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Hydroxyurea

Hydroxycarbamide
Structural formula
Hydroxyurea-3D-balls.png
Clinical data
Trade names Droxia, Hydrea, others
AHFS/Drugs.com International Drug Names
MedlinePlus a682004
License data
Pregnancy
category
  • AU: D
  • US: D (Evidence of risk)
Routes of
administration
by mouth
ATC code
Legal status
Legal status
Pharmacokinetic data
Metabolism liver (to CO2 and urea)
Biological half-life 2-4 hours
Excretion Renal and lungs
Identifiers
CAS Number
PubChem CID
IUPHAR/BPS
DrugBank
ChemSpider
UNII
KEGG
ChEBI
ChEMBL
NIAID ChemDB
ECHA InfoCard 100.004.384
Chemical and physical data
Formula CH4N2O2
Molar mass 76.0547 g/mol
3D model (Jmol)
  

Hydroxycarbamide, also known as hydroxyurea, is a medication used in sickle-cell disease, chronic myelogenous leukemia, cervical cancer, and polycythemia vera. In sickle-cell disease it decreases the number of attacks. It is taken by mouth.

Common side effects include bone marrow suppression, fevers, loss of appetite, psychiatric problems, shortness of breath, and headaches. There is also concerns that it increases the risk of later cancers. Use during pregnancy is typically harmful to the baby. Hydroxycarbamide is in the antineoplastic family of medications. It is believed to work by blocking the making of DNA.

Hydroxycarbamide was approved for medical use in the United States in 1967. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines, the most effective and safe medicines needed in a health system. Hydroxycarbamide is available as a generic medication. The wholesale cost in the developing world is about 0.35 to 0.47 USD per day. In the United States it costs less than 25 USD a month.

Hydroxycarbamide is used for the following indications:

Reported side-effects are: drowsiness, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, constipation, mucositis, anorexia, stomatitis, bone marrow toxicity (dose-limiting toxicity; may take 7–21 days to recover after the drug has been discontinued), alopecia (hair loss), skin changes, abnormal liver enzymes, creatinine and blood urea nitrogen.


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