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benznidazole

Structure via PubChem · Public domain (PubChem)

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benznidazole

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Benznidazole is an antiparasitic medication used in the treatment of Chagas disease. While it is highly effective in early disease, the effectiveness decreases in those who have long-term infection. It is the first-line treatment given its moderate side effects compared to nifurtimox. It is taken by mouth.

Key facts

Drug.verifiedrevid
414638558
Drug.image
Benznidazole.svg
Drug.image_class
skin-invert-image
Drug.tradename
Rochagan, Radanil
Drug.DailyMedID
Benznidazole
Drug.routes_of_administration
By mouth
Drug.ATC_prefix
P01
Drug.ATC_suffix
CA02
Drug.legal_US
Rx-only
Drug.bioavailability
High
Drug.metabolism
Liver
Drug.elimination_half life
12 hours
Drug.excretion
Kidney and fecal
Drug.CAS_number
22994-85-0
Drug.PubChem
31593
Drug.DrugBank
DB11989
Drug.ChemSpiderID
29299
Drug.UNII
YC42NRJ1ZD

via Wikipedia infobox

Chemical data

Formula
C12H12N4O3
Molecular weight
260.25 g/mol
IUPAC name
N-benzyl-2-(2-nitroimidazol-1-yl)acetamide
SMILES
C1=CC=C(C=C1)CNC(=O)CN2C=CN=C2[N+](=O)[O-]
InChIKey
CULUWZNBISUWAS-UHFFFAOYSA-N
XLogP
0.9
Polar surface area
92.7 Ų
H-bond donors
1
H-bond acceptors
4
Formal charge
0

via PubChem

Research

2,068 papers

via PubMed

~8 min read

Encyclopedic overview

10 sections
Contents
  • Medical uses
  • Children
  • Pregnant women
  • Side effects
  • Contraindications
  • Pharmacology
  • Mechanism of action
  • Pharmacokinetics
  • Interactions
  • References

Benznidazole is an antiparasitic medication used in the treatment of Chagas disease. While it is highly effective in early disease, the effectiveness decreases in those who have long-term infection. It is the first-line treatment given its moderate side effects compared to nifurtimox. It is taken by mouth.

Side effects are fairly common. They include rash, numbness, fever, muscle pain, loss of appetite, and trouble sleeping. Rare side effects include bone marrow suppression which can lead to low blood cell levels. It is not recommended during pregnancy or in people with severe liver or kidney disease. Benznidazole is in the nitroimidazole family of medication and works by the production of free radicals.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “benznidazole” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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