Dr. Rapoport Describes Samsca's Mechanism of Action

Frederick Alan Rapoport, MD, clinical instructor in the Department of Medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center, describes the mechanism and utility of Samsca (tolvaptan).

Samsca is a drug used for the treatment of dilutional hyponatremia, a common manifestation of many cancers, including small cell lung cancer.

Samsca is an intelligent drug, Rapoport says, that blocks the vasopressin receptor in the kidneys. By blocking this receptor, the dilute urine can be excreted rather than reabsorbed as fluid in the body, which causes hyponatremia.