In November 1996, donepezil hydrochloride (Aricept; Pfizer) was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a symptomatic therapy for mild and moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD). Although it was preceded to the United States market by tacrine (Congex; Parke-Davis) by more than 3 years, donepezil's ease of use and favorable safety profile, coupled with clinically meaningful efficacy, represent a major step forward in dementia treatment (1-6).

Aminoglycosides are bactericidal antibiotics used in the systemic treatment of serious Gram-negative infections. Multiple-daily dosing (MDD) has been the conventional method to administer aminoglycosides; however, use of once-daily dosing (ODD) has gained popularity during the last two decades. This is because ODD has a post-antibiotic effect, at least as effective as MDD, and may actually be less nephrotoxic than more frequent dosing [1].