Dexrazoxane is a cardioprotective drug used in patients with breast cancer to reduce cardiomyopathy associated with doxorubicin administration. Dexrazoxane is believed to act by two mechanisms: it inhibits DNA topoisomerase II and acts as a chelator for iron ions.

Technetium Tc 99m Bicisate is a Radioactive Diagnostic Agent indicated as an adjunct to conventional computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the localization of stroke in patients in whom stroke has already been diagnosed. Technetium Tc 99m Bicisate is a lipophilic complex with high first-pass extraction fraction and deposition and retention in the brain in proportion to cerebral blood flow. Its radionuclide emissions permit external imaging of the cerebral distribution of the agent, thus allowing the detection of altered regional cerebral perfusion. The retention in the brain of technetium Tc 99m Bicisate results from in vivo metabolism (de-esterification) of the primary complex to polar, less diffusable compounds Technetium Tc-99m Bicisate is metabolized by endogenous enzymes to the mono- and di-acids of Technetium Tc-99m Bicisate that can be detected in blood and urine. Technetium Tc-99m Bicisate is excreted primarily through the kidneys. Within two hours, 50% of the injected dose is excreted and by 24 hours, 74% is found in urine.

Budesonide is a glucocorticoid used in the management of asthma, the treatment of various skin disorders, allergic rhinitis and ulcerative colitis. The precise mechanism of corticosteroid actions on inflammation in asthma is not well known. Inflammation is an important component in the pathogenesis of asthma. Corticosteroids have been shown to have a wide range of inhibitory activities against multiple cell types (e.g., mast cells, eosinophils, neutrophils, macrophages, and lymphocytes) and mediators (e.g., histamine, eicosanoids, leukotrienes, and cytokines) involved in allergic- and non-allergic-mediated inflammation. The anti-inflammatory actions of corticosteroids may contribute to their efficacy in asthma. Commonly reported side effects of budesonide include: acne vulgaris, moon face, and bruise. Other side effects include: ankle edema, hirsutism, weakness, arthralgia, nausea, and rhinitis. Ketoconazole, a potent inhibitor of cytochrome P450 (CYP) isoenzyme 3A4 (CYP3A4), the main metabolic enzyme for corticosteroids, increased plasma levels of orally ingested budesonide.

Salmeterol is a long-acting beta2-adrenergic agonist. Although beta2-adrenoceptors are the predominant adrenergic receptors in bronchial smooth muscle and beta1-adrenoceptors are the predominant receptors in the heart, there are also beta2-adrenoceptors in the human heart comprising 10% to 50% of the total beta-adrenoceptors. The precise function of these is not yet established, but they raise the possibility that even highly selective beta2-agonists may have cardiac effects. It is FDA approved for the treatment of asthma, prevention of exercise-induced bronchospasm, maintenance treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Common adverse reactions include musculoskeletal pain, headache, influenza, nasal/sinus congestion, pharyngitis, rhinitis, tracheitis/bronchitis, cough, throat irritation, viral respiratory infection. Salmeterol should be administered with extreme caution to patients being treated with monoamine oxidase inhibitors or tricyclic antidepressants, or within 2 weeks of discontinuation of such agents, because the action of salmeterol on the vascular system may be potentiated by these agents. Coadministration of salmeterol and ketoconazole was associated with more frequent increases in QTc duration compared with salmeterol and placebo administration.

Fludeoxyglucose F-18 is a positron emitting radiopharmaceutical that is used for diagnostic purposes in conjunction with positron emission tomography (PET) imaging.

