Nihon yakurigaku zasshi. Folia pharmacologica Japonica
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Nippon Yakurigaku Zasshi · Sep 2004
Review[Dexmedetomidine hydrochloride (Precedex), a new sedative in intensive care, its pharmacological characteristics and clinical study result].
Dexmedetomidine hydrochloride (Precedex) is a potent and highly selective central alpha(2)-adrenoreceptor agonist. In a test of affinity to receptors in rat brain cortex, this drug showed a high affinity and selectivity to the alpha(2)-adrenoreceptor. This drug induced a dose-dependent decrease in activity, loss of righting reflex, an increase in sedation score, and a dose-dependent prolongation of the latent time of escape from pain in various animal models. ⋯ Similarly, with analgesic action, the ratio of patients who did not require additional morphine medication during intubation was taken as the effective rate. The effective rate for the drug group was significantly high (87.3%; placebo group, 75.0%). The main adverse events observed in the drug group were hypertension and hypotension.