating malignant melanoma?
It is not clear whether positron emission tomography (PET) or PET / computed tomography (PET/CT) improves the treatment of people who have malignant melanoma. It is also not known how exact these procedures are in determining the size, location and spread of a melanoma.
moreType 2 diabetes: Is it better to lower blood sugar levels to near-normal levels?
People with type 2 diabetes can prevent complications if they lower their high blood sugar levels permanently. Many doctors even recommend trying to get to near-normal blood sugar levels. But trials show that lowering blood sugar to near-normal levels can have both advantages and disadvantages compared with lowering blood sugar levels more moderately.
moreAfter a heart attack: How do clopidogrel and prasugrel compare?
Treatment with prasugrel and acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) aims to lower the risk of complications for people after a heart attack and associated intervention. Prasugrel and ASA seem to lower especially the risk of having more non-fatal heart attacks better than clopidogrel and ASA. But prasugrel does more often lead to serious bleeding.
moreAfter a stroke: Does treatment with dipyridamole and ASA have a benefit?
A combination therapy of dipyridamole and ASA has more adverse effects than clopidogrel or ASA alone. It is not proven that the combination drug has benefits over clopidogrel or ASA alone.
moreHead and neck tumors: Is a PET examination more exact than routine examinations, and does it lead to better treatment?
It is not yet clear whether cancer in the head and neck region can be diagnosed more precisely by using positron emission tomography (PET) or PET / computed tomography (PET/CT), and whether recurrences can be more reliably detected than is possible with standard examinations. It has also not been possible to estimate what kind of an influence it has on the success of treatment.
moreAlzheimer’s disease: Do medications containing memantine help?
Medications containing the drug memantine are supposed to help people who have Alzheimer’s disease remember things and better manage their daily tasks. Trials show that memantine can somewhat delay the deterioration of mental abilities. Other abilities important to daily life may also last longer.
moreBrain tumors: What benefit does a PET scan have in recurrence of high-grade gliomas?
Whether positron emission tomography (PET) for detecting recurrence improves the treatment of people who have high-grade glioma, has not been studied in suitable trials. It also remains unclear how accurately recurrence can be determined using PET.
moreHodgkin’s lymphoma in adults: What is the benefit of stem cell transplantation with an unrelated donor?
Blood stem cell transplantation can be a treatment option for people with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, if other therapies were unsuccessful. However, there are not enough studies on the chances and risks of stem cell transplantation with unrelated donors.
moreGestational diabetes: Does a routine examination help to avoid complications for mother and child?
A routine examination can help to identify women who have possibly developed gestational diabetes. Treating gestational diabetes could help lower the risk of some complications during birth.
moreHypertension: What effect does physical exercise have?
Getting more exercise can help to lower your blood pressure. Whether increased physical activity also effects the risk of developing complications of hypertension has yet to be studied in trials.
moreMeasuring bone density: Who stands to profit from this examination?
Women after menopause have an increased risk of having fragile bones. Drug treatments can strengthen the bones and lower the risk of fracture. Whether women profit from the medications can be assessed by measuring their bone density.
moreType 1 diabetes: Are long-acting insulin analogues better than regular long-acting human insulin?
There is no scientific proof that long-acting insulin analogues are better than long-acting human insulin. There is also a lack of long-term trials looking at the effects of using insulin analogues for many years.
moreDepression: Can the antidepressants bupropion, mirtazapine and reboxetine help?
Bupropion and mirtazapine can relieve depression. Reboxetine has not been shown to work. Mirtazapine and reboxetine often cause adverse effects.
moreCardiovascular diseases: How do ASA and clopidogrel compare?
In people who have blood circulation problems in their legs, clopidogrel can lower the risk of complications somewhat more effectively than ASA can.
moreHypertension: Which drugs are best at preventing complications?
People with hypertension have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Drugs designed to work against high blood pressure can lower this risk. Compared with the different drug classes, diuretics can usually be seen as the first line treatment. Which drug is then used in an individual case will also depend on other aspects, for example whether someone has other diseases.
moreType 2 diabetes: Does self-monitoring urine and blood glucose levels have benefits for people who do not inject insulin?
Regular self-monitoring of glucose levels has not been proven to have benefits for people with type 2 diabetes who do not inject insulin. It is not known whether self-monitoring can help prevent diabetes-related complications in this group of people.
moreAngina pectoris and heart attacks: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using ASA and clopidogrel together?
People who have unstable angina pectoris or have had a heart attack in the past can lower their risk of further heart problems if they take the drug clopidogrel as well as ASA. But this also increases the risk of bleeding.
moreDepression: Can duloxetine and venlafaxine help, and how do they compare?
The drugs duloxetine and venlafaxine can relieve the symptoms of depression. They can also reduce the risk of depression coming back and help people to cope better in everyday life. Stopping treatment because of adverse effects is less common with venlafaxine than with duloxetine.
moreDementia in Alzheimer’s disease: Can non-drug interventions like education programs for family members help people who have Alzheimer’s?
After attending education programs, family members can possibly care for people who have Alzheimer’s at home for a longer time. Some therapies seem to help people who have Alzheimer’s maintain their mental abilities for a longer time.
moreHypertension: Does reducing your salt intake help?
Reducing your salt intake can help lower blood pressure in the medium term: one spoon of salt less per day could make a difference. It is not clear how this affects the long-term risk of complications or the use of medication.
moreType 2 diabetes: How do glinides compare to other medications?
There are no good-quality trials of whether glinides can prevent diabetes complications such as damage to the eyes or kidneys. It is not clear whether these blood-sugar-lowering medications have advantages for people with type 2 diabetes compared to other medications.
moreType 2 diabetes: Are long-acting insulin analogues better than regular long-acting human insulin?
