Search results for " Drug"
showing 10 items of 3138 documents
Differences in the efficacy and safety among inhaled corticosteroids (ICS)/long-acting beta2-agonists (LABA) combinations in the treatment of chronic…
2015
Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are frequently recommended for the treatment of asthma and COPD, often in combination with long-acting beta2-agonists (LABA), depending on the severity of the disease and/or on the specific phenotype. Several ICS/LABA combinations are currently available that differ in their pharmacokinetic characteristics and dose of both components. Thus, this review assesses differences in the efficacy and the safety profiles of the ICS components in the two more frequently used ICS/LABA combinations (budesonide/formoterol and fluticasone/salmeterol) for the management of COPD. Whereas the basic mechanism of action is similar for all ICS (binding with the intracellular gluco…
Overall asthma control: the relationship between current control and future risk.
2009
Background Asthma guidelines emphasize both maintaining current control and reducing future risk, but the relationship between these 2 targets is not well understood. Objective This retrospective analysis of 5 budesonide/formoterol maintenance and reliever therapy (Symbicort SMART Turbuhaler ∗ ∗Symbicort SMART and Turbuhaler are trademarks owned by AstraZeneca. Neither the Symbicort SMART posology nor the dry powder formulation Turbuhaler are currently approved in the United States.) studies assessed the relationship between asthma control questionnaire (ACQ-5) and Global Initiative for Asthma-defined clinical asthma control and future risk of instability and exacerbations. Methods The perc…
Routine Use of Budesonide/Formoterol Fixed Dose Combination in Elderly Asthmatic Patients: Practical Considerations
2017
Asthma has been demonstrated to be as common in the elderly as in younger age groups. Although no specific recommendations exist to manage the disease differently in older individuals, functional features and clinical presentations may be affected by age per se, and by age-related conditions, such as comorbidities and polypharmacy. In this review article, we aimed to explore the efficacy and safety in elderly asthmatic patients of one of the most currently used inhaled treatments for asthma, that is, the fixed-dose combination of budesonide/formoterol. We attempted to address some practical questions that are relevant to the daily practice of clinicians. We focused on the efficacy and real-…
Regular versus as-needed budesonide and formoterol combination treatment for moderate asthma: A non-inferiority, randomised, double-blind clinical tr…
2015
Summary Background Treatment guidelines for patients with moderate persistent asthma recommend regular therapy with a combination of an inhaled corticosteroid and a longacting β 2 agonist plus as-needed rapid-acting bronchodilators. We investigated whether symptom-driven budesonide and formoterol combination therapy administered as needed would be as effective as regular treatment with this combination plus as-needed symptom-driven terbutaline for patients with moderate asthma. Methods In this non-inferiority randomised clinical trial, we recruited adult patients (18–65 years of age) with stable moderate persistent asthma, according to 2006 Global Initiative for Asthma guidelines. Patients …
Impact of orphan drugs on Latvian budget
2016
Background Number of orphan medicinal products on the market and number of rare disease patients, taking these usually expensive products, are increasing. As a result, budget impact of orphan drugs is growing. This factor, along with the cost-effectiveness of orphan drugs, is often considered in the reimbursement decisions, directly affecting accessibility of rare disease therapies. The current study aims to assess the budget impact of orphan drugs in Latvia. Methods Our study covered a 5-year period, from 2010 to 2014. Impact of orphan drugs on Latvian budget was estimated from the National Health Service’s perspective. It was calculated in absolute values and relative to total pharmaceuti…
1023 – Therapeutic drug-monitoring of bupropion for depression
2013
Introduction Therapeutic Drug-Monitoring (TDM) for bupropion is limited by bupropion's instability at room temperature and by the absence of a well-defined therapeutic reference range. Further it is unclear to what extent bupropion and its metabolites contribute to therapeutic effects, though hydroxybupropion seems to account for the major antidepressant effects. Aim The aim of this examination was to check if measurement of only hydroxybupropion is useful to guide the antidepressant therapy with bupropion. Methods Hydroxybupropion plasma levels were measured by high performance liquid chromatography with ultra violet detection and related to therapeutic effects measured by the Clinical Glo…
O-18 - TDM in patients with substance related disorders
2012
The effect of pharmacotherapy of substance-related disorders is moderate at best. Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) could be an instrument to improve the outcomes. Since TDM for these drugs is not well established, the authors built a literature based rating scale to evaluate the necessity of TDM for the use of these pharmacological agents. Methods A literature research was performed for acamprosate, bupropion, buprenorphine, clomethiazole, disulfiram, methadone, naltrexone, and varenicline. A rating scale including 22 items, divided in five categories (efficacy, toxicity, pharmacokinetics, patient characteristics and cost effectiveness) was established for evaluation and related to the amo…
Therapeutic drug monitoring of drugs for treatment of substance-related disorders
2011
IntroductionThe effect of pharmacotherapy of substance-related disorders is moderate at best.ObjectivesTherapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) could be an instrument to improve the outcomes. TDM is for most of these drugs not established yet.AimsThe authors built a literature based rating scale to evaluate the necessity of TDM for these pharmacological agents.MethodsA literature research was performed for TDM related properties of acamprosate, bupropion, buprenorphine, clomethiazole, disulfiram, methadone, naltrexone, and varenicline. A rating scale was established for evaluation. It included 28 items related to five categories (efficacy, toxicity, pharmacokinetics, patient characteristics and co…
Novel insights into cancer stem cells targeting: CAR-T therapy and epigenetic drugs as new pillars in cancer treatment
2023
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) represent the most aggressive subpopulation present in the tumor bulk retaining invasive capabilities, metastatic potential and high expression levels of drug efflux pumps responsible for therapy resistance. Cancer is still an incurable disease due to the inefficacy of standard regimens that spare this subpopulation. Selective targeting of CSCs is still an unmet need in cancer research field. Aberrant epigenetic reprogramming promotes the initiation and maintenance of CSCs, which are able to escape the immune system defense. Promising therapeutic approaches able to induce the selective inhibition of this stem-like small subset include immunotherapy alone or in combi…
Evidence for a modulatory role of cannabinoids on the excitatory NANC neurotransmission in mouse colon
2007
Abstract It is well accepted that endogenous cannabinoids and CB1 receptors are involved in the regulation of smooth muscle contractility and intestinal motility, through a mechanism mainly related to reduction of acetylcholine release from cholinergic nerve endings. Because, few data exist on a possible modulatory action of the cannabinoid agents on the non-adrenergic non-cholinergic (NANC) excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of cannabinoid drugs on the NANC responses elicited by electrical field stimulation (EFS) in the circular muscle of mouse proximal colon. Colonic contractions were monitored as changes in endoluminal…