Lamotrigine (marketed as Lamictal) is an anticonvulsant drug used in the treatment of epilepsy and bipolar disorder. The precise mechanism(s) by which lamotrigine exerts its anticonvulsant action are unknown. In animal models designed to detect anticonvulsant activity, lamotrigine was effective in preventing seizure spread in the maximum electroshock (MES) and pentylenetetrazol (scMet) tests, and prevented seizures in the visually and electrically evoked after-discharge (EEAD) tests for antiepileptic activity. Lamotrigine also displayed inhibitory properties in the kindling model in rats both during kindling development and in the fully kindled state. The relevance of these models to human epilepsy, however, is not known. One proposed mechanism of action of lamotrigine, the relevance of which remains to be established in humans, involves an effect on sodium channels. In vitro pharmacological studies suggest that lamotrigine inhibits voltage-sensitive sodium channels, thereby stabilizing neuronal membranes and consequently modulating presynaptic transmitter release of excitatory amino acids (e.g., glutamate and aspartate). Effect of Lamotrigine on N-Methyl d-Aspartate-Receptor Mediated Activity Lamotrigine did not inhibit N-methyl d-aspartate (NMDA)-induced depolarizations in rat cortical slices or NMDA-induced cyclic GMP formation in immature rat cerebellum, nor did lamotrigine displace compounds that are either competitive or noncompetitive ligands at this glutamate receptor complex (CNQX, CGS, TCHP). The IC50 for lamotrigine effects on NMDA-induced currents (in the presence of 3 uM of glycine) in cultured hippocampal neurons exceeded 100 uM. The mechanisms by which lamotrigine exerts its therapeutic action in bipolar disorder have not been established. The mechanisms that underpin the passage of lamotrigine at the blood-brain barrier to its site of action in the brain is poorly understood.

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.

Vinorelbine (trade name Navelbine) is a semi-synthetic vinca-alkaloid with a broad spectrum of anti-tumour activity. Vinorelbine is a mitotic spindle poison that impairs chromosomal segregation during mitosis. It blocks cells at G2/M. Microtubules (derived from polymers of tubulin) are the principal target of vinorelbine. Vinorelbine was developed by Pierre Fabre under licence from the CNRS in France. NAVELBINE (vinorelbine tartrate) as a single agent or in combination is indicated for the first line treatment of non small cell lung cancer and advanced breast cancer.

Cysteamine (trade name CYSTAGON) is a cystine-depleting agent indicated for the treatment of corneal cystine crystal accumulation in patients with cystinosis. Cystinosis is an autosomal recessive inborn error of metabolism in which the transport of cystine out of lysosomes is abnormal; in the nephropathic form, accumulation of cystine and formation of crystals damage various organs, especially the kidney, leading to renal tubular Fanconi Syndrome and progressive glomerular failure, with end-stage renal failure by the end of the first decade of life. In four studies of cystinosis patients before cysteamine was available, renal death (need for transplant or dialysis) occurred at the median age of fewer than 10 years. Patients with cystinosis also experience growth failure, rickets, and photophobia due to cystine deposits in the cornea. With time most organs are damaged, including the retina, muscles and central nervous system. Cysteamine is an aminothiol that participates within lysosomes in a thiol-disulfide interchange reaction converting cystine into cysteine and cysteine-cysteamine mixed disulfide, both of which can exit the lysosome in patients with cystinosis.

Tacrolimus, previously known as FK506, is the active ingredient in Prograf. Tacrolimus is a macrolide immunosuppressant produced by Streptomyces tsukubaensis. It reduces peptidyl-prolyl isomerase activity by binding to the immunophilin FKBP-12 (FK506 binding protein) creating a new complex. This FKBP12-FK506 complex interacts with and inhibits calcineurin thus inhibiting both T-lymphocyte signal transduction and IL-2 transcription. Tacrolimus inhibits T-lymphocyte activation, although the exact mechanism of action is not known. Experimental evidence suggests that tacrolimus binds to an intracellular protein, FKBP-12. A complex of tacrolimus-FKBP-12, calcium, calmodulin, and calcineurin is then formed and the phosphatase activity of calcineurin inhibited. This effect may prevent the dephosphorylation and translocation of nuclear factor of activated T-cells (NF-AT), a nuclear component thought to initiate gene transcription for the formation of lymphokines (such as interleukin-2, gamma interferon). The net result is the inhibition of T-lymphocyte activation (i.e., immunosuppression). Prograf is indicated for the prophylaxis of organ rejection in patients receiving allogeneic liver transplants, kidney transplants, heart transplants. It has also been used in a topical preparation in the treatment of severe atopic dermatitis.