Clinical therapeutics
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Clinical therapeutics · Jan 2010
ReviewAripiprazole in schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder: A review.
During the past decade, there has been some progress in the pharmacotherapy of schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. Current evidence supports the use of various second-generation, or atypical, antipsychotic medications, although few of these agents have been associated with long-term efficacy and tolerability. Aripiprazole is an atypical antipsychotic that has been found to improve positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia with a favorable adverse-effect profile. ⋯ Based on the evidence reviewed, aripiprazole monotherapy appears to be effective and well tolerated in treating the positive, negative, and cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. It was associated with a low risk for the common adverse effects of antipsychotic therapy, including metabolic and endocrine alterations.
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Clinical therapeutics · Jan 2010
ReviewClevidipine for the treatment of severe hypertension in adults.
Intravenous antihypertensive agents are used when immediate control of blood pressure (BP) is required, including during the perioperative cardiac surgery period. Controlling postoperative BP is challenging because of the need to adequately reduce BP while maintaining appropriate end-organ perfusion. Clevidipine is an intravenous, ultra-short-acting, third-generation dihydropyridine calcium channel antagonist with selectivity for arteriolar vasodilatation. It is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of severe hypertension. ⋯ In the Phase III trials reviewed, clevidipine was effective in controlling BP in the settings of perioperative cardiac surgery and severe hypertension and was associated with minimal adverse effects.
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Clinical therapeutics · Jan 2010
Randomized Controlled TrialPharmacokinetic comparison of controlled-release and immediate-release oral formulations of simvastatin in healthy Korean subjects: a randomized, open-label, parallel-group, single- and multiple-dose study.
A controlled-release (CR) formulation of simvastatin was recently developed in Korea. The formulation is expected to yield a lower C(max) and similar AUC values compared with the immediate-release (IR) formulation. ⋯ The C(max) of the simvastatin CR formulation was found to be significantly smaller while the AUC of the active moiety did not differ significantly from that of the IR formulation in these healthy Korean subjects. The simvastatin CR and IR formulations were well tolerated, with no serious AEs observed. To evaluate the characteristics of the CR formulation, its clinical efficacy must be examined in patient populations.