Action and Efficacy

Follow up studies on glatiramer acetate show that the relapse rate continues to be lower after 6 years on therapy (Johnson et al., 2000). The last 3 years of the lohnson study were open label with the initial study a double-blinded protocol. 

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Whole animal studies are generally necessary to determine the effect of the drug on organ systems and disease models. Cardiovascular and renal function studies of all new drugs are generally first performed in normal animals. Where appropriate, studies on disease models are performed. For a candidate antihypertensive drug, animals with hypertension would be treated to see whether blood pressure was lowered in a dose-related manner and to characterize other effects of the compound. Evidence would be collected on duration of action and efficacy after oral and parenteral administration. 

Butterweck V, Schmidt M St John s wort Role of active compounds for its mechanism of action and efficacy. Wien Med Wochenschr 2007 157 356. [PMID 17704987]... 

Golightly LK, Greos LS. Second-generation antihistamines actions and efficacy in the management of allergic disorders. Drugs. 2005 65 341-384. 

McLain RF, Kapural L, Mekhail NA. Epidural steroid therapy for back and leg pain mechanisms of action and efficacy. Spine J. 2005 5 191-201. 

Acute gout is usually treated with an NSAID in full dose. Any such drug which is tolerated may be used (except aspirin which in low dose promotes urate retention, see below) indomethacin is often chosen because of its strong anti-inflammatory action and efficacy. If treatment is started early, the attack may be terminated in a few hours. Colchicine is useful if NSAIDs are contraindicated. If neither colchicine nor NSAIDs are tolerated, oral prednisolone 40 mg/d and tapered over a week is also effective. It requires only a moment s thought to appreciate that the uricosurics and allopurinol will not relieve an acute attack of gout. 

All diuretics that act at site 2 arc equally efficacious and far more efficacious than diuretics that act at sites I. 3. or 4. As mentioned above, because of their site of action and efficacy, these agents are commonly referred to as loop and high-ceiling diuretics. ... 

Ebner, F. Donath, M. Mode of action and efficacy of nifedipine in 4th International Adalat Symposium, ed. P. Peuch, R. Krebs. Publ. Excerpta Medica. Amsterdam, 1980, 25-34. 

Each of these factors may achieve different levels of importance depending on circumstances of use. In a military setting, portability is critically important soldiers cannot carry gallons of water for use as a personal decontaminant. However, in a civilian setting, the ready access to clean water may make water an attractive choice. Similarly, in the military setting a personal decontamination kit that deteriorates rapidly may be less useful than, for example, a pack filled with fullers earth that retains its efficacy indefinitely. In all cases, speed of action and efficacy will be important. It will be understood that corrosive materials are unsuitable for personal decontamination and may also damage delicate equipment thus, a decontaminant suitable for use on the exterior of an armoured fighting vehicle may not be suitable for use either on the skin or on electronic equipment. 

Pharmacodynamics refers to the action of the drug at the cellular level. This term encompasses the binding of a drug to its receptor or binding site, the relationship of dose and therapeutic level to the physiologic response, and the relationship of drug action and efficacy to dosage interval. 

Table 34.5. Mechanism(s) of Action and Efficacy of Lipid-Lowering Agents...

Animal models of disease that might be considered for use in SP shonld be dictated by whether or not they improve predictive value of adverse reactions in patients, bnt of course they may also be valuable/preferred in studies on mechanism of action and efficacy. Scientists may be guided by selection of specific models that are well known to manifest increased sensitivity for adverse reactions in the clinic (e.g., obesity, senility, heart failure, hypertrophy, diabetes). Clinicians already know, and consider in design of clinical trials, many features of subjects (e.g., age, geographical location, sex, somatotype, strain) that inflnence the outcome of smdies. It is likely that diversity of subjects in preclinical smdies is as important as diversity of snbjects in clinical studies. My suspicion is that smdies conducted on one mouse, one rat, one rabbit, one gninea pig, one dog, and one monkey per each of four groups (vehicle, low dose, mid... 

Nuki G (2008) Colchicine its mechanism of action and efficacy in crystal-induced inflammation. Curr Rheumatol Rep 10 218-227... 

This chapter will present the evolution of muscle relaxants in the chronological order they appeared in the clinical setting, a brief overview of structure, mechanism of action, and efficacy. The chapter will conclude with a brief discussion of prescribing considerations as well as a more detailed description and discussion of each muscle relaxant. 

Spadaro, D., Vola, R., Piano, S. and Gullino, M. L., 2002. Mechanisms of action and efficacy of four isolates of the yeast Metschnikowia pulcherrima active against postharvest pathogens on apples. Postharvest Biol Techn 24, 123-134. 

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