Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome drugs used

Viruses are small infectious agents composed of a nucleic acid genome (DNA or RNA) encased by structural proteins and in some cases a lipid envelope. They are the causative agents of a number of human infectious diseases, the most important for public health today being acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), hepatitis, influenza, measles, and vituses causing diarrhoea (e.g., rotavirus). In addition, certain viruses contribute to the development of cancer. Antiviral drugs inhibit viral replication by specifically targeting viral enzymes or functions and are used to treat specific virus-associated diseases. 

The Orphan Drug Act of 1983 was passed to encourage die development and marketing of products used to treat rare diseases. The act defines a rare disease as a condition affecting fewer than 200,000 individuals in die United States. The National Organization of Rare Disorders reports that there are more tiian 6000 rare disorders that affect approximately 25 million individuals. Examples of rare disorders include Tourette s syndrome, ovarian cancer, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), Huntington s disease, and certain forms of leukemia... 

See also Gravimetric techniqugges Acoustic waves, sensors using, 22 269-270 Acoustooptic (AO) modulators, 14 676 Acousto-ultrasonics, in nondestructive evaluation, 17 425-426 Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), 3 135 25 500. See also Anti-HIV drug candidates HIV entries Nevirapine entries sulfonamide exposure in, 23 506 Acquisitions, 15 639 Acrawax C, dental wax, 8 296 9-Acridinecarbonylimidazole, as... 

In 1997, it was estimated that 30 million adults were infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) worldwide, with increments of five people infected every minute. It is estimated that approximately 7% of the population of sub-Saharan Africa has been infected. The incubation of the disease is 7 to 8 years. Currently available drugs for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and HIV are zidovudine, didanosine, lamivudine, and stavudine. The causative agent for AIDS is generally an HIV virus, which is transmitted by sexual contact, blood and blood products, the use of contaminated drug needles, and from mother to fetus. 

A number of drugs of miscellaneous class are capable of producing various degrees of renal damage and will be reviewed in this Chapter. Some have been used extensively in the past for the treatment of general infections (sulfonamides), others have had specific indications (pentamidine, dapsone), and others such as quinolones are of more recent application. Many of these, however, are of current interest because of their use in treating the complications occurring in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). 

A conspicuous feature of Bi toxicity in man is the apparent complete reversibility of the condition which occurs on cessation of administration of a bismuth-containing drug. Recorded fatalities occurred mostly in children (a prominent feature of bismuth nephropathy) (Gryboski and Gotoff 1961), and in many cases were due to the fact that the cause of the condition was recognized too late. Deaths of children occurred within 2-5 days after the use of suppositories containing the bismuth salt of hepta-diencarboxylic acid (Weinstein 1947). Likewise, in a 45-year-old man with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome was hospitalized for dehydration and water diarrhea, the only successful treatment was with bismuth subsalicylate solution (Iffland 1993). 

The recommended dosage for idarubicin (IDAMYCIN) is 12 mg/m daily for 3 days by intravenous injection in combination with cytarabine. Daunorubicin (daunomycin, rubidomycin CERUBIDINE, others) is available for intravenous use. The recommended dosage is 30-60 mg/rn daily for 3 days. Total doses of >1000 mg/nP are associated with a high risk of cardiotoxicity. A liposomal formulation of daunorubicin citrate (daunoxome) is indicated for the treatment of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-related Kaposi s sarcoma. It is given in a dose of 40 mg/m infused over 60 minutes and repeated every 2 weeks. Patients should be advised that the drug may impart a red color to the urine. Daunorubicin is primarily used in the treatment of AML in combination with Ara-C and has largely been replaced by idarubicin. 

Abstract Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and its related disorders, caused by retrovirus human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are a major health concern worldwide. HIV protease is one of the major viral targets for the development of new chemotherapeutics. Currently, many HIV protease inhibitors are used in combination with HIV reverse transcriptase inhibitors. However, the use of current drugs regimens has several shortcomings, such as adherence, tolerability, long-term toxicity and drug- and... 

A first application of the new, very efficient asymmetric synthesis of C2-sym-fnetric ketones is described in scheme 7. Since the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta (USA) defined the diagnostic term AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) in 1982 [24] only three medications have been authorized for treatment of AIDS 3 -azido-3 -deoxythymidine (AZT, Wellcome, 1987), 2 ,3 -dideoxyinosine (DDI, Bristol Myers Squibb, 1992), and 2 ,3 -dideoxycytosine (DDC, Hoffmann La Roche, 1992), which was recently introduced for limited use. These drugs inhibit the enzyme reverse transcriptase of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Nevertheless, they are only able to prolong somewhat the survival of patients with advanced cases of AIDS. They also lead to considerable side-effects (bone marrow damage, neuropathy) and to the generation of more resistant strains of the virus [25]. 

---