Implementation and scale-up of psycho-trauma centers in a post-conflict area: a case study of a private-public partnership in northern Uganda.

As one article in an ongoing series on Global Mental Health Practice, Etheldreda Nakimuli-Mpungu and colleagues describe a private-public partnership that implemented and scaled psycho-trauma centers in Northern Uganda.

Improved ziprasidone formulations with enhanced bioavailability in the fasted state and a reduced food effect.

PURPOSE: To develop and characterize new formulations of ziprasidone with a reduced food effect achieved by increasing exposure in the fasted state. METHODS: Formulations were developed utilizing the following solubilization technologies: inclusion complex of ziprasidone mesylate and cyclodextrin, ziprasidone free base nano-suspension, and semi-ordered ziprasidone HCl in polymer matrix. Pharmacokinetic studies were conducted with these formulations to examine the bioavailability of test formulations in fasted and fed state compared to commercial capsules (Geodon®) dosed in the fed state. RESULTS: All formulations containing solubilized ziprasidone showed either no food effect or a reduced food effect compared to commercial capsules. Two formulations when taken in the fasted or fed state were comparable to the commercial capsules dosed in the fed state with respect to total exposure. However, peak concentrations were ~30-40% higher. CONCLUSIONS: Pharmacokinetic studies indicated solubilization technologies can be employed to successfully increase the extent of ziprasidone absorption in the fasted state, thereby reducing the food effect. Such formulations could provide simple and convenient dosing while retaining the familiar safety and efficacy profile of currently marketed capsules.

Pharmacokinetics and tolerability of eletriptan hydrobromide in healthy Korean subjects.

BACKGROUND: Migraine is one of the most common headache disorders that greatly affect the quality of life. Selective serotonin (5-HT) receptor agonists such as triptamine-based drugs called triptans are used for treatment of migraine. PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the pharmacokinetic (PK) and tolerability profiles of eletriptan hydrobromide (eletriptan HBr), a selective 5-hydroxytryptamine (also known as serotonin) 1B/1D receptor agonist, in Koreans and compare the results to those observed in non-Koreans in a previously published study. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A randomized, open-label, single, and repeated-dose study was conducted in 16 healthy Korean male subjects using a four-treatment, four-period, and four-sequence crossover design (NCT01139515). The subjects received one of the following four treatments in each period: a single dose of 20, 40, 80 mg eletriptan HBr or a repeated oral dose of 40 mg 2 h apart. Blood samples were collected before and up to 26 h after dosing for quantification of plasma eletriptan concentration by high-performance liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry. The PK parameters were estimated using noncompartmental methods. Ethnicity differences between Korean and non-Korean subjects were identified using geometric mean ratios and 90% confidence intervals (CIs) of dose-normalized maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) and dose-normalized area under the plasma concentration versus time curve from 0 h to the last measurable concentration (AUC0-t). RESULTS: After single-dose administration of eletriptan HBr to Korean subjects, the mean Cmax and AUC0-t increased linearly with dose. Comparable total systemic exposures were observed in the 2 h apart 40 mg repeated and single 80 mg dose. The geometric mean ratios (90% CIs) of the dose-normalized Cmax and AUC0-t of Korean subjects were similar to those of non-Korean subjects reported in the literature. The adverse events observed were transient and mild in severity. CONCLUSION: Eletriptan HBr showed linear PK and was well tolerated in Korean subjects. The PK and tolerability of eletriptan HBr did not differ between Korean and non-Korean subjects.

