Tropisetron. A review of the clinical experience

This review describes clinical experience with tropisetron, a new 5-hydroxytryptamine type 3 (serotonin 3)-receptor antagonist, which was found to possess antiemetic properties in animal studies and pilot studies in chemotherapy-treated patients. Tropisetron 5mg once daily is an effective and well tolerated antiemetic treatment for chemotherapy-induced emesis. Tropisetron can be administered without special precautions to all patients who undergo aggressive chemotherapy, and remains effective during multiple chemotherapy courses. The efficacy of tropisetron compares well with that of the best available complicated antiemetic cocktails, but tropisetron is better tolerated. The simple dosage schedule of either 1 injection or 1 capsule per day makes tropisetron ideal for both inpatient and outpatient treatment.