Impact of fingolimod therapy on magnetic resonance imaging outcomes in patients with multiple sclerosis.

Objective: To assess the impact of fingolimod (FTY720) therapy on magnetic resonance imaging measures of inflammatory activity and tissue damage in patients participating in a 2-year, placebo-controlled, phase 3 study.

Design: Patients with active relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis were randomized to receive fingolimod, 0.5 mg; fingolimod, 1.

The effect of carvedilol on mortality risk in heart failure patients with diabetes: results of a meta-analysis.

Background: Although beta-blocker therapy has been shown to improve survival in patients with chronic heart failure, this class of drugs tends to be underutilized in diabetic patients due to concerns about adverse metabolic effects, especially on glycemic control. No randomized clinical trial has specifically evaluated the effect of beta-blocker therapy on mortality in diabetic patients with heart failure. Previous meta-analyses combining results of heart failure trials with pharmacologically diverse beta-blockers suggest that the survival benefit in diabetic patients may be diminished compared to benefits in non-diabetic patients.

Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of argatroban in combination with a platelet glycoprotein IIB/IIIA receptor antagonist in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention.

The pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic (PK-PD) relationship of argatroban, administered in combination with a platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor antagonist, was characterized in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Plasma argatroban and activated clotting times (ACTs) were assessed periprocedurally in 152 patients administered argatroban (250- or 300-microg/kg bolus, then 15-microg/kg/min infusion) in combination with abciximab or eptifibatide during PCI. The PK and PK-PD models were developed utilizing a sequential population approach in NONMEM.