Drugs
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Limaprost, an alprostadil (prostaglandin E1) analogue, is a vasodilator that increases blood flow and inhibits platelet aggregation. The efficacy of oral limaprost was evaluated in adult Japanese patients in three randomised, double-blind, 6-week trials. One study included patients with thromboangiitis obliterans and two trials included patients with lumbar spinal canal stenosis. ⋯ Assessment of overall improvement considered various objective symptoms (e.g. muscle strength, walking ability) and subjective symptoms (e.g. pain or numbness in extremities), while overall usefulness also considered safety issues. The efficacy of limaprost 15 microg/day was not significantly different from that of 30 microg/day, but tended to be better than that of 6 microg/day in a phase II trial in patients with lumbar spinal canal stenosis and normal straight leg raise test results. The optimal dosage of limaprost for this indication was therefore deemed to be 15 microg/day.