Drug concentration monitoring with tolerability and efficacy assessments during open-label, long-term sertraline treatment of children and adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term pharmacokinetics, safety, and efficacy of sertraline in children and adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or major depressive disorder (MDD). METHOD: After 42-day initial treatment and 9-day withdrawal phases, children (6-12 years, n = 16) and adolescents (13-18 years, n = 27) entered a 24-week open-label phase, with sertraline titrated to 200 mg/day. Blood samples for plasma sertraline and N-desmethylsertraline levels were taken at the beginning of the 24-week phase and at weeks 1, 4, 8, 12, and 24. Efficacy and safety data were also collected. RESULTS: Mean maximum daily dose at endpoint was 157 +/- 49 mg. For female and male children, mean sertraline/N-desmethylsertraline concentrations normalized to a 200-mg dose were 85.0/160 ng/mL (n = 8) and 79.3/134 ng/mL (n = 8), respectively, and for female and male adolescents, 70.5/109 ng/mL (n = 16) and 76.3/120 ng/mL (n = 8). No significant age or gender effects or age-by-gender interactions were observed in sertraline values. Mean sertraline plasma concentrations normalized for dose and body weight did not differ significantly by age or gender. Three (3) patients (7%) discontinued owing to adverse events. In patients with OCD (n = 10), improvements were observed in Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (CY-BOCS) (p = 0.029) and National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Global Obsessive Compulsive Scale (OCS) (p = 0.01). In MDD patients (n = 32), Clinical Global Impression (CGI) Severity (p = 0.002) and Improvement (p = 0.011) improved. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term treatment of MDD and OCD with sertraline up to 200 mg/day in children and adolescents results in dose-normalized plasma concentrations comparable to those seen in adults. Sertraline was generally well tolerated, and patients demonstrated clinical improvement over 24 weeks of treatment.

Coadministration of sertraline with cisapride or pimozide: an open-label, nonrandomized examination of pharmacokinetics and corrected QT intervals in healthy adult volunteers.

BACKGROUND: Sertraline hydrochloride is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor with demonstrated efficacy and safety for the treatment of the following disorders: major depressive, obsessive-compulsive, panic, premenstrual dysphoric, social anxiety, and posttraumatic stress. Although sertraline is unlikely to cause clinically significant inhibition of cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4 substrates, even modest concentration increases for narrow therapeutic index drugs, such as pimozide or cisapride, are potentially important. OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to determine whether there is a pharmacokinetic interaction, as shown by plasma concentrations and electrocardiographic evidence of QTc intervals, between sertraline 200 mg QD and cisapride 10 mg QID, and between sertraline 200 mg QD and pimozide (single 2-mg dose). METHODS: Patients in group A were administered cisapride on days 1 and 2 (10 mg QID), day 3 (10 mg/d), days 25 through 29 (10 mg QID), and day 30 (10 mg/d). Sertraline was administered on days 4 through 29 at a starting dose of 50 mg/d, which was titrated upward in 50-mg increments every third day to a maximum of 200 mg/d. Patients in group B were treated with 2 mg of pimozide on days 1 and 39. Sertraline was administered on days 18 through 46 at a starting dose of 50 mg/d, which was titrated upward in 50-mg increments every third day to a maximum of 200 mg/d. RESULTS: There were 9 males and 6 females in group A (sertraline + cisapride) (mean age, 34.4 years for males, 41.7 years for females; mean weight, 78.7 kg for males, 66.6 kg for females; 14 Hispanic, 1 white), and 8 males and 7 females in group B (sertraline + pimozide) (mean age, 26.1 years for males, 33.4 years for females; mean weight, 70.8 kg for males, 61.4 kg for females; 15 Hispanic). Coadministration of sertraline and cisapride resulted in statistically significant reductions of 29% and 36% in cisapride C(max) and AUC from time 0 to 6 hours, respectively, compared with cisapride alone. Coadministration of sertraline and pimozide resulted in statistically significant increases of 35% and 37% in pimozide Cmax and AUC(0-infinity), respectively, compared with pimozide alone. No subject exhibited a prolongation of the QTc interval > or =15% with coadministration of sertraline and cisapride, or sertraline and pimozide. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that coadministration of sertraline with cisapride resulted in decreases in cisapride concentrations, and no significant effects on QTc intervals. Coadministration of sertraline 200 mg/d and a single dose of pimozide 2 mg produced significant increases in pimozide concentrations but no prolongation of the QTc interval > or =15%. This opposite effect for pimozide compared with cisapride, as well as other previously tested CYP3A4 substrates, suggests that there are mechanisms other than CYP3A4 involved in the sertraline-pimozide interaction.

