ENHANCEMENT OF THE EFFICACY OF DRUGS BY DEUTERATION

摘要

A method of enhancing the efficiency and increasing the duration of action of drugs (e.g. dihydropyridines) and particularly of nifedipine wherein one or more hydrogen atoms are deuterated and wherein the deuterated nifedipine has unexpectedly improved hypotensive properties when used in much lower concentrations than nifedipine per se. A method for determining the identity and bioequivalency of a new drug is also disclosed wherein the molecular and isotope structure of a new drug is determined by gas chromatography-isotope ratio mass spectrometry and compared with the molecular and isotope structure of a known human drug.