[Family pharmacy participation in homecare medicine].

Creation of social structures for super-aged society is urgent task, because of the advent of a rapidly aging society. In the past, responsibility of pharmacies was only to dispense prescriptions for outpatient in local medical care. However, it is now essential that they participate in home medical care, and they are continuing to search for ways to support elderly people who live alone, people with dementia, and end-of-life care.

Increased erythrocyte distribution of valproic acid in pharmacokinetic interaction with carbapenem antibiotics in rat and human.

Carbapenem antibiotics cause pharmacokinetic interaction with valproic acid (VPA) in clinical pharmacotherapy. Here, we investigated the mechanism of interaction from the viewpoint of erythrocyte distribution of VPA in rats and humans. Imipenem or panipenem was administered intravenously and then VPA intravenously or into the intestinal lumen in rats.

Role of organic anion transporting polypeptide 2 in pharmacokinetics of digoxin and beta-methyldigoxin in rats.

Recently, we found that potent P-glycoprotein (P-gp) inhibitors, such as verapamil and cyclosporin A, markedly modulated the pharmacokinetics of digoxin in rats, whereas they did not affect beta-methyldigoxin pharmacokinetics significantly. Digoxin is also a substrate of rat organic anion transporting polypeptide 2 (Oatp2). Here, we compared the magnitude of Oatp2-mediated drug interaction of digoxin and beta-methyldigoxin using amiodarone as an Oatp2 inhibitor in rats.

Prevention of irinotecan-induced diarrhoea by oral carbonaceous adsorbent (Kremezin) in cancer patients.

Irinotecan (CPT-11) treatments induce severe diarrhoea at a rate of >40%. In clinical trials, we evaluated the preventing effects of oral alkalization, which has been reported previously, and oral carbonaceous adsorbent (Kremezin trade mark ) on diarrhoea possibly induced by CPT-11. Evaluation was made by counting the maximum number of bowel motions in each patient.

Dosage adjustment of ribavirin based on renal function in Japanese patients with chronic hepatitis C.

The daily dose of ribavirin is currently determined based on body weight. In the present study, the authors examined factors influencing total plasma clearance (CL(total)) and the toxic level on red blood cells of ribavirin in such body weight-based dosage adjustment in Japanese chronic hepatitis C patients (13 male and 6 female). Patients received ribavirin (600 or 800 mg/d) orally, depending on their body weights, together with interferon alpha-2b (6 million units) intramuscularly.

Role of P-glycoprotein in pharmacokinetics and drug interactions of digoxin and beta-methyldigoxin in rats.

Digoxin and beta-methyldigoxin were evaluated pharmacokinetically in terms of P-glycoprotein (P-gp)-mediated drug interactions in rats. Evaluation was made by measuring the effects of a potent P-gp inhibitor (verapamil, cyclosporin A) on in vitro efflux transport of these compounds across the everted small intestine, on in situ absorption from the small intestine, and on in vivo total plasma clearance (CL(total)) as well as biliary and urinary excretions after intravenous administration. Both the intestinal efflux transport and absorption of beta-methyldigoxin were approximately 1.