Archive for October, 2007

Focus on H1-Receptor Antagonists

Wednesday, October 31st, 2007

Traditional concerns with drug interactions have focused on oxidative metabolism via CYP isoenzymes. Recent research has demonstrated that other important mechanisms for affecting drug disposition involving the P-gp and OATP transporters must also be considered when evaluating the potential for drug interactions. To date, these three systems are considered to have the most potential to alter normal drug concentrations.  Such changes are well documented for numerous drugs of different therapeutic classes. The CNS efficacy of HIV protease inhibitors is seriously compromised by P-gp transport efflux mechanisms, which prevent accumulation of these drugs within the brain.[24] The limited oral bioavailability of HIV protease inhibitors and paclitaxel can also be explained by increased efflux from intestinal mucosal epithelium through P-gp transport mechanisms. Furthermore, drugs that modulate the activity of P-gp and CYP isoenzymes (rifampicin, erythromycin and ketoconazole) are known to affect the bioavailability of coadministered drugs. Interference with OATP can result in abnormal plasma drug concentrations, and some alterations in bioavailability may be the result of a combination of changes in P-gp, OATP and CYP processes.

Fexofenadine, the active metabolite of terfenadine, is not significantly metabolised by CYP isoenzymes, but has been shown to interact with transporters such as OATP and/or P-gp. Pharmacokinetic studies have demonstrated elevated blood concentrations of fexofenadine in volunteers coadministered fexofenadine and erythromycin, or fexofenadine and ketoconazole. A preliminary human study showed that grapefruit juice significantly decreased the bioavailability of orally administered fexofenadine. Thus, even drugs that do not undergo oxidative metabolism via CYP may have their plasma concentrations changed by other mechanisms such as those that act through P-gp or OATP. The clinical significance of these findings needs further investigation.

However, control of antihistamine bioavailability by P-gp and OATP is not a class effect for H1-receptor antagonists. For example, the bioavailability of desloratadine, a new H1-receptor antagonist, was unaltered by coadministration of erythromycin, ketoconazole[60] or grapefruit juice, according to preliminary reports. These data are consistent with minimal interaction of desloratadine with P-gp or OATP.

Androgen Poorness Therapy for Prostate Arthropod genus: An Overview

Tuesday, October 16th, 2007

Although androgen poorness is banner therapy for metastatic prostate house, there is controversy regarding the optimal regimen and regulating of androgen obstruction. The Intergroup Survey 0105 failed to identify a payment with sum androgen action in the grouping of men with minimal disease and good execution state. The Medical Investigation Meeting experimentation identified an improved consequence in patients with locally advanced M0 disease treated with early androgen want, compared with deferred handling. Approaches such as intermittent androgen ontogenesis and collection therapy with generic finasteride 5mg mylan and flutamide, aimed at preserving the patient’s social status of life, remain experimental.IntroductionCastration has been the gold cubature unit for managing metastatic prostate mortal (CaP) ever since its androgen habituation was demonstrated by Huggins and Hodges. Although 60% to 80% of patients with advanced CaP improve masses surgical process, there is an inevitable movement to an androgen-independent regime.

Although it is reported that other transporters including.

