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FDA
- MedWatch - Dolophine (Methadone Hydrochloride) - Reports of Death, Narcotic
Overdose, and Serious Cardiac Arrhythmias
Amyloid-busting
compound to start trials in Alzheimer’s
Review: Varenicline
Dolophine (Methadone Hydrochloride) - Reports of Death,
Narcotic Overdose, and Serious Cardiac Arrhythmias
Source:
FDA - MedWatch
FDA notified healthcare professionals of reports of death and life-threatening
adverse events such as respiratory depression and cardiac arrhythmias in
patients receiving methadone. These adverse events are the possible result of
unintentional methadone overdoses, drug interactions, and methadone's cardiac
toxicities (QT prolongation and Torsades de Pointes).
The reports underscore the importance of knowing methadone's toxicities and
unique pharmacologic properties, including dosing and monitoring recommendations.
Read the complete MedWatch 2006 Safety summary, including links to the FDA
Healthcare Professional Sheet, Patient Information Sheet, and new prescribing
information for Dolophine regarding this issue at:
http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/safety/2006/safety06.htm#Methadone
Amyloid-busting compound to start trials in Alzheimer’s
Source:
DrugResearcher.com
US drug developer Samaritan
Pharmaceuticals has filed a patent for a new drug that could
treat a wide range of neurodegenerative disorders, including
Alzheimer’s disease, by clearing out amyloid plaques in the
brain.
The compound,
called
caprospinol
(SP 233), is remarkable because it appears to not only block
the formation of
amyloid, thought to
contribute to the nerve damage seen in
Alzheimers patients, but
also cause deposits already present in the brain to
disappear.
Review: Varenicline
Source:
NPC - NHS - UK (National Prescribing Centre - National Health
Service - United Kingdom)
The NPC has published a
review of varenicline, an oral selective partial agonist
of nicotinic receptors, that is licensed as an aid to
smoking cessation in adults. Key points from the article
include the following:
• Data comparing varenicline with NRT are not yet
available.
• Phase III trials indicate that continuous abstinence
rates during the last 4 weeks of a 12-week course of
treatment were greater with varenicline (44%) than with
bupropion (30%) or placebo (18%) (all p < 0.001). By
week 52, around half of all those who had quit between
weeks 9 and 12 had relapsed.
• An additional 12 week course, given to those who
successfully quit with a first 12 week course, improved
abstinence rates up to week 52 by 7% over placebo (44%
vs. 37%, p = 0.02), i.e. 15 people would need to receive
an additional 12-week course of varenicline for one more
person to remain abstinent at 1 year.
• The high level of support and counselling provided in
clinical trials is unlikely to be available in practice;
quit rates may therefore be lower in this setting.
Link:
http://www.nelm.nhs.uk/Record%20Viewing/vR.aspx?id=573134
Boletín de Actualización en
Neuropsicofarmacología (BAN)
Editor:
Luis I. Mariani
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Mayor información sobre Psicofármacos
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