Drugs Inhibiting Exocrine Pancreatic Section

The possibility of exerting some kind of effect, whether pharmacologically or otherwise, on exocrine pancreatic secretion dates back to the time when the very first ideas regarding pancreatic physiology were proposed. In actual fact, our knowledge of the complexity of the mechanisms regulating pancreatic function has run parallel to the discovery of substances, mainly hormones, capable of inhibiting or potentiating such function. Moreover, the search for compounds or other measures capable of inhibiting pancreatic secretion is also the result of attempts to deal with diseases such as acute pancreatitis and external pancreatic fistulas, in which inhibition of secretion is the therapeutic goal. It is no accident that all drugs potentially capable of inhibiting pancreatic secretion have been tested to confirm their therapeutic and clinical validity in these diseases. It thus appears only logical to include a chapter on the subject in this monographic study.