Why pharmacokinetic differences among oral triptans have little clinical importance: a comment

The Journal of Headache and Pain

Review Article

Anna Ferrari¹  Emilio Sternieri¹  Laura Neri²  Ilaria Tiraferri³ 

[1] Headache and Drug Abuse Inter-Dep. Research Centre, Division of Toxicology and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Policlinico, Largo del Pozzo 71, 41100, Modena, Italy;School of Clinical Pharmacology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy;School of Medical Toxicology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy;

关键词: Acute treatment;    Disposition;    Headache;    Pharmacokinetics;    Triptan;    Variability;   

DOI  :  10.1007/s10194-010-0258-4

 received in 2010-08-12, accepted in 2010-09-13,  发布年份 2010

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

Triptans, selective 5-HT1B/1D receptor agonists, are specific drugs for the acute treatment of migraine that have the same mechanism of action. Here, it is discussed why the differences among kinetic parameters of oral triptans have proved not to be very important in clinical practice. There are three main reasons: (1) the differences among the kinetic parameters of oral triptans are smaller than what appears from their average values; (2) there is a large inter-subject, gender-dependent, and intra-subject (outside/during the attack) variability of kinetic parameters related to the rate and extent of absorption, i.e., those which are considered as critical for the response; (3) no dose-concentration–response curves have been defined and it is, therefore, impossible both to compare the kinetics of triptans, and to verify the objective importance of kinetic differences; (4) the importance of kinetic differences is outweighed by non-kinetic factors of variability of response to triptans. If no oral formulations are found that can allow more predictable pharmacokinetics, the same problems will probably also arise with new classes of drugs for the acute treatment of migraine.

【 授权许可】

Unknown   
© Springer-Verlag 2010