Meeting Highlights: Central & Peripheral Nervous Systems: Summary of the 97th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics

Abstract

The 97th annual meeting of the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (ASCPT) was held on March 20 – 22, 1996. Lectures, symposia, and poster/slide presentations focused on both new compounds in early clinical development and novel findings with older marketed compounds. Attendees had the opportunity to listen to state-of-the-art lectures on four topics: 1) apoptosis as a mechanism of action of anticancer drugs; 2) structure-based drug design; 3) molecular biology of neurotransmitter uptake systems; and 4) present and future prospects for human gene therapy. In the evenings, workshops and meetings of scientific sections were held that focused on specific topics of interest to the members of ASCPT. The following is a summary of some of the poster and slide presentations made at the ASCPT meeting. Four broad general topics are covered in this summary: 1) studies performed with cytochrome p450 isozymes; 2) studies with new antimigraine compounds; and 3) studies with alpha-1 adrenergic blockers; and 4) general regulatory and drug development issues.