Basis for Variability of Response to Anti-Rheumatic Drugs: Proceeding of a Satellite Meeting of the Xth International Congress of Pharmacology Held in Sydney, Australia August 20-22, 1987(24 Agents and Actions, Supplements)

Since the rheumatic diseases are among the most prevalent of conditions, the anti-rheumatic drugs make up one of the largest groups of drugs prescribed. They vary from the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs through to the complex imrnunomodulators. There are significant differences between these groups of drugs as regards their mechanism of action and within each spectrum of adverse reactions, yet there is also some overlap. class there are also subtle individual differences between the drugs despite a sharing of the basic mechanisms of action and range of side effects. It is this individual variation and, in particular, the individual reaction of the patient to the drug that we attempted to address at this symposium. The first symposium on Individual Variation in Response to Non- Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs was held at Leura, New South Wales, Australia as a satellite symposium to the XVI International Congress of Rheumatology in August, 1985. Following a successful meeting, proceedings of which were published in a supplement to Agents and Actions (Suppl. 17, 1986), it was decided to organise a second symposium as a satellite meeting of the International Congressof Pharmacology Meeting in Sydney, August, 1987. The meeting was held at the Manly Pacific and focused on variability in response to anti-rheumatic drugs in general rather than just concentrating on the non-steroidal drugs.

Table of Contents:
Inflammation 1987 - An Overview.- Screening for Anti-Rheumatic Activity.- Screening for Adverse Reactions from Anti-Rheumatic Drugs.- The Effects of Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Rheumatic Drugs on Phagocytic Cell Function.- Actions of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs on the Functions of Lymphocytes.- Kinetics of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs in Synovial Fluid.- The Contribution of Enantiomers to Variability in Response to Anti-Inflammatory Drugs.- Epidemiological Assessment of the Association between NSAIDs and Peptic Ulcer Complications.- Renal Side Effects of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs.- Design of Trials to Study Variability in Response: Statistical Aspects.- Aspects of the Clinical Trials of Slow Acting Anti-Rheumatic Drugs.- Design of Trials to Study Variability in Response: Clinical Aspects - End Points.- Pharmacokinetics and Cellular Uptake of 4-Aminoquinolone Anti-Malarials.- Myocrisin.- Auranofin in Rheumatoid Arthritis: What Variable Could Affect the Clinical Response.- Mechanisms of Gold Resistance.- Variable Responses to Gold (1) - Thiolates (Chrysotherapy) in Two Models of Rat Polyarthritis.- The Clinical Efficacy of Sulphasalazine in Rheumatic Disease.- D-Penicillamine Pharmacokinetics and Action.- Pro-Inflammatory and Catabolic Effects of Interleukin-1 and Their Antagonism by Glucocorticoids.- Variability of Methotrexate Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics.- Ciclosporin in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Review.- Immunomodulators.