Edaravone, sold under the brand name Radicava among others, is a medication used to treat stroke and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). It is given by intravenous infusion and by mouth.The most common side effects include bruising (contusions), problems walking (gait disturbances), and headaches.The mechanism by which edaravone might be effective is unknown. The medication is known to be an antioxidant, and oxidative stress has been hypothesized to be part of the process that kills neurons in people with ALS.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers it to be a first-in-class medication. Medical uses
Edaravone is used to help people recover from stroke in Japan, and is used to treat ALS in the US and Japan. Adverse effects
The label carries a warning about the potential for hypersensitivity reactions to edaravone, and adverse effects include bruising, gait disturbances, headache, skin inflammation, eczema, problems breathing, excess sugar in urine, and fungal skin infections.The following adverse effects in at least 2% more people given the medication than were given placebo: bruising, gait disturbances, headache, skin inflammation, eczema, problems breathing, excess sugar in urine, and fungal skin infections.There is no data on whether it is safe for pregnant women to take, and it is unknown if edaravone is secreted in breast milk. Pharmacology
The mechanism by which edaravone might be effective in ALS is unknown.
In the US the medication was approved for all people with ALS but it was unclear at approval whether insurers would agree to pay for the medication for all people with ALS, or only people in the early stages of the disease. There are three filed trials for edaravone, demonstrating it may work in less than 5% of all ALS population. Brand names
Brand names include Radicut, ラジカット, Radicava, Xavron. References
Further reading
Yoshino H (March 2019). "Edaravone for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis". Expert Rev Neurother. 19 (3): 185–193. doi:10.1080/14737175.2019.1581610. PMID 30810406. S2CID 73490631. Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (April 2019). Pharmacoeconomic Review Report: Edaravone (Radicava): (Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation). CADTH Common Drug Reviews. PMID 31211530. NBK542526. External links
"Edaravone". Drug Information Portal. U.S. National Library of Medicine.