Pancrelipase is a form of enzyme

Enzyme

Enzymes are proteins that catalyze chemical reactions. In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process, called substrates, are converted into different molecules, called products. Almost all chemical reactions in a biological cell need enzymes in order to occur at rates...

 therapy for the treatment of various digestive disorders, primarily exocrine pancreatic insufficiency

Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency

Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency is the inability to properly digest food due to a lack of digestive enzymes made by the pancreas. This disease is found frequently in dogs. EPI is also found in humans afflicted with cystic fibrosis and Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome. EPI is caused by a progressive...

. It is a mixture of three digestive enzymes, amylase

Amylase

Amylase is an enzyme that catalyses the breakdown of starch into sugars. Amylase is present in human saliva, where it begins the chemical process of digestion. Food that contains much starch but little sugar, such as rice and potato, taste slightly sweet as they are chewed because amylase turns...

, trypsin

Trypsin

Trypsin is a serine protease found in the digestive system of many vertebrates, where it hydrolyses proteins. Trypsin is produced in the pancreas as the inactive proenzyme trypsinogen. Trypsin cleaves peptide chains mainly at the carboxyl side of the amino acids lysine or arginine, except when...

, and lipase

Lipase

A lipase is an enzyme that catalyzes the formation or cleavage of fats . Lipases are a subclass of the esterases.Lipases perform essential roles in the digestion, transport and processing of dietary lipids in most, if not all, living organisms...

, which are normally produced by the pancreas

Pancreas

The pancreas is a gland organ in the digestive and endocrine system of vertebrates. It is both an endocrine gland producing several important hormones, including insulin, glucagon, and somatostatin, as well as a digestive organ, secreting pancreatic juice containing digestive enzymes that assist...

. Pancrelipase is a form of pancreatin

Pancreatin

Pancreatin is a mixture of several digestive enzymes produced by the exocrine cells of the pancreas. It is composed of amylase, lipase and protease. This mixture is used to treat conditions in which pancreatic secretions are deficient, such as surgical pancreatectomy, pancreatitis and cystic fibrosis...

 having a elevated content of lipase.

Use

Pancrelipase is used by patients suffering from cystic fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis is a recessive genetic disease affecting most critically the lungs, and also the pancreas, liver, and intestine...

, chronic pancreatitis

Chronic pancreatitis

Chronic pancreatitis is a long-standing inflammation of the pancreas that alters its normal structure and functions. It can present as episodes of acute inflammation in a previously injured pancreas, or as chronic damage with persistent pain or malabsorption....

 and after pancreatectomy

Pancreatectomy

In medicine, a pancreatectomy is the surgical removal of all or part of the pancreas. Several types of pancreatectomy exist, including pancreaticoduodenectomy , distal pancreatectomy, segmental pancreatectomy, and total pancreatectomy...

.

Brand names for Pancrelipase include Creon, Pancrease, Ultrase, Mezym and Ozym.

Creon

Creon is a Pancrelipase manufactured and produce by Abbott Laboratories. Its available in different packaging ie Creon 5, 10 or 20.

Creon 10,000 mini-microspeheres (delayed release capsules) is available in China, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand with enzyme contains lipase 10,000 u, amylase 8,000 u, protease 600 u.

Its main indication is for patients with pancretic exocrine insufficiency ie, cystic fibrosis, chronic pancreatitis, pancreatectomy, pancreatic cancer and gastrotectomy.