Revisiting Thalidomide: Fighting With Caution Against Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.

Revisiting thalidomide: fighting with caution against idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Filed under: Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation

Drugs Today (Barc). 2012 Oct; 48(10): 661-71
Horton MR, Hallowell RW

Thalidomide is an infamous drug whose use by pregnant women in the middle of last century tragically resulted in serious birth defects. However, as a result of its potent immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory and antiangiogenic properties, thalidomide may be a potential therapy in many diseases. In recent years, thalidomide has been used effectively to treat various malignancies, including multiple myeloma, myelodysplastic syndromes, renal cell cancer, glioblastoma multiforme and prostate cancer. In addition, thalidomide has also proven effective against other immune-related diseases, including erythema nodosum leprosum and sarcoidosis. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a deadly fibrotic disease with no effective treatment options. However, there is data to suggest that thalidomide may be useful in treating the chronic, disabling cough that accompanies IPF. It remains to be seen whether the immunomodulatory and antiangiogenic properties of thalidomide will also make it a potential therapy against the clinical progression of IPF.
HubMed – drug

Mogamulizumab for the treatment of adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma.

Filed under: Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation

Drugs Today (Barc). 2012 Oct; 48(10): 655-60
de Lartigue J

T-cell neoplasms, such as adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) and peripheral T-cell lymphoma, are particularly aggressive and, despite novel combination chemotherapy regimens, still have extremely poor prognoses. As such, there is an unmet medical need for novel therapies and the anti-chemokine CCR4 receptor antibody mogamulizumab (KW-0761) may offer such an option for the treatment of ATL. Mogamulizumab is a humanized antibody, with a defucosylated Fc region, which enhances antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. As a result, mogamulizumab demonstrates potent antitumor activity at much lower doses than other therapeutic monoclonal antibodies. Clinical testing indicates that mogamulizumab is effective and well tolerated, with a predictable pharmacokinetic profile in patients with relapsed/refractory ATL. This drug was recently granted regulatory approval in Japan for this indication and continues to be evaluated in clinical trials in both the U.S. and Europe.
HubMed – drug

Linagliptin as add-on therapy for type 2 diabetes – an overview.

Filed under: Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation

Drugs Today (Barc). 2012 Oct; 48(10): 645-54
Brown DX, Choudhury M, Evans M

The pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes (T2D) can result in decreased levels of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP), which under normal circumstances increase insulin secretion and suppress glucagon release. A new form of drug therapy known as dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP IV) inhibitors has focused on increasing the circulating levels of these “incretin” hormones in order to improve glycemic control in patients with T2D. The DPP IV inhibitors saxagliptin, vildagliptin, linagliptin, alogliptin and sitagliptin function by inhibiting the enzyme DPP IV, which breaks down GLP-1 and GIP, and have had significant success. However, with most DPP IV inhibitors being extensively excreted renally, this is a significant issue, as a large proportion of diabetic patients suffer from renal complications. Linagliptin is a novel DPP IV inhibitor that is excreted primarily by the hepatic route, with little need for dose adjustment in patients with renal impairment. It therefore represents a major advancement in the pharmacotherapy of patients with T2D.
HubMed – drug

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