Drugs
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Pimavanserin (Nuplazid™) is a selective and potent serotonin 2A (5-HT2A) receptor inverse agonist and antagonist developed by ACADIA Pharmaceuticals that has been approved in the US as a treatment for patients with hallucinations and delusions associated with Parkinson's disease psychosis. Up to 60 % of patients with Parkinson's disease may develop Parkinson's disease psychosis, which is associated with increased morbidity and mortality and has few treatment options. This article summarizes the milestones in the development of pimavanserin leading to this first approval for the treatment of hallucinations and delusions in patients with Parkinson's disease psychosis.
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Pain from renal colic is often severe and incapacitating. Many patients require emergent hospitalization and aggressive analgesia to relieve such discomfort. ⋯ One of the mainstays of therapy for acute renal colic is with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). This paper reviews the mechanism by which NSAIDs allow pain relief in renal colic, the evidence for their use in this condition, and the use of NSAIDs combined with other agents in renal colic.
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Sugammadex (Bridion(®)) is a modified γ-cyclodextrin that reverses the effect of the steroidal nondepolarizing neuromuscular blocking agents rocuronium and vecuronium. Intravenous sugammadex resulted in rapid, predictable recovery from moderate and deep neuromuscular blockade in patients undergoing surgery who received rocuronium or vecuronium. Recovery from moderate neuromuscular blockade was significantly faster with sugammadex 2 mg/kg than with neostigmine, and recovery from deep neuromuscular blockade was significantly faster with sugammadex 4 mg/kg than with neostigmine or spontaneous recovery. ⋯ Sugammadex also demonstrated efficacy in various special patient populations, including patients with pulmonary disease, cardiac disease, hepatic dysfunction or myasthenia gravis and morbidly obese patients. Intravenous sugammadex was generally well tolerated. In conclusion, sugammadex is an important option for the rapid reversal of rocuronium- or vecuronium-induced neuromuscular blockade.
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Tenofovir alafenamide (tenofovir AF) is a novel oral prodrug of the nucleos(t)ide reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) tenofovir that has several pharmacological advantages over tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (tenofovir DF), including increased plasma stability and reduced tenofovir systemic exposure. Tenofovir AF has been coformulated with elvitegravir, cobicistat and emtricitabine as a once-daily, single-tablet regimen (elvitegravir/cobicistat/emtricitabine/tenofovir AF; Genvoya(®)) for the treatment of adults and adolescents with HIV-1 infection. ⋯ In general, elvitegravir/cobicistat/emtricitabine/tenofovir AF was well tolerated and associated with more favourable renal and bone parameters, but a less favourable lipid profile, than tenofovir DF-containing regimens. Thus, elvitegravir/cobicistat/emtricitabine/tenofovir AF is an alternative single-tablet regimen for adults and adolescents with HIV-1 infection, particularly those with an estimated creatinine clearance of ≥30 to <50 mL/min or an increased risk of tenofovir DF-related bone toxicity.
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Eltrombopag (Promacta(®); Revolade(®)) is an orally active thrombopoietin receptor agonist recently approved in the USA and the EU for use in paediatric patients aged ≥1 year with chronic immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) who have had an insufficient response or are refractory to other ITP treatments (e.g. corticosteroids, immunoglobulins or splenectomy). The efficacy of 7 or 13 weeks' therapy with oral eltrombopag (up to 75 mg/day) was compared with that of placebo in patients aged 1-17 years with previously treated chronic ITP in randomized, double-blind, multicentre phase II and III trials (PETIT and PETIT-2). In these trials, the platelet response rate (primary endpoint of PETIT) and the sustained platelet response rate (primary endpoint of PETIT-2) were significantly higher with eltrombopag than with placebo. ⋯ During longer-term therapy (open-label treatment period for ≥24 weeks), eltrombopag maintained platelet counts above 50 × 10(9)/L in the majority of patients and approximately one-half of patients were able to reduce or discontinue concurrent ITP drugs. Eltrombopag was generally well tolerated. Current evidence suggests that eltrombopag is a valuable addition to the limited treatment options available for the management of chronic ITP in paediatric patients with an inadequate response to first-line therapies.