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Drugs in Central Nervous System Disorders
BOOK REVIEWS
(Vol. 2 in Drugs in Central Nervous System Disorders. the Clinical Pharmacology Series Edited by Murray Weiner). Edited by David C. Horwell. Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, NY 1985. ix + 354. 23.5 x 16 cm. ISBN 08247-7185-0. $65.00. This book is intended to serve as an introduction and reference for a wide, multidisciplinary readership. The emphasis is directed toward pharmacology and clinical aspects. Although there are no discussions of structure-activity relationships, medicinal chemists may find some of the material Gseful. The book consists of six chapters. Chapters give an introduction and some sort of historical overview of the pathological condition involved, followed by a consideration of drugs presently used, discussion of mechanism of action, and some indication of trends. The most recent references cited are from 1982. The objective of the editor in presenting this volume is Yo review and update the information available . . . on the major drugs used in the treatment of disorders of the . . . CNS.” The book succeeds, but only partially. As is typical for many multi-authored volumes, the style and completeness of the chapters varies considerably. Some chapters seem fairly complete and interesting, others are not. The first chapter (67pages) on centrally active analgesics is a good overview and is concise. It discusses mode of action, useful animal models, and needs and criteria for new analgesics. The endogenous opioids are discussed, as are multiple opioid receptor subtypes. The chapter concludes with current trends, new synthetic opioids, and a discussion of some miscellaneous agents, such as the GABAergics. The second chapter (50 pages) treats antidepressants, but in my opinion, in a less satisfactory manner. The most recent reference cited in this chapter was 1981,and one had the feeling that much of this material was not as up-to-date. At one point the chapter author notes that “Excellent new books . . .” are available that discuss various aspects of depression. The three references given at this point are all from 1974, and I almost had the impression that this chapter was an update of a 1975 review article. This idea was further reinforced by the use of the working hypothesis that the antidepressants work “mainly through their potent inhibitory properties on uptake o f . . . amines in central neurons.’’ Although the author notes that a major problem with this hypothesis is the fact that uptake inhibition occurs with a single dose, while the clinical effects are only manifested after 2-3 weeks of continuous therapy, this paradox is largely overlooked in the discussion. I was looking for a good discussion of the recent research on “upregulation” or receptor “subsensitivity,” but this was essentially confined to one short, unreferenced paragraph in the chapter summary. Chapter 3,a treatment of both benzodiazepines and barbiturates, was only 24 pages long. It lacked the depth that one would like to have seen. The material on neuroleptic agents, chapter 4,was by far the most detailed chapter (113pages). The discussion ranged from the dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia through consideration of multiple dopamine receptor subtypes. This chapter was a useful review, and was not so monumental that it could not be easily read, as some other recent reviews concerning dopamine have tended to be. Chapter 5 treated drugs used in the regulation of endocrine and motor activity (20 pages). This was the shortest chapter, and briefly discussed a variety of conditions. As it happens, 102 /Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences Vol. 75, No. 1, January 1986
many of the disease states described in this chapter can be treated with dopamine agonists or antagonists, so in certain respects this was complementary to the information in chapter 4. The final chapter, chapter 6 (50 pages), dealt with drugs from “ethno-origins.” Although in the preface the editor points out that the great majority of mankind still achieve relief by self medication with natural products, I would have left this chapter out of the book. The book is ostensibly concerned with CNS disorders, so it is difficult to know what to make of the discussions of tea, coffee, nicotine, or the hallucinogens. This chapter seems to be a rather superficial and abbreviated compendium of natural product drugs and to me seems totally out of place here. Overall, while several chapters are useful, I was not impressed enough to recommend that medicinal chemists or clinicians buy a personal copy of the book. David E. Nichols Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy School of Pharmacy and Pharmacal Sciences Purdue University West Lafayette, IN 47907
Parenteral Quality Control: Sterility, Pyrogen, Particulate, and Package lntegrlty Testing. By Michael J. Akers. Marcel Dekker, Inc., 270 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016. 1985. 272 pp. 16 x 23.5 cm. $55.00. This book is the first in a new series dedicated to advances in parenteral sciences. The introduction provided by the series editor, Joseph Robinson, indicates that this set of books will address both the current level of knowledge and the advances in the technology of manufacturing parenteral products as well as the biological interfaces inherent in providing therapeutic activity from these products. While the title of the book could be considered misleading, in that injectable drug products rather than parenteral products are the focus of the work, the author describes his objectives in the preface and then fulfills these goals in the text. Sterility testing, pyrogen testing, particulate matter testing, and package integrity testing are defined as areas of technology that are specific to assessing quality in injectable products, and each of these subject areas is presented in a separate chapter. The author provides an introduction that describes the subject area, the theoretical and practical aspects that required establishment of testing, and the evolution of knowledge that led to the current compendial testing methods. A complete description of the compendial methods is presented with an excellent and practical discussion of the precautions, limitations, advantages, and disadvantages of the methods. Alternate technologies, methods, instrumentation, and testing systems are also presented and critiqued with discussion of possible changes and advances that may be seen in the near future. The five appendices present examples of standard operating procedures for sterility testing, methods for assembly of membrane filtration equipment
