Fluvoxamine is an antidepressant which functions pharmacologically as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. Though it is in the same class as other SSRI drugs, it is most often used to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder. Fluvoxamine has been in use in clinical practice since 1983 and has a clinical trial database comprised of approximately 35,000 patients. It was launched in the US in December 1994 and in Japan in June 1999. As of the end of 1995, more than 10 million patients worldwide have been treated with fluvoxamine. The exact mechanism of action of fluvoxamine has not been fully determined, but appears to be linked to its inhibition of CNS neuronal uptake of serotonin. Fluvoxamine blocks the reuptake of serotonin at the serotonin reuptake pump of the neuronal membrane, enhancing the actions of serotonin on 5HT1A autoreceptors. In-vitro studies suggest that fluvoxamine is more potent than clomipramine, fluoxetine, and desipramine as a serotonin-reuptake inhibitor. Studies have also demonstrated that fluvoxamine has virtually no affinity for α1- or α2-adrenergic, β-adrenergic, muscarinic, dopamine D2, histamine H1, GABA-benzodiazepine, opiate, 5-HT1, or 5-HT2 receptors. Fluvoxamine is used for management of depression and for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Has also been used in the management of bulimia nervosa. Fluvoxamine is known under the brand names: Faverin, Fevarin, Floxyfral, Dumyrox and Luvox.

Perindoprilat is a metabolite of perindopril. Perindopril is a long-acting angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor and it is used to treat high blood pressure, heart failure or stable coronary artery disease. Perindopril is designed to allow oral administration as perindoprilat is poorly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract.

Rimantadine (INN, sold under the trade name Flumadine) is an orally administered antiviral drug used to treat, and in rare cases prevent, influenzavirus A infection. Rimantadine is an M2 ion channel inhibitor which specifically inhibits the replication of influenza A viruses by interfering with the uncoating process of the virus. M2 inhibitors block the ion channel formed by the M2 protein that spans the viral membrane (Hay 1985, Sugrue 1991). The influenza virus enters its host cell by receptor-mediated endocytosis. Thereafter, acidification of the endocytotic vesicles is required for the dissociation of the M1 protein from the ribonucleoprotein complexes. Only then are the ribonucleoprotein particles imported into the nucleus via the nuclear pores. The hydrogen ions needed for acidification pass through the M2 channel. The drug is effective against all influenza A subtypes that have previously caused disease in humans (H1N1, H2N2, and H3N2), but not against influenza B virus because the M2 protein is unique to influenza A viruses. Rimantadine is not active against the avian flu subtype H5N1 strains that have recently caused disease in humans.

Lodoxamide is a mast-cell stabilizer for topical administration into the eye. This compound belongs to the class of organic compounds known as alpha amino acids and derivatives. Lodoxamide inhibits the in vivo Type I immediate hypersensitivity reaction. In vitro, Lodoxamide stabilizes mast cells and prevents antigen-stimulated release of histamine. In addition, Lodoxamide prevents the release of other mast cell inflammatory mediators and inhibits eosinophil chemotaxis. Although Lodoxamide's precise mechanism of action is unknown, the drug has been reported to prevent calcium influx into mast cells upon antigen stimulation. Among side effects to Lodoxamide, the most frequently reported ocular adverse experiences were transient burning, stinging, or discomfort upon instillation. Nonocular events reported were headache and heat sensation, dizziness, somnolence, nausea, stomach discomfort, sneezing, dry nose, and rash.

Loratadine is a derivative of azatadine and a second-generation histamine H1 receptor antagonist used in the treatment of allergic rhinitis and urticaria. Unlike most classical antihistamines (histamine H1 antagonists) it lacks central nervous system depressing effects such as drowsiness. Loratadine competes with free histamine and exhibits specific, selective peripheral H1 antagonistic activity. This blocks the action of endogenous histamine, which subsequently leads to temporary relief of the negative symptoms (eg. nasal congestion, watery eyes) brought on by histamine. Loratadine has low affinity for cholinergic receptors and does not exhibit any appreciable alpha-adrenergic blocking activity in-vitro. Loratadine also appears to suppress the release of histamine and leukotrienes from animal mast cells, and the release of leukotrienes from human lung fragments, although the clinical importance of this is unknown.

Torasemide is a pyridine-sulfonylurea type loop diuretic mainly used for the treatment of edema associated with congestive heart failure, renal disease, or hepatic disease. Also for the treatment of hypertension alone or in combination with other antihypertensive agents. It is also used at low doses for the management of hypertension. It is marketed under the brand name Demadex. Torasemide inhibits the Na+/K+/2Cl--carrier system (via interference of the chloride binding site) in the lumen of the thick ascending portion of the loop of Henle, resulting in a decrease in reabsorption of sodium and chloride. This results in an increase in the rate of delivery of tubular fluid and electrolytes to the distal sites of hydrogen and potassium ion secretion, while plasma volume contraction increases aldosterone production. The increased delivery and high aldosterone levels promote sodium reabsorption at the distal tubules, and by increasing the delivery of sodium to the distal renal tubule, torasemide indirectly increases potassium excretion via the sodium-potassium exchange mechanism. Torasemide's effects in other segments of the nephron have not been demonstrated. Thus torasemide increases the urinary excretion of sodium, chloride, and water, but it does not significantly alter glomerular filtration rate, renal plasma flow, or acid-base balance. Torasemide's effects as a antihypertensive are due to its diuretic actions. By reducing extracellular and plasma fluid volume, blood pressure is reduced temporarily, and cardiac output also decreases.

