Mupirocin (BACTROBAN®) is an antibiotic from a strain of Pseudomonas fluorescens. It has shown excellent activity against gram-positive staphylococci and streptococci. The antibiotic is used primarily for the treatment of primary and secondary skin disorders, nasal infections, and wound healing. Mupirocin inhibits bacterial protein synthesis by reversibly and specifically binding to bacterial isoleucyltransfer RNA (tRNA) synthetase. It also severely inhibits RNA synthesis. DNA and cell wall peptidoglycan synthesis are inhibited to a lesser extent and interference with these processes is considered to be a secondary effect. Mupirocin is bactericidal at concentrations achieved by topical administration.

Mometasone is a medium-potency synthetic corticosteroid with antiinflammatory, antipruritic, and vasoconstrictive properties. Studies in asthmatic patients have demonstrated that mometasone provides a favorable ratio of topical to systemic activity due to its primary local effect along with the extensive hepatic metabolism and the lack of active metabolites. Though effective for the treatment of asthma, glucocorticoids do not affect asthma symptoms immediately. Maximum improvement in symptoms following inhaled administration of mometasone furoate may not be achieved for 1 to 2 weeks or longer after starting treatment. When glucocorticoids are discontinued, asthma stability may persist for several days or longer. Mometasone has been shown in vitro to exhibit a binding affinity for the human glucocorticoid receptor which is approximately 12 times that of dexamethasone, 7 times that of triamcinolone acetonide, 5 times that of budesonide, and 1.5 times that of fluticasone. Mometasone inhaler is indicated for the maintenance treatment of asthma as prophylactic therapy. The nasal spray is indicated for the treatment of the nasal symptoms of seasonal allergic and perennial allergic rhinitis. ELOCON Lotion (Mometasone) is indicated for the relief of the inflammatory and pruritic manifestations of corticosteroid-responsive dermatoses.

Fluoxetine hydrochloride is the first agent of the class of antidepressants known as selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Fluoxetine is a racemic mixture of the R- and S- enantiomers and are of equivalent pharmacologic activity. Despite distinct structural differences between compounds in this class, SSRIs possess similar pharmacological activity. As with other antidepressant agents, several weeks of therapy may be required before a clinical effect is seen. SSRIs are potent inhibitors of neuronal serotonin reuptake. They have little to no effect on norepinephrine or dopamine reuptake and do not antagonize α- or β-adrenergic, dopamine D2 or histamine H1 receptors. During acute use, SSRIs block serotonin reuptake and increase serotonin stimulation of somatodendritic 5-HT1A and terminal autoreceptors. Fluoxetine is marketed under the trade names Prozac and Sarafem among others. It is also marketed for the treatment of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (Sarafem®, fluoxetine hydrochloride). PROZAC is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor indicated for: • Acute and maintenance treatment of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) in adult and pediatric patients aged 8 to 18 years • Acute and maintenance treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) in adult and pediatric patients aged 7 to 17 years • Acute and maintenance treatment of Bulimia Nervosa in adult patients • Acute treatment of Panic Disorder, with or without agoraphobia, in adult patients. Studies at clinically relevant doses in man have demonstrated that fluoxetine blocks the uptake of serotonin into human platelets. Studies in animals also suggest that fluoxetine is a much more potent uptake inhibitor of serotonin than of norepinephrine. Antagonism of muscarinic, histaminergic, and α1-adrenergic receptors has been hypothesized to be associated with various anticholinergic, sedative, and cardiovascular effects of classical tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) drugs. Fluoxetine binds to these and other membrane receptors from brain tissue much less potently in vitro than do the tricyclic drugs.

Cyclosporins are cyclic polypeptide macrolides that were originally derived from the soil fungus Tolypocladium inflatum. Cyclosporine (also known as cyclosporine A) was discovered by Sandoz and developed for the tretment of immune disorders. The drug was approved by FDA for such diseases as Rheumatoid Arthritis, Psoriasis (Neoral), Keratoconjunctivitis sicca (Restasis) and prevention of transplant rejections (Neoral and Sandimmune). Cyclosporine’s primary immunosuppressive mechanism of action is inhibition of T-lymphocyte function. Upon administration cyclosporine binds to cyclophilin A and thus inhibits calcineurin, leading to immune system suppression.

Praziquantel, marketed as Biltricide, is an anthelmintic used in humans and animals for the treatment of tapeworms and flukes. Specifically, it is effective against schistosoma, Clonorchis sinensis the fish tape worm Diphyllobothrium latum. Praziquantel works by causing severe spasms and paralysis of the worms' muscles. This paralysis is accompanied - and probably caused - by a rapid Ca 2+ influx inside the schistosome. Morphological alterations are another early effect of praziquantel. These morphological alterations are accompanied by an increased exposure of schistosome antigens at the parasite surface. The worms are then either completely destroyed in the intestine or passed in the stool. An interesting quirk of praziquantel is that it is relatively ineffective against juvenile schistosomes. While initially effective, effectiveness against schistosomes decreases until it reaches a minimum at 3-4 weeks. Effectiveness then increases again until it is once again fully effective at 6-7 weeks. Glutathione S-transferase (GST), an essential detoxification enzyme in parasitic helminths, is a major vaccine target and a drug target against schistosomiasis. Schistosome calcium ion channels are currently the only known target of praziquantel. The antibiotic rifampicin decreases plasma concentrations of praziquantel. Carbamazepine and phenytoin are reported to reduce the bioavailability of praziquantel. Chloroquine reduces the bioavailability of praziquantel. The drug cimetidine heightens praziquantel bioavailability.

