title: A review of clinical studies carried out in Italy with almitrine bismesylate.
abstract: The authors refer to a double-blind versus placebo multicentric study, carried out in Italy on 128 hypoxaemic patients suffering from COLD, with Almitrine bismesylate, a new chemoreceptor stimulant drug, given by mouth for a period of two months. Almitrine induced significant changes (p less than 0.001) of PaO2, with a mean increase of 7.6 mmHg, and of PaCO2, with a mean decrease of 4.1 mmHg, without variations of lung volumes and caliber of large and/or small airways. Almitrine, well tolerated within the time limits of this trial, seems an effective oral respiratory drug, acting through a favourable effect on V/Q mismatching due mainly to a reduction of the shunt effect, but also to an improvement of the ventilatory pattern.
mesh_terms: D015765:Almitrine; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000188:drug therapy; D007558:Italy; D008173:Lung Diseases, Obstructive / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010879:Piperazines / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D010879:Piperazines; D015765:Almitrine