General information Fomivirsen (ISIS 2922) is an antisense oligonucleotide that specifically inhibits replication of human cytomegalovirus. It has been developed for intravitreal administration to treat cytomegalovirus retinitis in patients with AIDS. You’re Reading a Preview Become a Clinical Tree membership for Full access and enjoy Unlimited articles Become membership If you are a member. Log in here

General information The first gonadotropins available for clinical use were extracted from the urine of postmenopausal women. Human menopausal gonadotropin (hMG) is in limited supply and contains other proteins, which may be allergenic, as well as luteinizing hormone. Purified preparations of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH; urofollitropin and highly purified urofollitropin) are also extracted from human urine. Recombinant FSH (follitropin-alfa) prepared from a Chinese hamster ovarian cell line…

See also Vitamins General information Folic acid (pteroylglutamic acid) is a vitamin of the B group, whose Average Dietary Requirement in adults has been set at 140 micrograms/day, with a Population Reference Intake of 200 micrograms Red cell folate concentrations above 150 ng/ml indicate sufficiency [ ]. However, higher doses are used for specific purposes, including in pregnancy, apparently without ill effects. Neural tube defects can…

See also Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) General information Fluvoxamine is a non-sedating antidepressant with fewer anticholinergic adverse effects than clomipramine or imipramine [ ]. Major adverse reactions, as with other SSRIs, include nausea and vomiting. It has a half-life of 15 hours, and peak plasma concentrations occur at 1–8 hours after oral administration [ ]. It is metabolized (by oxidation, oxidative deamination, and hydrolysis) to…

See also HMG coenzyme-A reductase inhibitors General information It has been suggested that the pharmacokinetics of fluvastatin, including extensive biliary excretion and absence of circulating active metabolites, might be associated with a low incidence of systemic adverse reactions compared with other statins. In over 1800 patients treated for an average of 61 weeks, fluvastatin was safe and tolerable [ ]. Pooled data from clinical trials have…

See also Antiandrogens General information Flutamide is a non-steroidal antiandrogen that is used to treat prostatic cancer. Its most common adverse reactions are liver damage and photosensitivity. Drug studies Comparative studies Prostate cancer Although flutamide is sufficiently well tolerated in prostatic cancer, the much older drug cyproterone acetate continues to show up favorably. In a direct comparison between the two drugs in 310 men the two…

General information Flurotyl, a hexafluorinated ether, has been used as a therapeutic inhalational convulsant in psychiatry [ ]. Its intravenous use in a polyethylene glycol solution has been discontinued because of possible renal damage. In most Western and North American countries, flurotyl is not recommended because of variations in response and dosing difficulties. It is nowadays used as an investigational tool in animals [ ]. You’re…

See also Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) General information In a short-term multicenter study of flurbiprofen only 6% of patients were withdrawn because of adverse reactions [ ]. However, in a prolonged open study in 1200 patients, more than 50% reported adverse reactions and therapy had to be withdrawn in l9% [ ]. Organs and systems Nervous system Nervous system reactions to flurbiprofen are less common than…

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General information Flupirtine is a non-opiate, centrally acting analgesic, with muscle relaxant properties. It causes predominantly nervous system adverse reactions (visual, disorientation, confusion, tremor). About 26% of patients develop minor adverse reactions [ ]. Drug studies You’re Reading a Preview Become a Clinical Tree membership for Full access and enjoy Unlimited articles Become membership If you are a member. Log in here

See also Neuroleptic drugs General information Fluphenazine is a phenothiazine neuroleptic drug. In a double-blind comparison of a group of stabilized outpatients taking a low dosage of fluphenazine enanthate (1.25–5 mg every 2 weeks) with a group taking a standard dosage (12.5–50 mg every 2 weeks), relapse rates were higher in the low-dose group (56%) than in the standard-dose group (7%) [ ]. However, patients in…

See also Neuroleptic drugs General information Flupentixol is a thioxanthene neuroleptic drug. You’re Reading a Preview Become a Clinical Tree membership for Full access and enjoy Unlimited articles Become membership If you are a member. Log in here

See also Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) General Information Fluoxetine is a selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor (SSRI). The manufacturers of fluoxetine have published a review of the adverse effects and reactions that were noted in 1378 patients who took it for up to 2 years [ ]. The major adverse reactions to fluoxetine confirm its stimulant profile and its relative lack of anticholinergic actions. The most…

See also Cytotoxic and immunosuppressant drugs General information Fluorouracil is a fluorinated pyrimidine, which is converted intracellularly to the active form, fluorodeoxyuridine monophosphate, which inhibits thymidylate synthetase and hence reduces the production of thymidylic acid, the deoxyribonucleotide of thymine (5-methyluracil), a DNA pyrimidine base, blocking DNA synthesis. In addition, intracellular conversion to 5-fluorouridine monophosphate results in incorporation of the activated antimetabolite into RNA and consequent RNA…

General information Following the introduction of the first quinolone antibiotic (nalidixic acid, see separate monograph), structural modifications to the basic quinolone and naphthyridone nucleus and to the side-chains produced fluoroquinolones with improved coverage of bacterial pathogens, with high activity against Gram-negative species and a number of atypical pathogens, and with good-to-moderate activity against Gram-positive species. However, despite their broad spectrum and clinical success, defects became evident,…

General information Fluoride is the single most potent bone-forming agent currently available for therapeutic use [ ]. The active moiety is the fluoride ion itself, and its main pharmacological effect is on dental enamel and bone. Fluoride ions bind to calcium ions, stimulating trabecular bone formation. Different fluoride products have been used for the therapy of osteoporosis. The first was sodium fluoride (NaF), but that had…

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See also Benzodiazepines General information Flunitrazepam has acquired a reputation for toxicity, abuse potential [ ] and associated forensic problems [ ], including being implicated in sexual assault (“date rape”) [ ]. It has been withdrawn from general availability in various countries, including the USA, Australia, and New Zealand, and it is considered to be a narcotic in various European countries. It has a rapid onset…

General information Flumazenil is used as a benzodiazepine antagonist in the treatment of poisoning or the reversal of benzodiazepine effects in anesthesia [ , ] or in neonates [ ]. Guidelines for its use have been summarized [ ]. The problems in its use are those of dose adjustment, the risks of panic anxiety, seizures, or other signs of excessively rapid benzodiazepine withdrawal, and pharmacokinetic problems…

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