Meclofenamic acid, used as Meclofenamate sodium, is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent with antipyretic and antigranulation activities. Meclofenamate sodium capsules are indicated for the relief of mild to moderate pain, for the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea and for the treatment of idiopathic heavy menstrual blood loss; for relief of signs and symptoms of juvenile arthritis; so as for relief of the signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis; For relief of the signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis. The mode of action, like that of other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents, is not known. Therapeutic action does not result from pituitary-adrenal stimulation. In animal studies, meclofenamate sodium was found to inhibit prostaglandin synthesis and to compete for binding at the prostaglandin receptor site. In vitro, meclofenamate sodium was found to be an inhibitor of human leukocyte 5-lipoxygenase activity. These properties may be responsible for the anti-inflammatory action of meclofenamate sodium. There is no evidence that meclofenamate sodium alters the course of the underlying disease.

Butorphanol is a synthetic opioid agonist-antagonist analgesic with a pharmacological and therapeutic profile that has been well established since its launch as a parenteral formulation in 1978. The introduction of a transnasal formulation of butorphanol represents a new and noninvasive presentation of an analgesic for moderate to severe pain. This route of administration bypasses the gastrointestinal tract, and this is an advantage for a drug such as butorphanol that undergoes significant first-pass metabolism after oral administration. The onset of action and systemic bioavailability of butorphanol following transnasal delivery are similar to those after parenteral administration. Butorphanol blocks pain impulses at specific sites in the brain and spinal cord. Butorphanol has agonistic activity at the κ-receptor and antagonistic activity at the μ-receptor. It also exhibits partial agonistic activity at the σ-receptor.

Naproxen (naproxen sodium, NAPROSYN®) is a propionic acid derivative related to the arylacetic acid group of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). It is an anti-inflammatory agent with analgesic and antipyretic properties. Both the acid and its sodium salt are used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and other rheumatic or musculoskeletal disorders, dysmenorrhea, and acute gout. The mechanism of action of the naproxen (naproxen sodium, NAPROSYN®), like that of other NSAIDs, is not completely understood but involves inhibition of cyclooxygenase (COX-1 and COX-2).

Mebendazole, known as Emverm is a (synthetic) broad-spectrum anthelmintic that acts by interfering with carbohydrate metabolism and inhibiting polymerization of microtubules. The loss of the cytoplasmic microtubules leads to impaired uptake of glucose by the larval and adult stages of the susceptible parasites, and depletes their glycogen stores. Degenerative changes in the endoplasmic reticulum, the mitochondria of the germinal layer, and the subsequent release of lysosomes result in decreased production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is the energy required for the survival of the helminth. Due to diminished energy production, the parasite is immobilized and eventually dies. Emverm tablets are used for the treatment of Enterobius vermicularis (pinworm), Trichuris trichiura (whipworm), Ascaris lumbricoides (common roundworm), Ancylostoma duodenale (common hookworm), Necator americanus (American hookworm) in single or mixed infections. All metabolites are devoid of anthelmintic activity. In man, approximately 2% of administered mebendazole is excreted in urine and the remainder in the feces as unchanged drug or a primary metabolite. Preliminary evidence suggests that cimetidine inhibits mebendazole metabolism and may result in an increase in plasma concentrations drug. Mebendazole sometimes causes diarrhea, abdominal pain, and elevated liver enzymes. In rare cases, it has been associated with a dangerously low white blood cell count, low platelet count, and hair loss, with a risk of agranulocytosis in rare cases

Trimethoprim (TMP) is an antibiotic is used for the treatment of initial episodes of uncomplicated urinary tract infections due to susceptible strains of the following organisms: Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter species, and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species, including S. saprophyticus. Cultures and susceptibility tests should be performed to determine the susceptibility of the bacteria to trimethoprim. Therapy may be initiated prior to obtaining the results of these tests. Trimethoprim is rapidly absorbed following oral administration. It exists in the blood as unbound, protein-bound, and metabolized forms. Ten to twenty percent of trimethoprim is metabolized, primarily in the liver; the remainder is excreted unchanged in the urine. The principal metabolites of trimethoprim are the 1- and 3-oxides and the 3'- and 4'-hydroxy derivatives. The free form is considered to be the therapeutically active form. Approximately 44% of trimethoprim is bound to plasma proteins. Trimethoprim blocks the production of tetrahydrofolic acid from dihydrofolic acid by binding to and reversibly inhibiting the required enzyme, dihydrofolate reductase. This binding is very much stronger for the bacterial enzyme than for the corresponding mammalian enzyme