(Vol. 2 in Drugs in Central Nervous System Disorders. the Clinical Pharmacology Series Edited by Murray Weiner). Edited by David C. Horwell. Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, NY 1985. ix + 354. 23.5 x 16 cm. ISBN 08247-7185-0. $65.00. This book is intended to serve as an introduction and reference for a wide, multidisciplinary readership. The emphasis is directed toward pharmacology and clinical aspects. Although there are no discussions of structure-activity relationships, medicinal chemists may find some of the material Gseful. The book consists of six chapters. Chapters give an introduction and some sort of historical overview of the pathological condition involved, followed by a consideration of drugs presently used, discussion of mechanism of action, and some indication of trends. The most recent references cited are from 1982. The objective of the editor in presenting this volume is Yo review and update the information available . . . on the major drugs used in the treatment of disorders of the . . . CNS.” The book succeeds, but only partially. As is typical for many multi-authored volumes, the style and completeness of the chapters varies considerably. Some chapters seem fairly complete and interesting, others are not. The first chapter (67pages) on centrally active analgesics is a good overview and is concise. It discusses mode of action, useful animal models, and needs and criteria for new analgesics. The endogenous opioids are discussed, as are multiple opioid receptor subtypes. The chapter concludes with current trends, new synthetic opioids, and a discussion of some miscellaneous agents, such as the GABAergics. The second chapter (50 pages) treats antidepressants, but in my opinion, in a less satisfactory manner. The most recent reference cited in this chapter was 1981,and one had the feeling that much of this material was not as up-to-date. At one point the chapter author notes that “Excellent new books . . .” are available that discuss various aspects of depression. The three references given at this point are all from 1974, and I almost had the impression that this chapter was an update of a 1975 review article. This idea was further reinforced by the use of the working hypothesis that the antidepressants work “mainly through their potent inhibitory properties on uptake o f . . . amines in central neurons.’’ Although the author notes that a major problem with this hypothesis is the fact that uptake inhibition occurs with a single dose, while the clinical effects are only manifested after 2-3 weeks of continuous therapy, this paradox is largely overlooked in the discussion. I was looking for a good discussion of the recent research on “upregulation” or receptor “subsensitivity,” but this was essentially confined to one short, unreferenced paragraph in the chapter summary. Chapter 3,a treatment of both benzodiazepines and barbiturates, was only 24 pages long. It lacked the depth that one would like to have seen. The material on neuroleptic agents, chapter 4,was by far the most detailed chapter (113pages). The discussion ranged from the dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia through consideration of multiple dopamine receptor subtypes. This chapter was a useful review, and was not so monumental that it could not be easily read, as some other recent reviews concerning dopamine have tended to be. Chapter 5 treated drugs used in the regulation of endocrine and motor activity (20 pages). This was the shortest chapter, and briefly discussed a variety of conditions. As it happens, 102 /Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences Vol. 75, No. 1, January 1986
many of the disease states described in this chapter can be treated with dopamine agonists or antagonists, so in certain respects this was complementary to the information in chapter 4. The final chapter, chapter 6 (50 pages), dealt with drugs from “ethno-origins.” Although in the preface the editor points out that the great majority of mankind still achieve relief by self medication with natural products, I would have left this chapter out of the book. The book is ostensibly concerned with CNS disorders, so it is difficult to know what to make of the discussions of tea, coffee, nicotine, or the hallucinogens. This chapter seems to be a rather superficial and abbreviated compendium of natural product drugs and to me seems totally out of place here. Overall, while several chapters are useful, I was not impressed enough to recommend that medicinal chemists or clinicians buy a personal copy of the book. David E. Nichols Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy School of Pharmacy and Pharmacal Sciences Purdue University West Lafayette, IN 47907
Parenteral Quality Control: Sterility, Pyrogen, Particulate, and Package lntegrlty Testing. By Michael J. Akers. Marcel Dekker, Inc., 270 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016. 1985. 272 pp. 16 x 23.5 cm. $55.00. This book is the first in a new series dedicated to advances in parenteral sciences. The introduction provided by the series editor, Joseph Robinson, indicates that this set of books will address both the current level of knowledge and the advances in the technology of manufacturing parenteral products as well as the biological interfaces inherent in providing therapeutic activity from these products. While the title of the book could be considered misleading, in that injectable drug products rather than parenteral products are the focus of the work, the author describes his objectives in the preface and then fulfills these goals in the text. Sterility testing, pyrogen testing, particulate matter testing, and package integrity testing are defined as areas of technology that are specific to assessing quality in injectable products, and each of these subject areas is presented in a separate chapter. The author provides an introduction that describes the subject area, the theoretical and practical aspects that required establishment of testing, and the evolution of knowledge that led to the current compendial testing methods. A complete description of the compendial methods is presented with an excellent and practical discussion of the precautions, limitations, advantages, and disadvantages of the methods. Alternate technologies, methods, instrumentation, and testing systems are also presented and critiqued with discussion of possible changes and advances that may be seen in the near future. The five appendices present examples of standard operating procedures for sterility testing, methods for assembly of membrane filtration equipment