Expert opinion on pharmacotherapy
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Expert Opin Pharmacother · Feb 2009
ReviewTuberculosis pharmacotherapy: strategies to optimize patient care.
The treatment of tuberculosis (TB) is a mature discipline, with more than 60 years of clinical experience accrued across the globe. The requisite Multi-drug treatment of drug-susceptible TB, however, lasts 6 months and has never been optimized according to current standards. Multi-drug resistant TB and TB in individuals coinfected with HIV present additional treatment challenges. ⋯ More potential options for improved TB treatment currently exist than at any other time in the last 30 years. The challenge in TB pharmacotherapy is to devise well-tolerated, efficacious, short-duration regimens that can be used successfully against drug-resistant and drug-resistant TB in a heterogeneous population of patients.
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Expert Opin Pharmacother · Feb 2009
Review Comparative StudyPharmacotherapy of acute coronary syndrome: the ACUITY trial.
Bivalirudin, a direct thrombin inhibitor, has unique attributes including predictable pharmacokinetics, a reduction in bleeding complications and avoidance of heparin induced thrombocytopenia. ⋯ In the ACUITY trial, bivalirudin monotherapy was associated with rates of ischemic events that were noninferior to those associated with heparin plus glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibition, but was associated with a significantly reduced incidence of major bleeding. Bivalirudin seems to be an attractive antithrombotic agent in patients with acute coronary syndrome undergoing early invasive management.
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Expert Opin Pharmacother · Feb 2009
ReviewAlogliptin: a new, highly selective dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
Alogliptin is a potent, highly selective dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor now undergoing clinical testing to support a new drug application for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. ⋯ Alogliptin is effective as a treatment for type 2 diabetes, either as monotherapy or in combination with metformin, thiazolidinediones, sulfonylureas and insulin. It is well tolerated and has an excellent safety profile. Additional studies are needed to evaluate the long-term safety and efficacy of alogliptin.