Current drug metabolism
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Current drug metabolism · Jan 2020
ReviewReview on the clinical pharmacology of hydroxychloroquine sulfate for the treatment of COVID-19.
As the number of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) infected people is greatly increasing worldwide, the international medical situation becomes very serious. Potential therapeutic drugs, vaccine and stem cell replacement methods are emerging, so it is urgent to find specific therapeutic drugs and the best treatment regimens. After the publications on hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) with anti- SARS-COV-2 activity in vitro, a small, non-randomized, open-label clinical trial showed that HCQ treatment was significantly associated with reduced viral load in patients with coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19). Meanwhile, a large prophylaxis study of HCQ sulfate for COVID-19 has been initiated in the United States. HCQ offered a promising efficacy in the treatment of COVID-19, but the optimal administration is still being explored. ⋯ It has been proved that HCQ, which has an established safety profile, is effective against SARS-CoV-2 with sufficient pre-clinical rationale and evidence. Data from high-quality clinical trials are urgently needed worldwide.
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The liver represents the major site of drug metabolism, i.e. the key organ in the processes of detoxification and elimination of drugs from the organism. It is therefore often affected by toxic metabolites and suffers sometimes fatal consequences. ⋯ They can range from transient cholestasis to vanishing bile duct syndrome and sclerosing cholangitis, both leading eventually to the development of biliary fibrosis and cirrhosis. In this review article, we focus on the etiology, predisposing factors, clinical manifestations, and histopathological characteristics of bile duct injury as a consequence of drug treatment and discuss separately the different bile duct pathologies.