Sumatriptan is a serotonin (5-HT1B/1D) receptor agonist indicated for acute treatment of migraine with or without aura in adults. Sumatriptan is structurally similar to serotonin (5-HT), and is a 5-HT receptor (types 5-HT1D and 5-HT1B) agonist. The specific receptor subtypes it activates are present on the cranial arteries and veins. Acting as an agonist at these receptors, sumatriptan reduces the vascular inflammation associated with migraines. The specific receptor subtype it activates is present in the cranial and basilar arteries. Activation of these receptors causes vasoconstriction of those dilated arteries. Sumatriptan is also shown to decrease the activity of the trigeminal nerve, which presumably accounts for sumatriptan's efficacy in treating cluster headaches. The injectable form of the drug has been shown to abort a cluster headache within 30 minutes in 77% of cases. Sumatriptan is effective for ending or relieving the intensity of migraine and cluster headaches. It is most effective taken early after the start of the pain. Injected sumatriptan is more effective than other formulations. Large doses of sumatriptan can cause sulfhemoglobinemia, a rare condition in which the blood changes from red to greenish-black, due to the integration of sulfur into the hemoglobin molecule. Serious cardiac events, including some that have been fatal, have occurred following the use of sumatriptan injection or tablets. Events reported have included coronary artery vasospasm, transient myocardial ischemia, myocardial infarction, ventricular tachycardia, and ventricular fibrillation (V-Fib).

Paclitaxel is a mitotic inhibitor used in cancer chemotherapy. It was discovered in a US National Cancer Institute program at the Research Triangle Institute in 1967 when Monroe E. Wall and Mansukh C. Wani isolated it from the bark of the Pacific yew tree, Taxus brevifolia and named it taxol. Later it was discovered that endophytic fungi in the bark synthesize paclitaxel. When it was developed commercially by Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS), the generic name was changed to paclitaxel and the BMS compound is sold under the trademark Taxol. In this formulation, paclitaxel is dissolved in Kolliphor EL and ethanol, as a delivery agent. Taxol is marketed for the treatment of Breast cancer; Gastric cancer; Kaposi's sarcoma; Non-small cell lung cancer; Ovarian cancer. A newer formulation, in which paclitaxel is bound to albumin, is sold under the trademark Abraxane. Paclitaxel is a taxoid antineoplastic agent indicated as first-line and subsequent therapy for the treatment of advanced carcinoma of the ovary, and other various cancers including breast cancer. Paclitaxel is a novel antimicrotubule agent that promotes the assembly of microtubules from tubulin dimers and stabilizes microtubules by preventing depolymerization. This stability results in the inhibition of the normal dynamic reorganization of the microtubule network that is essential for vital interphase and mitotic cellular functions. In addition, paclitaxel induces abnormal arrays or "bundles" of microtubules throughout the cell cycle and multiple asters of microtubules during mitosis. Used in the treatment of Kaposi's sarcoma and cancer of the lung, ovarian, and breast. Abraxane® is specfically indicated for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer and locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. Paclitaxel interferes with the normal function of microtubule growth. Whereas drugs like colchicine cause the depolymerization of microtubules in vivo, paclitaxel arrests their function by having the opposite effect; it hyper-stabilizes their structure. This destroys the cell's ability to use its cytoskeleton in a flexible manner. Specifically, paclitaxel binds to the β subunit of tubulin. Tubulin is the "building block" of mictotubules, and the binding of paclitaxel locks these building blocks in place. The resulting microtubule/paclitaxel complex does not have the ability to disassemble. This adversely affects cell function because the shortening and lengthening of microtubules (termed dynamic instability) is necessary for their function as a transportation highway for the cell. Chromosomes, for example, rely upon this property of microtubules during mitosis. Further research has indicated that paclitaxel induces programmed cell death (apoptosis) in cancer cells by binding to an apoptosis stopping protein called Bcl-2 (B-cell leukemia 2) and thus arresting its function.

Ondansetron (ZOFRAN®) is a selective 5-HT3 receptor antagonist. It is effective in the treatment of nausea and vomiting caused by radiotherapy, anesthesia, surgery or cytotoxic chemotherapy drugs, including cisplatin, and has reported anxiolytic and neuroleptic properties. While its mechanism of action has not been fully characterized, ondansetron is not a dopamine-receptor antagonist. It is not certain whether ondansetron's antiemetic action is mediated centrally, peripherally, or in both sites. However, cytotoxic chemotherapy appears to be associated with release of serotonin from the enterochromaffin cells of the small intestine. The released serotonin may stimulate the vagal afferents through the 5-HT3 receptors and initiate the vomiting reflex.

Fludarabine or fludarabine phosphate is a chemotherapy drug used in the treatment of hematological malignancies (cancers of blood cells such as leukemias and lymphomas). It is a purine analog, which interferes with DNA synthesis. Fludarabine phosphate is a fluorinated nucleotide analog of the antiviral agent vidarabine, 9-β-D-arabinofuranosyladenine (ara-A), that is relatively resistant to deamination by adenosine deaminase. Fludarabine (marketed as fludarabine phosphate under the trade name Fludara) is a chemotherapy drug used in the treatment of hematological malignancies. Fludarabine phosphate is rapidly dephosphorylated to 2-fluoro-ara-A and then phosphorylated intracellularly by deoxycytidine kinase to the active triphosphate, 2-fluoro-ara-ATP. This metabolite appears to act by inhibiting DNA polymerase alpha, ribonucleotide reductase and DNA primase, thus inhibiting DNA synthesis. The mechanism of action of this antimetabolite is not completely characterized and may be multi-faceted.