DDAVP IN TREATMENT OF CENTRAL DIABETES-INSIPIDUS

DDAVP [1-desamino-8-d-arginine-vasopressin] is a synthetic analogue of vasopressin with increased antidiuretic activity and decreased pressor activity. Whereas the antidiuretic-to-pressor ratio of arginine vasopressin is 1, the antidiuretic-to-pressor ratio of DDAVP is 4000. When administered as an intranasal spray, 5-20 .mu.g of DDAVP produced 8-20 h of antidiuresis in patients with complete central diabetes insipidus. The minimum recommended therapeutic dose resulted in a maximum antidiuresis in most patients. No side-effects of the drug were noted in clinical trials.