Nitazoxanide
Broad-spectrum antiparasitic and antiviral thiazolide drug.
Nitazoxanide, sold under the brand name Alinia among others, is a broad-spectrum antiparasitic and broad-spectrum antiviral medication used in medicine for the treatment of various helminthic, protozoal, and viral infections. It is indicated for the treatment of infection by Cryptosporidium parvum and Giardia lamblia in immunocompetent individuals and has been repurposed for the treatment of influenza. Chemically, nitazoxanide is the prototype member of the thiazolides, a class of synthetic nitrothiazolyl-salicylamide derivatives with antiparasitic and antiviral activity.
- field
- Antiparasitic and antiviral medication
- known_for
- Treatment of Cryptosporidium parvum, Giardia lamblia, and influenza; prototype thiazolide
- brand_names
- Alinia, Colufase, Cryptaz, Daxon, Heliton, Taenitaz
- molecular_formula
- C12H9N3O5S
Lore & Background
Nitazoxanide was originally discovered in the 1980s by Jean-François Rossignol at the Pasteur Institute. Initial studies demonstrated activity versus tapeworms, and in vitro studies revealed much broader activity. Rossignol co-founded Romark Laboratories to bring nitazoxanide to market as an anti-parasitic drug. Early US studies focused on cryptosporidiosis in AIDS patients but were abandoned due to poor enrollment after effective antiretroviral therapies emerged. Subsequent controlled trials showed significant clinical improvement in cryptosporidiosis in adults and children with mild illness, and in malnourished children in Zambia, a three-day course improved survival. In giardiasis, nitazoxanide was superior to placebo and comparable to metronidazole, and it was successful against metronidazole-resistant giardiasis.
Reader's Guide
Nitazoxanide holds significance as a broad-spectrum anti-infective agent effective against protozoa, helminths, anaerobic bacteria, and viruses. Its mechanism involves inhibition of pyruvate:ferredoxin oxidoreductase in protozoa and blocking influenza hemagglutinin maturation. The active metabolite tizoxanide is highly protein-bound, requiring caution with other highly bound drugs. Despite limited overdose data, oral doses of 4 grams in healthy adults caused no significant adverse effects.
Did You Know?
- Nitazoxanide is the prototype member of the thiazolide class of drugs.
- Its active metabolite, tizoxanide, is 99% protein bound in plasma.
- Oral doses of 4 grams in healthy adults do not appear to cause any significant adverse effects.
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