Work

Chiral Switch Drugs for Asthma and Allergies: True Benefit or Marketing Hype

Year: 2013

Type: article

Abstract: Enantiomers are one of several possible molecular configurations present in a drug that has at least 1 chiral center. A drug containing 2 or more enatiomers is called a racemic mixture. Enatiomers are being developed from racemic mixtures as drugs in their own right often to extend patent protection of highly popular drugs. However, the therapeutic advantages of single enantiomer drugs developed for respiratory use such as levalbuterol, arformoterol, and levocetirizine over their racemate has been disappointing. In addition, single enantiomer drugs may be several fold more expensive than the racemic drug. New single enantiomer drugs, which are stable (no interconversion back to the racemate) and have fewer adverse effects and a more predictable pharmacodynamic or pharmacokinetic profile would confer a therapeutic advantage and thus would be beneficial for clinical use.

Source: Pediatric Allergy Immunology and Pulmonology

DOI: 10.1089/ped.2013.0285

Authors: Kathryn Blake, Hengameh Raissy

Institutions: Nemours Children’s Clinic, Nemours Children's Clinic, Nemours Children's Clinic, University of New Mexico, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center

Language: English

Topic: Asthma and respiratory diseases

Subfield: Physiology

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Institutes of Health, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences