Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0018681 (headache)
 56,091 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Fluvastatin sodium (Lescol; Sandoz) the first entirely synthetic 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitor studied, is structurally distinct from the other HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors currently available, all of which are fungal metabolites and analogues of compactin. Fluvastatin's distinct structure may be responsible for the biopharmaceutical properties that result in its low systemic exposure and, subsequently, low incidence of peripheral adverse events, such as headache and myositis. Fluvastatin is rapidly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract; has a 30-minute half-life, the shortest of any currently available HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor (lovastatin, 15 hours; pravastatin, 2 hours; simvastatin, 15.6 hours); is highly selective for the liver, undergoing extensive first-pass metabolism; has no active circulating metabolites; and does not penetrate the blood-brain barrier, unlike lovastatin and simvastatin. The low systemic exposure suggests that the occurrence of peripheral adverse events, such as myositis, central nervous system effects, and drug-drug interactions, may be less than what is currently observed with other HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors. Neither niacin nor propranolol had an effect on fluvastatin plasma levels when combined with fluvastatin. In contrast to other HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, fluvastatin in combination with niacin resulted in no instances of myositis or other serious adverse events. Although the interaction of fluvastatin with cholestyramine resulted in a lower rate and extent of fluvastatin bioavailability, this reduction had no impact on clinical efficacy. Fluvastatin administered to patients chronically receiving digoxin had no effect on the area under the curve (AUC) of digoxin compared with controls.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Clinical implications of the biopharmaceutical properties of fluvastatin. 819 18

Fluvastatin sodium (Lescol, Novartis Pharmaceutical Corp., East Hanover, NJ, U.S.A.), a potent 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG Co-A) reductase inhibitor that limits cholesterol biosynthesis, is available as a 40-mg immediate-release formulation capsule. An extended-release formulation for once-daily administration has been developed for patients with primary hypercholesterolemia who may benefit from doses higher than 40 mg/day. This phase I study evaluated the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of a new fluvastatin extended-release formulation at doses ranging from 80-640 mg/day in 40 hypercholesterolemic patients. After a 2-week dietary stabilization phase, patients (Fredrickson type IIa/IIb), 18-55 years of age, were randomly assigned to four groups to receive oral fluvastatin extended-release (80, 160, 320, or 640 mg) or matching placebo once daily for 13 days. Fluvastatin extended-release was generally safe and well tolerated at doses of 80-320 mg/day. Within this dose range, linear pharmacokinetics was observed after single and multiple dosing. At 640 mg, fluvastatin extended-release was not well tolerated. Six of the seven actively treated patients at this dose experienced adverse events, including diarrhea, headache, and clinically relevant elevations in serum transaminase concentrations. In addition, nonlinear pharmacokinetics, possibly due to saturation of first-pass metabolism, was observed at this dose, causing higher than expected serum drug concentrations. Once-daily administration of fluvastatin extended-release at doses of 80-320 mg/day was generally safe and well tolerated in patients with primary hypercholesterolemia over a 13-day dosing period.
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PMID:Safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of an extended-release formulation of fluvastatin administered once daily to patients with primary hypercholesterolemia. 1133 1