Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:2.6.1.2 (alanine aminotransferase)
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Before administering tacrine hydrochloride (Cognex), an examination is conducted that includes a medical history, neurological examination, laboratory studies, EEG, CT or MRI, and sometimes lumbar puncture. Much consideration by physicians patients, and caregivers goes into the decision to prescribe Cognex. Aside from a diagnosis of mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease, the patient must be in good health. Patient and caregivers must accept the need for weekly ALT measurements for at least the first 18 weeks of treatment, and for periodic office evaluations. Many of our patients who have received Cognex show considerable improvement in overall sense of well-being, affect, and the abilities to converse and participate in daily activities. The most common adverse effects in our patients are nausea, vomiting, and gastrointestinal upset. In our experience, administration of Cognex extends the time that patients with AD can function in a home environment. This approach often represents a cost savings to the patient's family.
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PMID:Use of tacrine hydrochloride (Cognex) in private practice. 874 Sep 99

The safety of tacrine (Cognex), a centrally active, reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitor approved in 1993 for the treatment of mild to moderate dementia of the Alzheimer type, was evaluated in 2,706 patients with Alzheimer disease (AD) in clinical trials and in 9861 patients with AD in a treatment investigational new drug (TIND) program. More than 190,000 patients in the United States received tacrine during the first 2 years following marketing approval. The most common tacrine-associated adverse events were elevated liver transaminase levels [alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and, to a lesser degree, aspartate aminotransferase] and peripheral cholinergic events involving primarily the digestive system (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dyspepsia, anorexia, and weight loss). Based on clinical trial experience, potentially clinically significant (>3 x upper limit of normal) ALT elevations occurred in 25% of patients, requiring routine monitoring early in treatment. The elevations were almost always asymptomatic, rarely accompanied by significant increases in bilirubin, and related to time on drug rather than to dose (90% occurred within the first 12 weeks of treatment). Gastrointestinal events were related to dose and generally of mild to moderate intensity. Tacrine-associated events, including ALT elevations, were reversible. Cholinergic events were manageable with dosage adjustment. Tacrine was not associated with permanent liver injury in clinical trials or a TIND setting.
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PMID:Safety of tacrine: clinical trials, treatment IND, and postmarketing experience. 965 Nov 38