International Veterinary Epilepsy Task Force consensus proposal: Medical treatment of canine epilepsy in Europe

In Europe, the number of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) licensed for dogs has grown considerably over the last years. Nevertheless, the same questions remain, which include, 1) when to start treatment, 2) which drug is best used initially, 3) which adjunctive AED can be advised if treatment with the initial drug is unsatisfactory, and 4) when treatment changes should be considered. In this consensus proposal, an overview is given on the aim of AED treatment, when to start long-term treatment in canine epilepsy and which veterinary AEDs are currently in use for dogs. The consensus proposal for drug treatment protocols, 1) is based on current published evidence-based literature, 2) considers the current legal framework of the cascade regulation for the prescription of veterinary drugs in Europe, and 3) reflects the authors’ experience. With this paper it is aimed to provide a consensus for the management of canine idiopathic epilepsy. Furthermore, for the management of structural epilepsy AEDs are inevitable in addition to treating the underlying cause, if possible

Liposomal Formulations of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Drugs: Local versus Systemic Drug Delivery in a Rat Model

Based on adherence to intestinal mucosa, intralumenally administered liposomal formulations of 5-aminosalicylate (5-ASA) and 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) were studied for their potential to enhance local drug delivery to intestinal tissue for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/41509/1/11095_2005_Article_5376.pd

Pharmacokinetics of tramadol and its major metabolites in alpacas following intravenous and oral administration

Tramadol, a centrally acting opioid analgesic with monamine reuptake inhibition, was administered to six alpacas (43-71kg) randomly assigned to two treatment groups, using an open, single-dose, two-period, randomized cross-over design at a dose of 3.4-4.4mg/kg intravenously (IV) and, after a washout period, 11mg/kg orally. Serum samples were collected and stored at -80°C until assayed by HPLC. Pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated. The mean half-lives (t1/2) IV were 0.85±0.463 and 0.520±0.256h orally. The Cp(0) IV was 2467±540ng/mL, and the Cmax was 1202 ±1319ng/mL orally. Tmax occurred at 0.111±0.068h orally. The area under the curve (AUC0-∞) IV was 895±189 and 373±217ng*h/mL orally. The volume of distribution (Vd[area]) IV was 5.50±2.66L/kg. Total body clearance (Cl) IV was 4.62±1.09h; Cl/F for oral administration was 39.5±23L/h/kg. The IV mean residence time (MRT) was 0.720±0.264. Oral adsorption (F) was low (5.9-19.1%) at almost three times the IV dosage with a large inter-subject variation. This may be due to binding with the rumen contents or enzymatic destruction. Assuming linear nonsaturable pharmacokinetics and absorption processes, a dosage of 6.7 times orally would be needed to achieve the same IV serum concentration of tramadol. The t1/2 of all three metabolites was longer than the parent drug; however, O-DMT, N-DMT, and Di-DMT metabolites were not detectable in all of the alpacas. Because of the poor bioavailability and adverse effects noted in this study, the oral administration of tramadol in alpacas cannot be recommended without further research