Dual inhibition: A novel promising pharmacological approach for different disease conditions

Abstract

To overcome the problems associated with polypharmacy, which include medication non compliance, adverse drug reactions, drug-drug interactions and increased pill-burden, various strategies, such as sustained-release drugs and fixed-dose combination regimens (polypills), have been developed. Out of these, a novel and very much promising approach is the use of dual-action drugs. Amongst the dual-action drugs, there is a class of compounds known as dual inhibitors, which possess the dual inhibitory activity. The most common examples of dual inhibitors are rivastigmine, ladostigil, asenapine, phenserine, amitriptyline, clomipramine, doxepin and desipramine. This review article focuses on the conventional drugs used in different diseases which possess dual inhibition activity as well as those which are still in the preclinical/clinical phase. Keywords dual cholinesterase inhibitors; dual inhibitors; dual noradrenergic and specific serotonergic antidepressants; dual serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors © 2011 The Authors JPP © 2011 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.