Bupropion/zonisamide (former tentative brand name Empatic, Excalia) is an
experimental
An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when ...
combination
In mathematics, a combination is a selection of items from a set that has distinct members, such that the order of selection does not matter (unlike permutations). For example, given three fruits, say an apple, an orange and a pear, there are th ...
of
bupropion
Bupropion, sold under the brand names Wellbutrin and Zyban among others, is an atypical antidepressant primarily used to treat major depressive disorder and to support smoking cessation. It is also popular as an add-on medication in the case ...
which was under development for the treatment of
obesity
Obesity is a medical condition, sometimes considered a disease, in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it may negatively affect health. People are classified as obese when their body mass index (BMI)—a person's we ...
.
Bupropion is a
norepinephrine–dopamine reuptake inhibitor and
nicotinic acetylcholine receptor antagonist, while
zonisamide
Zonisamide, sold under the brand name Zonegran among others, is a medication used to treat the symptoms of epilepsy and Parkinson's disease. Chemically it is a sulfonamide. It serves as an anticonvulsant used primarily as an adjunctive therapy i ...
is an
anticonvulsant
Anticonvulsants (also known as antiepileptic drugs or recently as antiseizure drugs) are a diverse group of pharmacological agents used in the treatment of epileptic seizures. Anticonvulsants are also increasingly being used in the treatment of b ...
acting as a
sodium channel blocker
Sodium channel blockers are drugs which impair the conduction of sodium ions (Na+) through sodium channels.
Extracellular
The following naturally-produced substances block sodium channels by binding to and occluding the extracellular pore opening ...
,
T-type
The T-Type name was used in a series of Buick automobiles that were popular during the 1980s. This marketing approach for Buick products was a revival of a similar approach used in the 1960s (and later revived in the 1990s) with the Buick GS de ...
calcium channel blocker
Calcium channel blockers (CCB), calcium channel antagonists or calcium antagonists are a group of medications that disrupt the movement of calcium () through calcium channels. Calcium channel blockers are used as antihypertensive drugs, i.e., as ...
, and weak
carbonic anhydrase
The carbonic anhydrases (or carbonate dehydratases) () form a family of enzymes that catalyze the interconversion between carbon dioxide and water and the dissociated ions of carbonic acid (i.e. bicarbonate and hydrogen ions). The active site ...
inhibitor
Inhibitor or inhibition may refer to:
In biology
* Enzyme inhibitor, a substance that binds to an enzyme and decreases the enzyme's activity
* Reuptake inhibitor, a substance that increases neurotransmission by blocking the reuptake of a neurotra ...
.
The combination was being developed by
Orexigen Therapeutics and reached
phase II clinical trial
Clinical trials are prospective biomedical or behavioral research studies on human participants designed to answer specific questions about biomedical or behavioral interventions, including new treatments (such as novel vaccines, drugs, dietar ...
s prior to discontinuation.
See also
*
Naltrexone/bupropion
Naltrexone/bupropion, sold under the brand name Contrave among others, is a fixed-dose combination medication for the management of chronic obesity in adults in combination with a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity. It contains ...
References
Abandoned drugs
Anorectics
Antiobesity drugs
Calcium channel blockers
Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors
Combination drugs
Norepinephrine releasing agents
Norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors
Nicotinic antagonists
Sodium channel blockers
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