( odipine an anti-hypertension drug know...)Study identifies substances in grapefruit juice that interact dangerously with some drugs

In this randomized study, 18 healthy volunteers took 10 milligrams of felodipine with each of three juices: orange juice, regular grapefruit juice, and grapefruit juice devoid of furanocoumarins. Blood was collected over 24 hours to measure felodipine blood levels. One week elapsed between each felodipine-juice "treatment."

The study found that in contrast to whole grapefruit juice, the furanocoumarin-free grapefruit juice behaved like orange juice and did not cause an interaction with felodipine.

Watkins notes that there are several implications of this work.

"First, it should now be possible to market the furanocoumarin-free grapefruit juice to patients who would otherwise need to avoid grapefruit. In addition, it should be possible to screen new foods for the potential for drug interactions by determining whether they contain furanocoumarins.

"Finally, it may be possible to add furanocoumarins to formulations of certain drugs that tend to be poorly or erratically absorbed to improve their oral delivery."