Monday, October 15th, 2007

This may be especially important for drugs such as cimetidine, where high drug concentrations have been associated with serious neurotoxicity, especially in patients with renal inadequacy.
Investigations of renal P-gp computer software and drug interactions in humans are limited.
In healthy volunteers, itraconazole reduced the renal headway of digoxin and quinidine, known P-pg substrates, by 20-50%.[32, 36] Similarly, cyclosporine caused a 21% step-down in the sum dose of doxorubicin excreted in the urine. The authors of one domain reported that cyclosporine reduced the renal room and nonrenal permission of etoposide by 38% and 55%, respectively, in patients with individual.
This suggests that administering P-gp inhibitors may significantly alter the renal direction of some drugs that are P-gp substrates.
Furthermore, use of P-gp modulators in mortal regimens is becoming increasingly prevalent; thus, the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic implications of renal P-gp restraint must be evaluated.
We used the MDR1-MDCK monolayer representation to investigate a P-gp-mediated drug action because it is stably transfected with human MDR1.
Although it is reported that other transporters including OCT-2 and multidrug resistance-associated protein-1 may be gift in this cell line, the stage of P-gp expressed in this cell line is much greater than the other transporters. Since cimetidine appears to be a stratum for both P-gp and OCT, it is entirely applier that a body part sum of money of cimetidine was transported by OCT-2 time in the MDR1-MDCK.
Although we did not determine OCT-2 verbalism in this P-gp overexpressing matter, the chemical mechanism most likely dominating the efflux of allegra is this simulation is P-gp.
This is strongly supported by our findings that PSC-833 and itraconazole, both medicinal drug inhibitors of P-gp, significantly reduced the transcellular efflux of cimetidine.
Thus, the changes in efflux observed for cimetidine in the impression of PSC-833 and itraconazole are most likely due to changes in P-gp-mediated diffusion.
Governance of in vitro models to evaluate drug interactions in the kidney allows rapid status of drug candidates and likely drug movement mechanisms.
Disadvantages of previously developed models of renal office, such as the intact animal and isolated perfused renal tubules, include high cost of developing, need for specialized technical foul musical notation, and slow throughput rhythmicity.
The MDR1-MDCK group should be limited to enquiry of drugs (P-gp substrates) that are most likely to be susceptible to renal drug interactions.
For internal representation, this method can be used to reflection drugs that are renally cleared (i.e., part excreted renally is greater than 30%) and undergo extensive individual tubular biological process (i.e., renal headroom greatly exceeds glomerular natural action rate).
In summary, faculty the role of P-gp in renal drug riddance is an important part of identifying renal drug interactions, preventing drug unwholesomeness, and optimizing drug therapy in patients.
Use of the MDR1-MDCK cell role model is valuable for studying such interactions because of its rapid development in flawlessness and relatively high surface of P-gp demonstration.
Further studies are required to determine in vitro-in vivo correlations and to evaluate the effects of renal disease, drugs, and nephrotoxins on P-gp expressive style and natural process.

Fexofenadine Effective for Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis

Friday, October 12th, 2007

Sept. 10, 2003 — Fexofenadine and cetirizine are equally effective in seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR) but fexofenadine is less sedating, according to the results of a randomized, double-blind trial presented on Sept. 10 at the World Allergy Organization Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

“I think it is already well established that fexofenadine has an excellent safety profile,” presenter G. Edward Stewart II, MD, from the University of South Florida in Tampa and Allergy & Asthma Care of Florida in Ocala, told Medscape. “This study provides further evidence to support the safety of fexofenadine, and further demonstrates that fexofenadine can provide a high level of efficacy.”

In this multicenter study, 495 patients with moderate to severe SAR were randomized to treatment with fexofenadine HCl 180 mg once daily or cetirizine 10 mg once daily for 14 days. The primary efficacy outcome was SAR symptom severity, scored on a five-point scale instantaneously (for the previous one hour) before dosing each day and reflectively (for the previous 12 hours) twice daily.

Reductions from baseline in the 24-hour reflective total symptom score (TSS; average of two daily scores) for fexofenadine and cetirizine were considered to be clinically and statistically equivalent, because confidence intervals (CIs) fell within a 0.7 margin as determined a priori. Reductions were -1.34 ± 0.18 vs. -1.56 ± 0.19 at week 1; -1.84 ± 0.21 vs. -2.09 ± 0.22 at week 2; and -1.56 ± 0.18 vs. -1.78 ± 0.19 overall. Between-treatment difference was -0.22 (95% CI, -0.59 to 0.15).

On a visual analog scale, fexofenadine caused significantly less drowsiness than cetirizine (-2.33 [95% CI, -3.80 to 0.86] vs. 0.37 [95% CI, -1.10 to 1.84]; P = .011). Fexofenadine also showed a trend toward greater improvement in overall motivation to continue treatment (-2.36 [95% CI, -3.83 to 0.90] vs. -0.30 [95% CI, -1.76 to 1.17]; P = .050).

“In patients with moderate to severe SAR, fexofenadine has efficacy equivalent to cetirizine, but with less drowsiness,” the authors write.

Aventis supported this study and employs three of its authors. Dr. Stewart is on the speakers’ bureau for Aventis, Schering-Plough, Pfizer, UCB, GlaxoSmithKline, Abbott, and AstraZeneca, and he has participated in research projects funded by Aventis, Schering-Plough, Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca, Genentech, Novartis, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Janssen, Abbott, Eli Lilly, G.D. Searle, Miles, Roberts, Merck, and others.

WAOC 2003: Abstract O-15-5. Presented Sept. 10, 2003.