Vasoactive intestinal peptide acts as a hormone and neurotransmitter in various parts of the body; it is a potent relaxant of smooth muscle and has vasodilator and bronchodilator properties as well as stimulating the gastrointestinal tract to increased secretion. It is available as a synthetic analogue, aviptadil. It has been tried in the management of acute oesophageal food impaction, and for the treatment of acute respiratory distress syndrome, pulmonary arterial hypertension, acute lung injury, and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. Aviptadil has been tried as a combination product with phentolamine for erectile dysfunction. It also appears to have endogenous neuroprotective properties within the CNS, possibly through influencing the expression and secretion of glial-cell derived neuroprotective factors. Consequently, it may have therapeutic potential in neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and stroke.²

NZ: Invicorp.