Brands, Medical Use, Clinical Data
Drug Category
- Antibiotics
- Antineoplastic Agents
Dosage Forms
Brands / Synonyms
ADM; Adriablastin; Adriamycin; Adriamycin PFS; Adriamycin RDF; Adriamycin Semiquinone; Adriblastin; Adriblastina; Caelyx; DM2; Doxil; Doxo; Doxorubicin; Doxorubicin HCl; Doxorubicin Hydrochloride; Doxorubicin [Usan:Ban:Inn]; Doxorubicina [Inn-Spanish]; Doxorubicine [Inn-French]; Doxorubicinum [Inn-Latin]; RDF Rubex; Rubex; Rubex
Indications
For the treatment of Koposi's sarcome connected to AIDS.
Pharmacology
Doxorubicin is an antineoplastic in the anthracycline class. General properties of drugs in this class include: interaction with DNA in a variety of different ways including intercalation (squeezing between the base pairs), DNA strand breakage and inhibition with the enzyme topoisomerase II. Most of these compounds have been isolated from natural sources and antibiotics. However, they lack the specificity of the antimicrobial antibiotics and thus produce significant toxicity. The anthracyclines are among the most important antitumor drugs available. Doxorubicin is widely used for the treatment of several solid tumors while daunorubicin and idarubicin are used exclusively for the treatment of leukemia. Doxorubicin may also inhibit polymerase activity, affect regulation of gene expression, and produce free radical damage to DNA. Doxorubicin possesses an antitumor effect against a wide spectrum of tumors, either grafted or spontaneous. The anthracyclines are cell cycle-nonspecific.
Mechanism of Action
Doxorubicin has antimitotic and cytotoxic activity through a number of proposed mechanisms of action: Doxorubicin forms complexes with DNA by intercalation between base pairs, and it inhibits topoisomerase II activity by stabilizing the DNA-topoisomerase II complex, preventing the religation portion of the ligation-religation reaction that topoisomerase II catalyzes.
Absorption
Not Available
Toxicity
LD50=21800 ug/kg (rat, subcutaneous)
Biotrnasformation / Drug Metabolism
Not Available
Contraindications
DOXIL® (doxorubicin HCl liposome injection) is contraindicated in patients who have a
history of hypersensitivity reactions to a conventional formulation of doxorubicin HCl or the components of
DOXIL®.
DOXIL® IS CONTRAINDICATED IN NURSING MOTHERS.
Drug Interactions
No formal drug interaction studies have been conducted with DOXIL® . Until specific
compatibility data are available, it is not recommended that DOXIL® be mixed with other drugs.
DOXIL® may interact with drugs known to interact with the conventional formulation of doxorubicin
HCl.
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