Zolpidem extended release in insomnia: profile report.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Marit D Moen.
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Sumatriptan is a serotonin 5-HT(1B/1D) receptor agonist that is used for the acute treatment of migraine attacks. A new fast-disintegrating/rapid-release sumatriptan tablet (sumatriptan FDT/RRT) has been developed with the goal of speeding absorption and onset of effect compared with standard sumatriptan tablets. Bioequivalence of sumatriptan FDT/RRT tablets to standard sumatriptan tablets was established in healthy volunteers. Initial data suggest that sumatriptan FDT/RRT tablets may disintegrate faster and get emptied from the stomach faster than standard sumatriptan tablets. In a randomised, double-blind, multicentre, early intervention trial in adults with mild migraine, significantly more sumatriptan FDT/RRT 50 and 100mg recipients than placebo recipients were pain free or migraine free 2 hours after receiving study medication. Compared with placebo, pain relief was significantly greater with sumatriptan FDT/RRT 100mg at 25 and 17 minutes following administration, and with sumatriptan FDT/RRT 50mg at 50 and 30 minutes following administration, in two randomised, double-blind, multicentre trials in adults with moderate to severe migraine. Sumatriptan FDT/RRT tablets were generally well tolerated; the tolerability profile was similar to that reported for standard sumatriptan tablets in other studies.
Nebivolol is a third-generation beta-adrenoceptor antagonist. It differs from other beta-adrenoceptor antagonists as it combines highly selective beta(1)-adrenoceptor antagonist properties with nitric oxide-mediated vasodilatory actions and beneficial effects on endothelial function. Nebivolol is approved in Europe and several other countries for the treatment of essential hypertension and in Europe for the treatment of stable mild or moderate chronic heart failure (CHF) in addition to standard therapies in elderly patients aged >or=70 years. Nebivolol is an effective antihypertensive agent and is well tolerated in patients with hypertension. The drug also effectively decreased the composite endpoint of mortality and cardiovascular hospital admission in elderly patients with CHF and was generally well tolerated in this population. Nebivolol should be considered as an alternative first-line treatment option for patients with uncomplicated mild to moderate essential hypertension and in elderly patients with CHF.
Full-length parathyroid hormone (PTH) 1-84 is a recombinant version of human PTH. It is approved in the EU for the treatment of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis who have a high risk of fractures. Once-daily subcutaneous administration of PTH(1-84) stimulates new bone formation and increases bone mass. In the pivotal, randomised, double-blind, multicentre, 18-month TOP trial in 2532 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis, subcutaneous PTH(1-84) 100 microg/day significantly reduced the incidence of new or worsened vertebral fractures relative to placebo (primary endpoint). Moreover, the increase from baseline in bone mineral density (BMD) at the lumbar spine, total hip, femoral neck and trochanter was also significantly greater than in the placebo group. In another well designed study (PaTH; n = 238), 1 year of subcutaneous PTH(1-84) 100 microg/day followed by 1 year of alendronate 10 mg/day resulted in significantly greater increases in total spine, femoral neck and total hip BMD at 24 months compared with patients who received placebo for the second year. During the first year, PTH(1-84) in combination with alendronate was no more effective than PTH(1-84) monotherapy in terms of increasing areal lumbar spine BMD. PTH(1-84) is generally well tolerated, although patients should be monitored for elevated serum calcium.
Zolpidem extended-release, or controlled-release (CR), is a new formulation of zolpidem, a nonbenzodiazepine hypnotic. It is indicated in the US for the treatment of insomnia, characterised by difficulties with sleep onset and/or sleep maintenance. Zolpidem CR is a dual-layered tablet; one layer releases zolpidem immediately and a second layer provides a slower release of additional zolpidem for maintenance of plasma zolpidem concentrations. Efficacy of zolpidem CR was assessed in two 3-week, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase III polysomnography trials in younger adult (aged 18-64 years) or elderly (aged > or =65 years) patients with primary insomnia. Patients received nightly zolpidem CR (12.5mg in younger adult and 6.25mg in elderly patients). Efficacy was assessed objectively on nights 1, 2, 15 and 16. Patients who received zolpidem CR had significantly improved objective latency to persistent sleep, wake time after sleep onset and sleep efficiency on assessment nights compared with placebo recipients. In subjective assessments of sleep quality on day 2 and nights 15 and 22, significantly more zolpidem CR than placebo recipients gave favourable responses on a Patient Global Impression scale in the study in younger adult patients. In the other study, significantly more elderly patients in the zolpidem CR group rated their sleep as improved compared with the placebo group. Zolpidem CR was generally well tolerated and appears to have a tolerability profile similar to that of the original formulation of zolpidem.