The impact of group counseling on depression, post-traumatic stress and function outcomes: a prospective comparison study in the Peter C. Alderman trauma clinics in northern Uganda.

BACKGROUND: The effectiveness of group interventions for adults with mental distress in post-conflict settings is less clear in sub-Saharan Africa. AIM: To assess the impact of group counseling intervention on depression, post-traumatic stress and function outcomes among adults attending the Peter C. Alderman Foundation (PCAF) trauma clinics in northern Uganda. METHODS: 631 War affected adults were enrolled into PCAF trauma clinics. Using a quasi-experimental design, assessments were conducted at baseline, at 3 and 6 months following initiation of care. Multivariate longitudinal regression models were used to determine change in depression, post-traumatic stress and function scores over time among group counseling participants and non-participants. RESULTS: In comparison to non-participants, participants had faster reduction in depression scores during the 6-month follow-up period [ß=-1.84, 95%CI (-3.38 to -0.30), p=0.019] and faster reduction in post-traumatic stress scores during the 3-month follow-up period [ß=-2.14, 95%CI (-4.21 to -0.10), p=0.042]. At 3-month follow up, participants who attended two or more sessions had faster increase in function scores [ß=3.51, 95%CI (0.61-6.40), p=0.018] than participants who attended only one session. LIMITATIONS: Selection bias due to the use of non-random samples. Substantial attrition rates and small sample sizes may have resulted in insufficient statistical power to determine meaningful differences. CONCLUSION: The group counseling intervention offered in the PCAF clinics may have considerable mental health benefits over time. There is need for more research to structure, standardize and test the efficacy of this intervention using a randomized controlled trial.

The impact of calories and fat content of meals on oral ziprasidone absorption: a randomized, open-label, crossover trial.

BACKGROUND: Food is known to increase the bioavailability of ziprasidone. Therefore, we evaluated the effects of meals of differing caloric and fat content on steady-state ziprasidone exposure in a stable, treated group of subjects with DSM-IV diagnoses of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, or psychotic disorder (not otherwise specified) who were already receiving oral ziprasidone as their standard therapy. METHOD: Patients took ziprasidone under 6 meal conditions in randomized sequences (fasted, low calorie/low fat, low calorie/high fat, medium calorie/high fat, high calorie/low fat, and high calorie/high fat); each crossover period was separated by at least 3 days for washout of the previous meal condition. Serial blood samples were obtained over the 12 hours postdose. The study was conducted from July 27 to September 28 of 2006. RESULTS: Maximum ziprasidone exposures in this study were observed with high-calorie meals (1000 kcal), which were nearly twice those observed under fasting conditions. The medium-calorie meal (500 kcal) was associated with exposures similar to the high-calorie meals. Low-calorie meals (250 kcal) were associated with exposures that were approximately 60% to 90% lower than those of medium- and high-calorie meals, and approached exposures seen under fasting conditions. Fat content of the meal had no significant effect on ziprasidone absorption. The ziprasidone exposures observed with medium- and high-calorie meals had less variability than those with low-calorie meals and under fasting conditions. CONCLUSIONS: These results confirm that ziprasidone should be taken with food and that a meal equal to or greater than 500 kcal, irrespective of fat content, is required for optimal and reproducible bioavailability of the administered dose.

Residency training in advance care planning: can it be done in the outpatient clinic?

