20090054310 | Method for Maximizing Efficacy and Predicting and Minimizing Toxicity of Calcineurin Inhibitor Compounds - The invention provides methods for predicting toxicity related to calcineurin inhibition therapy by measuring the peak concentration of drug and the trough concentration of the drug, calculating a peak-trough fluctuation, and comparing this peak-trough fluctuation to known values to predict if the patient will exhibit calcineurin-inhibition therapy-related toxicity. The invention also provides methods for monitoring drug levels to ensure that a patient receiving calcineurin inhibition therapy remains within a therapeutic window which maximizes the efficacy and minimizes the toxicity of the calcineurin inhibitor. The invention also provides dosage methods which maximize the peak concentration, minimize the trough concentration, and maximize the fluctuation between peak and trough concentration of calcineurin inhibitors, to maximize the efficacy of the calcineurin inhibition therapy, and minimize the risk of developing calcineurin-inhibition therapy-related toxicity. This dose regimen, which may be a once-daily dose regimen, maximizes efficacy associated with peak concentrations of drug and minimizes toxicity by maximizing the peak-trough fluctuation, a measurement determined to be associated with toxicity. Calcineurin inhibitors useful for these methods include members of the cyclosporin family of compounds, including cyclosporin A and ISA247, FK506, pimecrolimus and ascomycin. | 02-26-2009 |