If your doctor has diagnosed a viral infection, it means that you need to treat it appropriately. A fairly large group of our fellow citizens believes that antibiotics are the best remedy for all diseases. Unfortunately, this erroneous opinion can do much more harm than malaise itself. Antibiotics are active only against bacterial infections, and against viruses they are powerless.
How does the drug work?
There are a fairly large number of drugs with antiviral activity. One of the most common substances with this property is imidazolylethanamide pentanedioic acid.
It is active against influenza pathogens of types A and B, adenoviruses, helps with parainfluenza and respiratory syncytial infection.
This active substance has a unique mechanism of action. It suppresses the reproductive process in viruses at the stage of the nuclear phase, and also delays the migration of the newly synthesized pathogen from the cytoplasmic medium to the cell nucleus.
Also, pentanedioic acid imidazolylethanamide is actively involved in the human immune system, providing a modulating effect. The substance increases the content of interferon in the blood to the level of a physiological norm. It also has a stimulating effect on the process of α-, γ-interferon production by leukocytes, bringing these functions to the appropriate state.
Studies of this active substance showed that pentanedioic imidazolylethanamide promotes the generation of cytotoxic lymphocytes. In addition, it increases the number of NK-T agents, which have an unrivaled ability to destroy cells transformed by viruses, and also act directly on the causative agents of infection.
The advantage of a medicinal substance is the presence of anti-inflammatory properties. They are provided by suppressing the production of specialized cytokines, as well as by reducing the activity of the myeloperoxidase enzyme.
Therapeutic effect
Pentanedioic acid imidazolylethanamide, reviews of which are positive, has the following therapeutic effect in the treatment of acute respiratory viral infections and influenza:
- Reduces the duration of the febrile process.
- Reduces signs of intoxication (dizziness, pain, general weakness).
- Reduces the number of catarrhal manifestations.
- Minimizes complications of the disease.
- Shortens the period of the disease.
Preparations with pentanedioic imidazolylethanamide
In the pharmacy you can find the following drugs containing pentanedioic imidazolylethanamide:
- "Vitaglutam" in the form of powders.
- Ingavirin in capsule form.
- Dicarbamine tablets.
Contraindications
Like any medicine, pentanedioic imidazolylethanamide is a drug that should be prescribed by your doctor. This pharmaceutical product has contraindications, including:
- The period of pregnancy and lactation.
- Children under 18 years old.
- Individual intolerance to the components of the drug.
Side effects from taking medications containing the described active substance can be expressed as an allergic reaction.
This effect occurs under the condition that a person has an individual sensitivity to pentanedioic imidazolylethanamide or to auxiliary substances that are part of the drug.
Security
Some people tend to avoid using this drug, believing that pentanedioic imidazolylethanamide is an antibiotic. This opinion is erroneous, since this active substance shows only antiviral activity. The named quality robs him of all those side effects that are inherent in antimicrobial drugs. This drug does not have an immunotoxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic or allergenic effect, does not irritate the gastrointestinal tract, does not reduce reproductive function, does not have a teratogenic or embryotoxic effect.
A rather high activity of preparations was noted which contain pentanedioic imidazolylethanamide, the analogues of which are taken orally. They are rapidly absorbed in the digestive tract and are evenly distributed in organs and tissues. Already half an hour after ingestion, this medicinal substance reaches its maximum concentration and is retained in the blood for 37 hours. The duration of treatment is 5 days. At each dose, there is a jump in its content in the blood, which slowly decreases over the course of a day. The drug in the human body is not metabolized, excreted in an unchanged state by the kidneys and intestines.
Reception feature
It is very important to follow the regimen for this drug. Pentanedioic acid imidazolylethanamide, its analogues are characterized by approximately the same recommendation for use, it is necessary to use 90 mg orally once a day for a period of 5-7 days, regardless of food intake.
The peculiarity of the treatment with this pharmaceutical agent is that the greatest efficiency is achieved when taken after detecting the first signs of the disease within the first two days.
Vitaglutam - the source of the antiviral drug group
The history of this drug originates in the 70s of the last century. It was developed by the famous Russian pulmonologist Alexander Chuchalin. This drug contains pentanedioic imidazolylethanamide as the main active ingredient. Vitaglutam until 2008 was on sale under the trade name Dicarbamine. Its purpose was to stimulate the hematopoiesis process in patients who underwent cancer treatment.
In 2009, humanity was faced with a terrible viral infection - swine flu, or A / H1N1. At this time, the development of Vitaglutam turned out to be very relevant. Alexander Chuchalin, who was at that time the chief physician of the Russian Federation, decided to test his brainchild against the swine flu virus and achieved successful results. He said that the domestic drug, which is based on the imidazolylethanamide of pentanedioic acid, Vitaglutam, is much more effective against a formidable infection than the American pharmaceutical product Tamiflu. It actively integrates into the viral genome and destroys it.
New life of the Vitaglutam preparation: Ingavirin
Chuchalin proposed Gennady Onishchenko, the chief medical officer of the Russian Federation, to use his invention as an effective tool in the treatment of swine flu. As a result, clinical trials of the drug were conducted, during which he confirmed his effectiveness against various viral infections. The drug received the new name "Ingavirin" and was registered in the registry of the group of antiviral and immunostimulating drugs.
After this product of the pharmaceutical company "Valenta" went on sale, it was officially recommended by the Ministry of Health as a remedy for swine flu and began to break records in popularity among the population. Thus, we can say about the parallel “Dicarbamine” - pentanedioic acid imidazolylethanamide - “Vitaglutam”, which is, in fact, the same medicine.
It is worth noting the fact that Ingavirin went on sale in 2008 without full clinical trials. With the assistance of Onishchenko, accelerated clinical trials in laboratory mice were organized in 2009. Also, about 100 patients took part in this event. Based on the results of the study, a group of scientists led by Chuchalin concluded that Ingavirin was highly effective against the causative agents during the first 48 hours from the onset of infection. Its effect was expressed in a reduction in the febrile period, a decrease in the intoxication of patients and laboratory animals, and a decrease in catarrhal manifestations.
Therefore, there is no reason to think about the imidazolylethanamide of pentanedioic acid, that it is a dummy - its effectiveness has been clinically proven.
Dicarbamine today
Currently, all three drugs based on imidazolylethanamide pentanedioic acid are commercially available and are positioned as analogues of each other.
Dicarbamine is recommended for use by patients with malignant tumors. In addition to the main active ingredient, it contains milk sugar, talc, potato starch, magnesium stearate, colloidal solution of silicon dioxide and stearic acid.
Dicarbamine has the following therapeutic effects:
- Acceleration of differentiation of neutrophils and their functional maturity.
- Hematoprotection in myelosuppressive chemotherapy.
- Reducing the incidence and degree of toxic neutropenia, limiting leukopenia.
This drug is recommended to be used between courses of chemotherapy.
Its effectiveness is already evident after 21-28 days of daily intake of tablets.
A single dose of the drug - 100 mg (1 tablet) - is taken 5 days before the start of chemotherapy and continues throughout the treatment. Dicarbamine has the ability to enhance and prolong the action of antitumor cytostatics, reduce the toxic effects of cyclophosphamide and platinum-based drugs, as well as normalize blood formation processes.