Resident physicians are expected to assist their outpatients to understand and complete advance directives, but their efficacy in doing so remains uncertain. After receiving educational training, internal medicine residents identified at-risk patients and solicited them about advance directives. Residents completed pretest and posttest questionnaires that assessed their knowledge, skills, attitude, and comfort with advance directives. Patients were also surveyed about their attitudes regarding advance directives. Ten internal medicine residents and 88 patients participated. Residents' self-assessed knowledge rose from 6.0 to 9.2 on a 10-point Likert scale. Skills using advance directives increased from 4.0 to 7.9, attitudes improved from 6.0 to 8.4, and comfort rose from 5.4 to 8.9. Eighty-four percent of patients expressed interest in completing advance directives, and 16% actually completed documents. An educational intervention improved knowledge, skills, attitudes, and comfort with advance directives among internal medicine residents practicing in the outpatient setting. Meanwhile, patients demonstrated a strong interest in completing advance directives.

The effect of food on the absorption of oral ziprasidone.

Oral ziprasidone bioavailability is increased when taken with food. Here we describe two pharmacokinetic studies to quantify the impact of food on ziprasidone absorption in healthy volunteers. The first, an open-label, six-way crossover study, investigated ziprasidone absorption in eight healthy men. Subjects received oral ziprasidone (20, 40, and 80 mg) after an 8-hour fast or immediately following a US Food and Drug Administration standard meal (50% fat). In this study, area under the serum concentration- time curve (AUC) was greater in fed than in fasting states at each dose (20 mg, +48%; 40 mg, +87%; 80 mg, +101%). Under fasting conditions, increases in AUC and maximum drug concentration (Cmax) were less than dose-proportional; under fed conditions, they were dose-proportional. The second, an open-label, randomized, three-way crossover study, explored the impact of dietary fat on ziprasidone absorption in 14 healthy subjects. Subjects received ziprasidone (40 mg) under three conditions: fasting, with a high-fat meal (60% fat), and with a moderate-fat (30% fat) meal. AUC and Cmax under fed conditions increased by 104% and 84% (60%-fat meal) and 79% and 98% (30%-fat meal) , respectively, relative to the fasting state. There was no clear difference in ziprasidone bioavailability between the fed groups, suggesting that meal fat content is not a major determinant of bioavailability. Less pharmacokinetic variability was observed in the fed state, suggesting more consistent absorption of ziprasidone. These results demonstrate that administration of ziprasidone with food is crucial to ensure optimal, reliable dose-dependent bioavailability and thus predictable symptom control and tolerability.

Tolerability and safety of eletriptan in the treatment of migraine: a comprehensive review.

OBJECTIVE: To provide a comprehensive review of the tolerability and safety of eletriptan. Background.-Eletriptan is a potent and selective 5-HT1B/1D agonist that has demonstrated significant efficacy in the acute treatment of migraine in doses of 20 mg, 40 mg, and 80 mg. DESIGN: This review reports the tolerability and safety of eletriptan across a broad spectrum of preclinical studies and clinical trials that collectively included treatment of more than 11 000 subjects and more than 74 000 migraine attacks. RESULTS: In clinical trials, eletriptan was well tolerated and safe across its dosing range of 20 mg to 80 mg. The adverse event profile of eletriptan 20 mg was similar to placebo, while the most commonly used dose, eletriptan 40 mg, has an adverse event profile that is only marginally higher than placebo. Eletriptan was safe and well tolerated regardless of age or gender, and for both short- and long-term treatment. Eletriptan is metabolized primarily by the CYP3A4 enzyme. Coadministration of potent CYP3A4 inhibitors was not associated with clinically meaningful change in eletriptan tolerability or safety in the population included in these clinical trials. The margin of cardiovascular safety for eletriptan was also confirmed by a well-controlled clinical study in which intravenous eletriptan in excess of an 80-mg dose was rapidly infused in patients undergoing coronary angiography; nonetheless, it is recommended that eletriptan not be coadministered with a limited list of 7 potent CYP3A4 inhibitors; in addition, the triptan class in general (including eletriptan) is contraindicated in patients with symptoms or findings consistent with ischemic heart disease or other significant underlying cardiovascular disease. CONCLUSIONS: This comprehensive review found that eletriptan is safe and well tolerated, and that relatively large changes in dose and plasma concentration result in minimal changes in tolerability.