Anaesthesiologists have a new tool to improve patient outcomes

[scicop]

The results from a recent clinical trial looks promising for a new compound called Sugammadex (in the Organon pipeline). Sugammadex is a novel selective neuromuscular binding agent (NMBA) that rapidly induces maximal neuromuscular recovery during end-of-anaesthia care, under 3 minutes depending on dose (2-4mg/kg).

 

The anaesthesiology field is every excited about his drug since complete muscle recovery with conventional agents (acetylcholine esterase inhibitors) is often not achieved until 20 or 30 minutes post-anaesthesia. This slow recovery is associated with muscle weakness that can compromise a patients ability to ventilate, keep their eyes open, and consume any food/drink, as slow recovery rates are associated with nausea. In addition esterase inhibitors can promote muscarinic side effects (bradycardia, broncoconstriction) due to its non-specific actions

at non neuromuscular junction (NMJ) synapses.

Sugammadex by nature of its action is not associated with any of these side effects.

 

Sugammadex is a cyclodextran that can selectively bind aminosteroid nicotinic acetycholine antagonists (NMBAs), thus its removal capabilities are only selective for NMJ bound NMBAs). So the ability to promote fast recovery that is effective and also well tolerated, is very welcoming to the anasethesia field!!!

 

Basically it means that patients can now wake up and feel decent, instead of logothgic and blah! Wanted to give you all a heads up on this for any future anaesthesiologist out there!!!

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=16464982&dopt=Abstract

[olifhar]

I wonder if a variation would have a market for athletes as some sort of performance-enhancer. Or perhaps an anti-hangover agent? My knowledge about such things is limited, however... any insights? Feel free to crush my ignorant little inquiries if you will.

[scicop]

I wonder if a variation would have a market for athletes as some sort of performance-enhancer. Or perhaps an anti-hangover agent? My knowledge about such things is limited, however... any insights? Feel free to crush my ignorant little inquiries if you will.

 

 

The answer to your question is no. This agent is selective for aminosteroidal NMBA which are derivitives of curare. These drugs are non-cell permiable as is sugammadex.

 

Athletes WANT steroids in their system as a means to enhance their performance, not remove them, so their would not be a market for this purpose. Furthermore a drug like sugammadex would not work since it is purely hydrophilic, not lipophilic like steroids (which pass through the cell membrane with ease..as the sight of action of steroids is intracellular not at the extracellular cell surface.

 

As an anti hangover agent, well I guess if they can find a non-toxic chelator ethanol metabolites (aldehydes..and formaldehydes) then who knows!