Dexfenfluramine
 |
|
| Clinical data | |
|---|---|
| MedlinePlus | a682088 |
| ATC code | A08AA04 (WHO) |
| Legal status | |
| Legal status |
|
| Pharmacokinetic data | |
| Protein binding | 36% |
| Biological half-life | 17–20 hours |
| Identifiers | |
|
|
| CAS Number | 3239-44-9  |
| PubChem (CID) | 66265 |
| DrugBank | DB01191 |
| ChemSpider | 59646 |
| UNII | E35R3G56OV |
| KEGG | D07805 |
| ChEBI | CHEBI:439329 |
| ChEMBL | CHEMBL248702 |
| Chemical and physical data | |
| Formula | C12H16F3N |
| Molar mass | 231.257 g/mol |
| 3D model (Jmol) | Interactive image |
|
|
|
|
| (verify) | |
Dexfenfluramine, marketed as dexfenfluramine hydrochloride under the name Redux, is a serotonergic anorectic drug: it reduces appetite by increasing the amount of extracellular serotonin in the brain.[1] It is the d-enantiomer of fenfluramine and is structurally similar to amphetamine, but lacks any psychologically stimulating effects.
Dexfenfluramine was, for some years in the mid-1990s, approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for the purposes of weight loss. However, following multiple concerns about the cardiovascular side-effects of the drug,[1] the FDA withdrew the approval in 1997.[2] After it was removed in the US, dexfenfluramine was also pulled out in other global markets. It was later superseded by sibutramine, which, although initially considered a safer alternative to both dexfenfluramine and fenfluramine[citation needed], was likewise removed from the US market in 2010.[3]
The drug was developed by Interneuron Pharmaceuticals, a company co-founded by Richard Wurtman, aimed at marketing discoveries by Massachusetts Institute of Technology scientists.[4] Interneuron licensed the patent to Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories.[5] Although at the time of its release, some optimism prevailed that it might herald a new approach[citation needed], there remained some reservations amongst neurologists, twenty-two of whom petitioned the FDA to delay approval[citation needed]. Their concern was based on the work of George A. Ricaurte, whose techniques and conclusions were later questioned.[6]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Stuart Ira Fox. Human Physiology. Twelfth Edition. McGraw Hill. 2011. p.665.
- ^ FDA September 15, 1997. FDA Announces Withdrawal Fenfluramine and Dexfenfluramine (Fen-Phen)
- ^ "Abbott Pulls Diet Drug Meridia Off US Shelves". Wall Street Journal. 8 October 2010. Archived from the original on 23 October 2010.
- ^ Lemonick, Michael D; Dowell, William; Nash, J. Madeleine; Ramirez, Ainissa; Reid, Brian; Ressner, Jeffrey (23 September 1996), ., ed., "The New Miracle Drug?", Time, retrieved 3 October 2010
|chapter=ignored (help) - ^ Lemonick, Michael D; Nash, J. Madeleine; Park, Alice; Thompson, Dick (29 September 1997), ., ed., "The Mood Molecule", Time, retrieved 4 October 2010
|chapter=ignored (help) - ^ "DEA Accedes to Ecstasy Test". Wired. 2 March 2004.
External links[edit]
- Drug description
- Dexfenfluramine hydrochloride
- Questions and Answers about Withdrawal of Fenfluramine (Pondimin) and Dexfenfluramine (Redux)
- Frontline: Dangerous prescriptions - Interview with Leo Lutwak, M.D. in which he discuses the side effects of fenfluramine, its successor Redux, and the Fen-Phen combination
