Expert opinion on pharmacotherapy
-
Expert Opin Pharmacother · Apr 2009
ReviewMethylnaltrexone: the answer to opioid-induced constipation?
Opioid-induced constipation is a significant problem particularly for end stage cancer patients, methadone users, patients suffering from chronic pain as well as surgical patients. Until recently, there were few efficacious treatment options that did not have significant side effects. ⋯ Due to the drug's polarity, it does not cross the blood-brain barrier; therefore, it does not block the central opioid receptors, thus, retaining effective analgesia. Methylnaltrexone has been recently approved by the FDA in the subcutaneous form for the treatment of opioid-induced bowel dysfunction, whereas the intravenous and oral forms remain under investigation.
-
Expert Opin Pharmacother · Mar 2009
ReviewAn update on the treatment options for focal segmental glomerulosclerosis.
Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) is not a disease but a lesion initially affecting the podocyte. Various factors may induce 'secondary' FSGS, including defects in molecules that contribute to the podocyte slit diaphragm permselectivity to albumin. They do not represent indications for immunosuppression and require symptomatic treatment only, comprising angiotensin 2 and endothelin antagonists. ⋯ Plasmapheresis is of no avail outside the special case of relapse in a transplanted kidney. Immunoabsorption of the GPF has not led to practical treatment options. Anecdotal reports on rituximab are as yet too few to determine whether this monoclonal anti-CD20 antibody will find a place in the treatment of primary FSGS.
-
Expert Opin Pharmacother · Mar 2009
ReviewAntiemetic control: toward a new standard of care for emetogenic chemotherapy.
Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is associated with a significant deterioration in quality of life. The emetogenicity of the chemotherapeutic agents, repeated chemotherapy cycles, and patient risk factors significantly influence CINV. 5-hydroxytryptamine-3 (5-HT(3)) receptor antagonists plus dexamethasone have significantly improved the control of acute CINV, but delayed CINV remains a significant clinical problem. Two new agents, palonosetron and aprepitant, have been approved for the prevention of both acute and delayed CINV. ⋯ Casopitant is another NK-1 receptor antagonist that is under review by the FDA after recent completion of Phase III clinical trials. The introduction of these new agents has generated revised antiemetic guidelines for the prevention of CINV. Future studies may consider the use of palonosetron, aprepitant and casopitant with other antiemetic agents (olanzapine, gabapentin, cannabinoids) in moderately and highly emetogenic chemotherapy, as well as in the clinical settings of multiple-day chemotherapy and bone marrow transplantation.
-
Expert Opin Pharmacother · Mar 2009
Randomized Controlled TrialCombined prolonged-release oxycodone and naloxone improves bowel function in patients receiving opioids for moderate-to-severe non-malignant chronic pain: a randomised controlled trial.
This randomised, double-blind, double-dummy, parallel-group multicentre study assessed the impact of a total daily dose of 60-80 mg oral oxycodone prolonged-release (PR)/naloxone PR (OXN PR) as fixed-ratio combination for patients with opioid-induced constipation (OIC) having moderate-to-severe, non-malignant pain. ⋯ This study shows that the fixed-ratio combination of OXN PR is superior to OXY PR alone in terms of bowel function, while providing effective equivalent analgesia.
-
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.