Mechanisms of clinical resistance to small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors targeting oncogenic tyrosine kinases.

A number of highly specific small molecule inhibitors of oncogenic tyrosine kinases have been developed and may potentially improve the treatment of different malignant diseases. However, it became rapidly evident that multiple resistance mechanisms compromise the successful clinical application of these inhibitors, particularly in advanced solid tumors. To develop efficient therapeutic strategies with small molecule inhibitors, one must understand the causes for treatment failure.

Using trade names: a risk factor for accidental drug overdose.

Medication errors due to the exclusive use of trade names of drugs may lead to life-threatening complications. We report the case of a patient with verapamil overdose as a result of this. This case illustrates that the use of trade names, omitting the international nonproprietary names of the active moiety, carries the risk of serious adverse drug events by overdose.