Document 0840
 DOCN  M95A0840
 TI    Zalcitabine. Clinical pharmacokinetics and efficacy.
 DT    9510
 AU    Devineni D; Gallo JM; Department of Medical Oncology, Fox Chase Cancer
       Center,; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
 SO    Clin Pharmacokinet. 1995 May;28(5):351-60. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE
       MED/95339652
 AB    Zalcitabine (ddC) was the first drug to be approved under the US Food
       and Drug Administration's (FDA's) accelerated drug approval process.
       Zalcitabine is a potent nucleoside analogue inhibitor of reverse
       transcriptase used in the treatment of HIV infection. It is
       approximately 10-fold more potent than zidovudine (AZT) on a molar basis
       in vitro. Zalcitabine is well absorbed orally and reaches maximal plasma
       concentrations within 1 to 2 hours. In humans it is mainly eliminated by
       renal excretion of unchanged drug, and patients with renal failure may
       exhibit a prolonged half-life. A variety of clinical trials have
       evaluated the efficacy of zalcitabine based on improved survival and
       decreased frequency of opportunistic infections and on a surrogate
       marker of HIV disease, the CD4 count, or the concentration of an antigen
       associated with HIV, p24. Alternating zalcitabine therapy with
       zidovudine therapy was associated with increased CD4+ lymphocyte counts
       and reduced plasma p24 antigen levels. Zalcitabine can cause peripheral
       neuropathy (in 17 to 31% of patients), which is dose-related and is
       completely reversible when the drug is discontinued. Zalcitabine will
       continue to play a role in chemotherapeutic approaches to HIV.
 DE    Animal  Human  HIV Infections/*DRUG THERAPY
       Zalcitabine/*PHARMACOKINETICS/*THERAPEUTIC USE  JOURNAL ARTICLE  REVIEW
       REVIEW, TUTORIAL

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