Interaction of thiopental with esomeprazole in critically ill patients

An update on drug-drug interactions associated with proton pump inhibitors

INTRODUCTION

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) block the gastric H/K-ATPase, therefore inhibiting acid gastric secretion, leading to an increased pH (>4). They account for an extremely high number of prescriptions worldwide. Numerous drug-drug interactions have been described with PPIs, but all the described interactions do not have clinical significance.

AREAS COVERED

This review will discuss the latest updates on drug-drug interactions with PPIs, focusing on the last ten-year publications in the following areas: anti-infective agents, anticancer drugs, antiplatelet agents and anticoagulants, and antidiabetics.

EXPERT OPINION

Although pharmacokinetic interactions of PPIs have been described with many drugs, their clinical relevance remains controversial. However, given the extremely high number of people being treated with PPIs, clinicians should remain vigilant for interactions that may be clinically significant and require dose adjustment or therapeutic monitoring. Interestingly, not all PPIs have the same pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profile, with some having a strong potential to inhibit CYP2C19, such as omeprazole, esomeprazole and lansoprazole, while others, pantoprazole, rabeprazole and dexlansoprazole, are weak CYP2C19 inhibitors. These may be preferred depending on co-prescribed treatments.In addition, new formulations have been developed to prevent some of the gastric pH-dependent drug interactions and should be evaluated in further large-scale prospective comparative studies.

Analgosedation in paediatric severe traumatic brain injury (TBI): practice, pitfalls and possibilities

Analgosedation is a fundamental part of traumatic brain injury (TBI) treatment guidelines, encompassing both first and second tier supportive strategies. Worldwide analgosedation practices continue to be heterogeneous due to the low level of evidence in treatment guidelines (level III) and the choice of analgosedative drugs is made by the treating clinician. Current practice is thus empirical and may result in unfavourable (often hemodynamic) side effects. This article presents an overview of current analgosedation practices in the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and addresses pitfalls both in the short and long term. We discuss innovative (pre-)clinical research that can provide the framework for initiatives to improve our pharmacological understanding of analgesic and sedative drugs used in paediatric severe TBI and ultimately facilitate steps towards evidence-based and precision pharmacotherapy in this vulnerable patient group.

Pharmacokinetic evaluation of esomeprazole for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease

INTRODUCTION

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are widely used for the treatment of acid-related diseases such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). They are recommended by the American College of Gastroenterology for healing erosive esophagitis (EO) and as long-term treatment in patients with healed EO. The available PPIs differ somewhat in their pharmacokinetics and clinical properties, but whether these differences are of clinical relevance is a matter of debate. Some safety concerns have been raised with the use of PPIs, mostly an increased incidence of infectious diseases such as community-acquired pneumonia or Clostridium difficile diarrhea.

AREAS COVERED

This article explores the results of clinical studies on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of esomeprazole , as well as on its clinical efficacy to manage patients with GERD.

EXPERT OPINION

GERD is a public health concern as its worldwide incidence and associated complications are increasing alongside the exponentially increasing problem of obesity. PPIs are the first pharmacological option because of their efficacy and overall positive risk-to-benefit ratio. Improved efficacy with the use of stereospecific isomers of PPIs, such as esomeprazole, has not yet been convincingly demonstrated. Nevertheless, because of individual experience with former treatment, some patients may report better symptom control when treated with a specific PPI rather than with others.