Long-acting insulin analogues have not been shown to have advantages over human insulin in the treatment of people with type 2 diabetes. More research is needed on the long-term benefits and harms of long-acting insulin analogues.
moreScreening programs: Are there more advantages than disadvantages to having eye tests for all preschool children?
It is important to find out whether children have vision problems, but not enough research has been done to be able to determine the benefits and harms of routine eye tests in preschool children.
moreDementia in Alzheimer's disease: How well do cholinesterase inhibitors work?
Cholinesterase inhibitors can slightly delay the loss of brain function in people who have mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease. This means that they may help people to remain independent in everyday life for longer. It is not clear whether cholinesterase inhibitors work better than other treatments do.
moreDementia in Alzheimer's disease: Can Ginkgo help?
Ginkgo biloba could help some people with Alzheimer’s disease to perform daily tasks again. Adverse effects are not very common, but interactions with other medications cannot be ruled out.
moreType 2 diabetes: What are the advantages and disadvantages of lowering blood sugar with glitazones?
Glitazones have not been shown to be better than other medications at preventing the complications of type 2 diabetes. The drug rosiglitazone was taken off the market because of its unfavourable risk-benefit ratio. There are also safety concerns about the drug pioglitazone, so drug agencies are advising against its use.
moreEvaluation of international guidelines: Breast cancer
New developments in breast cancer treatment for women, including a special kind of antibody therapy, could play a role in the upcoming revision of the German disease management programme for breast cancer. more
Preterm birth and very low birthweight: Do hospitals that treat more preterm babies provide them with better care?
Preterm babies seem to be more likely to survive if they are cared for in large neonatal units, but it is not clear why. more
Benign prostatic hyperplasia: How do newer procedures compare with standard surgery?
Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP), a standard surgical procedure for the treatment of benign enlarged prostates, has the best proven effect in relieving the associated symptoms. However, some other procedures might work just as well and cause fewer adverse effects.
moreType 2 diabetes: What are the advantages and disadvantages of exenatide injections?
In type 2 diabetes, using exenatide injections together with oral antidiabetics can achieve target blood sugar levels as effectively as using insulin. Exenatide can also help reduce weight a little. However, adverse effects are common.
moreHypertension: Does losing weight reduce high blood pressure?
Losing weight by dieting (with or without exercise) or by using the drug orlistat can lower high blood pressure in the short term. It is not clear whether weight loss alone can protect against long-term harm from hypertension.
moreEvaluation of international guidelines: Recommendations for people with coronary heart disease
German disease management programmes for people with coronary heart disease are essentially in line with recommendations made in international guidelines. A few additions could be made, for example, about weight reduction and flu vaccination.
moreScreening programs: What effects could hearing tests for newborns have?
If all newborn babies had screening tests for hearing impairment, hearing problems could be diagnosed and treated earlier. This could improve early speech development in children who are born with hearing impairments.
moreLocalised prostate cancer: Is brachytherapy better than other options?
It is currently not possible to be sure whether brachytherapy has advantages over other types of therapy in the treatment of early-stage prostate cancer in men. Further research is needed to reliably evaluate how effective brachytherapy is.
moreChronic wounds: Do they heal better with vacuum therapy?
There is some evidence to suggest that vacuum-assisted wound closure systems could help chronic and large open wounds to heal better. More research is needed to find out whether vacuum therapy is generally better than conventional wound treatment.
moreAsthma medication: How do fixed combinations of inhaled steroids and long-acting beta-2-agonists compare to combinations of the same drugs taken separately?
Fixed combinations of inhaled steroids and long-acting beta-2-agonists have the same effect on chronic asthma symptoms as combinations of the same drugs taken separately.
moreInhaled insulin: How safe is it?
There is currently not enough evidence to reliably evaluate the long-term benefits and harms of inhaled insulin. In most people with diabetes, inhaled insulin cannot completely replace insulin injections. The manufacturer of the inhaled insulin Exubera has taken it off the market.
moreShort-acting insulin analogues: Are they better than regular insulin for people with type 2 diabetes?
There are not enough adequate long-term clinical trials on whether short-acting insulin analogues have health benefits compared to regular human insulin for people with type 2 diabetes. It is also currently not possible to reliably evaluate the long-term safety of insulin analogues.
moreAsthma medication: How does montelukast compare?
Taken in combination with an inhaled corticosteroid, montelukast tablets are slightly less effective in relieving symptoms associated with mild to moderate chronic asthma than a combination of inhaled salmeterol and a corticosteroid. However, serious adverse effects are also slightly less common. It is still unclear whether people with exercise-induced asthma benefit from long-term treatment with montelukast.
moreNursing workload in hospitals: Does it have an impact on the health of patients?
In German hospitals the number of patients each nurse needs to care for has noticeably increased. It is not yet possible to conclude whether or not this has had an effect on the quality of patient care in Germany.
moreMinimum surgery volumes in hospitals: Are the outcomes better in hospitals that do more operations?
There may be advantages to having surgery for a total knee replacement, for example, in a hospital with a higher volume of this operation. However, setting specific minimum volumes for operations in German hospitals is not simple.
moreHeart disease and diabetes: Which statins have been well-investigated?
All of the five different statins that are licensed for use in Germany can lower the cholesterol level in the blood. But the deciding factor for patients is how well the medicine can prevent heart attacks and other coronary artery problems. From this point of view, simvastatin (marketed under various brand names) is the best tested. It has been shown to lengthen life expectancy of people with diabetes and particular heart diseases.
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