Drug Utilization, Safety, and Effectiveness (CNODES)

Prescription drugs are a vital and necessary part of the health care system. However, they can also pose risks to patients if the safety and effectiveness of medications are not fully understood. It’s important to continue to study these medications after they are approved and used in the real world, outside of controlled research settings. As part of our mandate to evaluate and monitor prescription drug utilization, safety, and effectiveness, HQC participates in a national partnership called the Canadian Network for Observational Drug Effect Studies(CNODES).

CNODES provides rapid evidence-based responses to questions about the safety and effectiveness of medications prescribed in Canada, and is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) . HQC is the Saskatchewan site of this national network that includes seven provincial/regional centres. CNODES is developing state-of-the-art analytical methods and networks of highly skilled researchers, data analysts and clinicians able to rapidly evaluate the risks and benefits of drugs on the health of Canadians. In 2016, a CNODES study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found incretin-based drugs (a type of medication used to treat type 2 diabetes) do not increase the risk of being hospitalized for heart failure relative to commonly used antidiabetic drugs. 

Currently, the CNODES team is working on projects about:

• Use of systemic oral fluoroquinolones in Canada;
• Direct oral anticoagulants for the treatment of venous thromboembolic events;
• Utilization and comparative effectiveness of rheumatoid arthritis medications; and,
• Utilization and adverse outcomes of ondansetron and fluconazole therapy during pregnancy.