Drug Breakdown: SIROLIMUS

Drug Breakdown: FINASTERIDE

Dexamethasone

Drug Breakdown: ACAMPROSATE

In addition to the tweets, read the BNF monograph on acamprosate and the related treatment summaries for alcohol dependency. Another useful source is the Summary of Product Characteristics for...

Drug Breakdown: MEBENDAZOLE

Day 1: #mebendazole is a synthetic benzimidazole derivative, designed as a broad spectrum anthelmintic drug for intestinal nematodes. Licensed in 1970s. This drug class is selectively toxic to...

BACLOFEN

Day 1: As it is chemically related to the neurotransmitter GABA, #baclofen was trialed for epilepsy in the 1960s, but found ineffective, However, a centrally acting muscle relaxant effect was...

MELATONIN

Day 1: #melatonin is derived from the pineal gland & was first isolated in the late 1950s. Named from observation of altered frog pigmentation, but the role for human melanin is unknown. Known for...

SULFASALAZINE

Day 1: Convinced that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) had a bacterial cause, Professor Nanna Svartz tested sulfapyridine on her patients. After minimal success, a drug company helped her to combine this...

INCLISIRAN

Day 1: Approved in Europe in 2020, the novel lipid lowering drug #inclisiran acts on PCSK9, a known lipid pathway target; this gene therapy ‘switches off’ the enzyme (mimicking the natural mechanism...

LEVODOPA

Day 1: Still the mainstay of Parkinson's disease (PD) treatment, #levodopa was extracted from faba bean seedlings in the early 20C. It was deployed in the 1960s with dramatic ‘wakening’ effects on...

Metronidazole

Day 1: Known as an antibiotic with anti-parasitic properties, #metronidazole was discovered in the 1960s for efficacy against amoebic dysentery. This led to the accidental discovery of activity...

TIRZEPATIDE

Day 1: Following the diabetes & weight loss successes of GLP-1 agonists such as semaglutide, #tirzepatide is the 1st ‘dual’ incretin drug. Peptide engineering has been used to bring GLP-1 activity...