(Health Korea News / Lee Chung-man) Dongwha Pharmaceutical’s overactive bladder treatment ‘Dongwha Ditropane’ (ingredient name: oxybutynin hydrochloride) and Myeong Pharmaceutical’s ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) treatment ‘Atomoxin’ (ingredient name: Atomox) A unique attempt is being made to explore the possibility of drug treatment for sleep apnea through combination therapy with (cetin hydrochloride).
On the 18th, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety approved the researcher’s clinical trial plan (IND) for ‘Donghwa Ditropane’ + ‘Atomoxin’ applied by Chonnam National University Hospital. The test is to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of co-administering ‘Donghwa Ditropan’ and ‘Atomoxine’ in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.
Dongwha Pharmaceutical’s ‘Dongwha Ditropan’ is an antimuscarinic drug. It is a mechanism that relieves smooth muscle contraction by inhibiting the action of acetylcholine neurotransmitter on muscarinic receptors in the bladder. Based on this, it increases bladder capacity and residual urine volume and treats overactive bladder by suppressing bladder contraction.
Myungin Pharmaceutical’s ‘Atomoxin’ is a selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (NRI). This is a mechanism that increases the level of norepinephrine by inhibiting the reuptake of the norepinephrine neurotransmitter that regulates attention, concentration, and emotions, thereby improving the concentration of ADHD patients.
What these two drugs have in common is that they act on each neurotransmitter. Chonnam National University Hospital appears to be focusing on this mechanism of action and exploring the effect of alleviating upper airway obstruction and breathing disorders, the main symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea, by controlling the relaxation or tension of upper airway muscles.
Obstructive sleep apnea is a disease in which breathing repeatedly stops during sleep due to obstruction of the upper airway (upper airway). Blood oxygen saturation decreases, and people wake up frequently to breathe during apnea.
Just as if the hole in a vacuum cleaner were blocked, suction problems would occur, the patient would engage in continuous effortful breathing, using the entire body’s strength to breathe. It is accompanied by not only physical symptoms such as cardiopulmonary and cerebrovascular system abnormalities and metabolic disorders, but also psychoneurological disorders.
Standard treatment for obstructive sleep apnea involves surgery and breathing assistance devices such as positive airway pressure (CPAP). However, since surgery is an invasive method, it places a psychological burden on the patient, and respiratory assistance devices may not be suitable for long-term use.
As the demand for new treatment options for obstructive sleep apnea is increasing, the combination therapy of ‘Donghwa Ditropane’ and ‘Atomoxine’ is interpreted as an attempt to solve this problem.
Specifically, ‘assimilated ditropane’ inhibits the binding of acetylcholine to muscarinic receptors, relieving excessive contraction of upper airway smooth muscles, and ‘atomoxine’ improves the elasticity of upper airway muscles by increasing the level of norepinephrine. It is expected to stabilize breathing by preventing obstruction.
In particular, as there is no approved drug treatment to manage obstructive sleep apnea yet, if the combination therapy of ‘assimilated ditropane’ and ‘atomoxine’ proves to have a significant therapeutic effect, it could present a new treatment paradigm for obstructive sleep apnea. It seems like there is.
However, this study is a researcher’s test conducted by Chonnam National University Hospital itself, and cannot be used as a basis for direct approval. Therefore, commercialization of the ‘assimilated ditropane’ + ‘atomoxine’ combination therapy appears to have to go through routine clinical trial procedures.
Copyright © Health Korea News Unauthorized reproduction and redistribution prohibited
Source: www.hkn24.com
