Vecuronium

Vecuronium bromide
Clinical data

AHFS/Drugs.com	Monograph
Pregnancy category	US: C (Risk not ruled out)
Routes of administration	Intravenous
ATC code	M03AC03 (WHO)
Legal status
Legal status	US: ℞-only
Pharmacokinetic data
Bioavailability	100% (IV)
Metabolism	liver 30%
Onset of action	< 1 min
Biological half-life	51–80 minutes (longer with renal failure)
Duration of action	15 - 30 min
Excretion	Fecal (40-75%) and kidney (30% as unchanged drug and metabolites)
Identifiers
IUPAC name [(2S,3S,5S,8R,9S,10S,13S,14S,16S,17S)-17-Acetyloxy-10,13-dimethyl-16-(1-methyl-3,4,5,6-tetrahydro-2H-pyridin-1-yl)-2-(1-piperidyl)-2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,11,12,14,15,16,17-tetradecahydro-1H-cyclopenta[a]phenanthren-3-yl] acetate bromide
CAS Number	50700-72-6^Y
PubChem CID	39764
ChemSpider	36357^N
UNII	7E4PHP5N1D
ChEMBL	CHEMBL1201219^N
Chemical and physical data
Formula	C₃₄H₅₇BrN₂O₄
Molar mass	637.73 g/mol
3D model (Jmol)	Interactive image
SMILES CC(=O)O[C@H]1C[C@@H]2CC[C@@H]3[C@@H]([C@]2(C[C@@H]1N4CCCCC4)C)CC[C@]5([C@H]3C[C@@H]([C@@H]5OC(=O)C)[N+]6(CCCCC6)C)C.[Br-]
InChI InChI=1S/C34H57N2O4.BrH/c1-23(37)39-31-20-25-12-13-26-27(34(25,4)22-29(31)35-16-8-6-9-17-35)14-15-33(3)28(26)21-30(32(33)40-24(2)38)36(5)18-10-7-11-19-36;/h25-32H,6-22H2,1-5H3;1H/q+1;/p-1/t25-,26+,27-,28-,29-,30-,31-,32-,33-,34-;/m0./s1^N Key:VEPSYABRBFXYIB-PWXDFCLTSA-M^N
^NY (what is this?)

Vecuronium bromide, sold under the brand name Norcuron among others, is a medication used as part of general anesthesia to provide skeletal muscle relaxation during surgery or mechanical ventilation. It is also used to help with endotracheal intubation; however, suxamethonium (succinylcholine) is generally preferred if this needs to be done quickly. It is given by injection into a vein. Effects are greatest at about 4 minutes and last for up to an hour.

Side effects may include low blood pressure and prolonged paralysis.Allergic reactions are rare. It is unclear if use in pregnancy is safe for the baby. Vecuronium is in the neuromuscular-blocker family of medications and is of the non-depolarizing type. It works by blocking the action of acetylcholine on skeletal muscles.

Vecuronium was approved for medical use in the United States in 1984. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines, the most effective and safe medicines needed in a health system. Vecuronium is available as a generic medication. In the United States it is less than 25 USD a dose. The effects may be reversed with a combination of neostigmine and atropine.