Clinical therapeutics
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Clinical therapeutics · Jun 2003
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical TrialHospital resource use and cost of treatment with linezolid versus teicoplanin for treatment of serious gram-positive bacterial infections among hospitalized patients from South America and Mexico: results from a multicenter trial.
Linezolid is a novel oxazolidinone antibiotic that is effective for the treatment of gram-positive bacterial infections. The oral formulation has the potential to reduce length of stay (LOS) when used as a substitute for parenteral glycopeptide antibiotics. In a recent multinational trial comparing linezolid (i.v. followed by oral administration) with teicoplanin (i.v. alone or switched to i.m. administration), linezolid was found to have better efficacy (P = 0.005) and similar safety for treating serious gram-positive infections. ⋯ Linezolid was associated with shorter LOS and duration of IV antibiotic treatment than teicoplanin for serious gram-positive infections in the population studied. Linezolid therapy has the potential to reduce the total cost of treatment.
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Clinical therapeutics · Jun 2003
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialThe effect of nateglinide taken with food on gastric emptying rates in healthy subjects.
The aim of this study was to determine the effect of the timing of food intake on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of oral nateglinide 60 mg and the effect of nateglinide on the rate of gastric emptying. ⋯ Nateglinide was well tolerated and no treatment-limiting adverse events were reported in the population studied. Nateglinide administration appeared to have no effect on the rate of gastric emptying as indicated by acetaminophen indices, regardless of the time of nateglinide administration. The findings imply that the time for nateglinide administration to obtain optimal pharmacodynamic effects is prior to food consumption.
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Clinical therapeutics · Jun 2003
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialEconomic evaluation of galantamine in the treatment of mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease in the United States.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is estimated to affect up to 11% of those aged > or =65 years in the United States, and the number of patients with AD is predicted to increase over the next few decades as the population ages. The substantial social and economic burden associated with AD is well established, with the cost of management increasing as the disease progresses. ⋯ These results suggest that use of galantamine in patients with AD in the United States could reduce the use of costly resources such as formal home care and nursing homes, leading to cost savings over time.
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Clinical therapeutics · May 2003
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialA single-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover investigation of the effects of fexofenadine hydrochloride 180 mg alone and with alcohol, with hydroxyzine hydrochloride 50 mg as a positive internal control, on aspects of cognitive and psychomotor function related to driving a car.
Antihistamines (H(1)-receptor antagonists) are the mainstay of symptomatic therapy for allergic disorders. Antihistamines are needed that cause no disruptive effects on cognitive and psychomotor function. It is essential that antihistamines maintain the integrity of the cognitive system, not only in ambulatory patients at increased risk of drug-induced traffic- or work-related accidents, but also in students and others whose cognitive or intellectual impairment may adversely affect their performance.Objective; The goal of this study was to investigate the acute effects of fexofenadine hydrochloride 180 mg, alone and with a "social" dose of alcohol, on subjective feelings of sedation and on a battery of objective measures related to driving a car. These measures included information processing, psychomotor speed, and reaction time in an on-the-road car-driving task. Hydroxyzine hydrochloride 50 mg was included in the study as a positive internal control to validate the sensitivity of the psychometri tests to nonspecific impairment. ⋯ Fexofenadine 180 mg did not have disruptive effects on objective measures related to driving a car and aspects of psychomotor and cognitive function, even when combined with a dose of alcohol equivalent to 0.3 g/kg body weight, in a study in which the psychometric assessments were shown to be sensitive to impairment.
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Clinical therapeutics · May 2003
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical TrialRandomized, open-label, parallel-group, multicenter study of the efficacy and tolerability of IV gatifloxacin with the option for oral stepdown gatifloxacin versus IV ceftriaxone (with or without erythromycin or clarithromycin) with the option for oral stepdown clarithromycin for treatment of patients with mild to moderate community-acquired pneumonia requiring hospitalization.
Empiric therapy for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) requires the use of antibiotics with activity against a broad spectrum of respiratory pathogens and suitable pharmacokinetic properties to simplify IV-to-oral step-down therapy switches. ⋯ In the population studied, treatment with IV gatifloxacin with an option for oral stepdown gatifloxacin was as effective for achieving clinical cure as IV ceftriaxone (with or without concomitant IV erythromycin or clarithromycin) with an option for oral stepdown clarithromycin. Both regimens were well tolerated.