Bivalirudin (Angiox, Angiomax) is a synthetic 20-amino acid peptide analogue of hirudin. It is a direct thrombin inhibitor that binds specifically and reversibly to both fibrin-bound and unbound thrombin. Intravenous bivalirudin is approved in Europe for use as an anticoagulant in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). In the US, bivalirudin is approved in patients with unstable angina pectoris undergoing percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) and has recently been approved for use with provisional glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa inhibition in patients undergoing PCI. Bivalirudin plus provisional GP IIb/IIIa inhibition is effective in patients undergoing PCI. The large, well controlled REPLACE-2 (Randomized Evaluation in PCI Linking Angiomax to Reduced Clinical Events) study showed that bivalirudin plus provisional GP IIb/IIIa inhibition was noninferior to heparin plus planned GP IIb/IIIa inhibition and that bivalirudin was associated with a reduced risk of bleeding complications. In patients with heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT), bivalirudin was effective against ischaemic events and there was a low incidence of bleeding complications. Bivalirudin should be considered as an alternative to heparin plus planned GP IIb/IIIa inhibition in any patient undergoing urgent or elective PCI, especially in any patient with a high risk of bleeding complications.
Losartan (Cozaar) is an angiotensin AT1 receptor antagonist. It is approved in numerous countries for the treatment of hypertension and has been approved in the UK, the US and several European countries for stroke risk reduction in patients with hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). Losartan is recommended for use alone or with hydrochlorothiazide, but it can also be administered with other antihypertensive medications. In patients with hypertension, losartan effectively lowers blood pressure and also leads to regression of LVH. In the large, well designed LIFE (Losartan Intervention For Endpoint reduction in hypertension) study in patients with hypertension and LVH, losartan was more effective than atenolol in reducing the composite primary endpoint of cardiovascular (CV) mortality, stroke or myocardial infarction (MI). This was mainly due to a significant 25% reduction in the risk of stroke in the losartan group. Losartan recipients also had a significantly lower incidence of new-onset diabetes mellitus compared with atenolol recipients. Similar benefits were observed in several patient subgroups from the LIFE study, but not in the subgroup of Black patients. Losartan is well tolerated and is a cost effective alternative to atenolol in the setting of stroke reduction. Comparative data on clinical outcomes in hypertensive patients for losartan versus other antihypertensive agents would be of interest. Nonetheless, in addition to its established antihypertensive and end organ effects, the LIFE study indicates that, with the possible exception of Black patients, losartan can reduce the risk of stroke in patients with hypertension and LVH.
Lucinactant, formerly known as KL(4) surfactant, is a novel synthetic lung surfactant containing phospholipids and an engineered peptide, sinapultide, which is designed to mimic the actions of human surfactant protein B. It has been developed for use in the prevention or treatment of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), a common problem in premature infants, which results from a deficiency or degradation of pulmonary surfactant. Lucinactant is administered intratracheally soon after birth as a replacement surfactant. In the pivotal randomized, double-blind, prophylaxis trial in premature infants, the incidence of RDS at 24 hours after birth was significantly lower in lucinactant recipients than in recipients of colfosceril palmitate, a synthetic non-protein-containing surfactant. RDS-related mortality at 14 days was significantly lower in lucinactant recipients than in recipients of colfosceril palmitate or beractant, a bovine-derived surfactant. In another randomized, double-blind, prophylaxis trial in premature infants, the rate of survival without bronchopulmonary dysplasia at 28 days of age in lucinactant recipients was not inferior to that in recipients of poractant alfa, a porcine-derived surfactant. Lucinactant was generally well tolerated. Adverse events were transient and related to the administration procedure. There were no differences in the incidences of complications of prematurity between lucinactant and the other surfactants.