azathioprine
Azathioprine, sold under the brand name Imuran, among others, is an immunosuppressive medication. It is used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, granulomatosis with polyangiitis, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and systemic lupus erythematosus, and in kidney transplants to prevent rejection. It is listed by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a group 1 human carcinogen. It is taken by mouth or injected into a vein.
Key facts
- Drug.Watchedfields
- changed
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- 458437709
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- Azathioprine.svg
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- 125
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- 200
- Drug.tradename
- Azasan, Imuran, Jayempi, others
- Drug.MedlinePlus
- a682167
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Article
19 sectionsContents
- Medical uses
- Transplantation
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Others
- Adverse effects
- Pharmacogenetics
- Cancers
- Skin cancers
- Overdose
- Interactions
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding
- Pharmacology
- Pharmacokinetics
- Mechanism of action
- Chemistry
- History
- References
- Further reading
Azathioprine, sold under the brand name Imuran, among others, is an immunosuppressive medication. It is used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, granulomatosis with polyangiitis, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and systemic lupus erythematosus, and in kidney transplants to prevent rejection. It is listed by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a group 1 human carcinogen. It is taken by mouth or injected into a vein.
Common side effects include bone-marrow suppression and vomiting. Bone-marrow suppression is especially common in people with a genetic deficiency of the enzyme thiopurine S-methyltransferase. Other serious risk factors include an increased risk of certain cancers. Use during pregnancy may result in harm to the baby. Azathioprine belongs to the purine analogues subclass of antimetabolites family of medications. It works via 6-thioguanine to disrupt the making of RNA and DNA by cells.