Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0030305 (pancreatitis)
 16,014 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) used accelerated approval regulations to approve the use of Glaxo-Wellcome's lamivudine (Epivir/3TC) in combination with AZT. The FDA guidelines used for approval, including viral load and CD4 count benefits, are explained. The guidelines warn that 3TC should be used with extreme caution in pediatric patients who are at risk of developing pancreatitis. Glaxo Wellcome has been commended for testing the drug on children beyond the FDA requirements. Cross resistance to ddI and ddC is a concern if AZT is used after 3TC treatment. Despite controversy at the Antiviral Drugs Advisory Committee meeting, the FDA did not indicate any specific T-cell range for the 3TC/AZT combination therapy. The price of 3TC to wholesalers is $3.11 per 150 mg tablet. Glaxo-Wellcome will provide reimbursement assistance to patients who have no other means of purchasing the drug.
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PMID:Lamivudine (3TC) approved for combination use with AZT. 1136 49

For the last several years, the combination of ddI (didanosine, Videx) and d4T (stavudine, Zerit) as a backbone of three-drug therapy has been popular both in treatment and in research. Together, the two nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NARTI) drugs offered relatively high strength and fairly simple use. Despite this, some researchers have long questioned the wisdom of the combination as it violates one of the key rules of combining drugs: combine only drugs with different side effect profiles. Both drugs are associated with the development of peripheral neuropathy and pancreatitis. Pancreatitis is more commonly seen with ddI and neuropathy with d4T, but both occur to a significant degree with each drug and to a higher degree than was seen with other drugs of their class. However, few if any studies were run comparing the ddI/d4T combination to alternatives such as AZT/3TC (Combivir) or even 3TC/d4T. Both ddI and d4T come from the same company, Bristol Myers Squibb.
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PMID:New questions about an old combination--ddI + d4T. 1264 75