Secnidazole
Encyclopedia
Secnidazole is a nitroimidazole
anti-infective. Effectiveness in the treatment of dientamoebiasis
has been reported. It has also been tested against Atopobium vaginae.
Secnidazole is structurally related to the commonly used 5-nitroimidazoles metronidazole
and tinidazole. These drugs share a common spectrum of activity against anaerobic micro-organisms and they appear particularly effective in the treatment of amoebiasis, giardiasis, trichomoniasis and bacterial vaginosis. Secnidazole is rapidly and completely absorbed after oral administration and has a longer terminal elimination half-life (approximately 17 to 29 hours) than commonly used drugs in this class. In patients with intestinal amoebiasis or giardiasis, clinical or parasistological cure rates of 80 to 100% are achieved after treatment with a single dose of secnidazole 2 g (30 mg/kg in children), similar to the response rates achieved with multiple dosage regimens of metronidazole or tinidazole. Patients with hepatic amoebiasis appears to respond well to 5- to 7-day therapy with secnidazole, but the efficacy of this drug regimen requires further evaluation in larger numbers of patients. After administration of a single dose of secnidazole, parasitological eradication was achieved in approximately 92 to 100% of patients with urogenital trichomoniasis. Patients with bacteria vaginosis respond at least as well to a single dose of secnidazole as to single-dose tinidazole, or single- or 7-day treatment with metronidazole; clinical improvement and/or microbiological evidence of cure was attained in approximately 59 to 96% of patients. In the clinical trials reviewed, secnidazole was well tolerated; most adverse events were gastrointestinal in nature and did not require treatment intervention or withdrawal from therapy.
In summary, available evidence suggests that secnidazole is as efficacious as other 5-nitroimidazole drugs in the treatment of protozoal infections and bacterial vaginosis. The convenience and ease of administration associated with single-dose therapy, combined with a good tolerability profile, make secnidazole a suitable option to other single-dose treatments and an attractive alternative to multiple dosage regimens with other drugs in this class.
Nitroimidazole
4-Nitroimidazole is an imidazole derivative that contains a nitro group.Several derivatives of nitroimidazole constitute the class of nitroimidazole antibiotics that have been used to combat anaerobic bacterial and parasitic infections. Perhaps the most common example is metronidazole . Other...
anti-infective. Effectiveness in the treatment of dientamoebiasis
Dientamoebiasis
Dientamoebiasis is a medical condition caused by infection with Dientamoeba fragilis. Dientamoeba fragilis is a single celled parasite that infects the lower gastrointestinal tract of humans...
has been reported. It has also been tested against Atopobium vaginae.
Secnidazole is structurally related to the commonly used 5-nitroimidazoles metronidazole
Metronidazole
Metronidazole is a nitroimidazole antibiotic medication used particularly for anaerobic bacteria and protozoa. Metronidazole is an antibiotic, amebicide, and antiprotozoal....
and tinidazole. These drugs share a common spectrum of activity against anaerobic micro-organisms and they appear particularly effective in the treatment of amoebiasis, giardiasis, trichomoniasis and bacterial vaginosis. Secnidazole is rapidly and completely absorbed after oral administration and has a longer terminal elimination half-life (approximately 17 to 29 hours) than commonly used drugs in this class. In patients with intestinal amoebiasis or giardiasis, clinical or parasistological cure rates of 80 to 100% are achieved after treatment with a single dose of secnidazole 2 g (30 mg/kg in children), similar to the response rates achieved with multiple dosage regimens of metronidazole or tinidazole. Patients with hepatic amoebiasis appears to respond well to 5- to 7-day therapy with secnidazole, but the efficacy of this drug regimen requires further evaluation in larger numbers of patients. After administration of a single dose of secnidazole, parasitological eradication was achieved in approximately 92 to 100% of patients with urogenital trichomoniasis. Patients with bacteria vaginosis respond at least as well to a single dose of secnidazole as to single-dose tinidazole, or single- or 7-day treatment with metronidazole; clinical improvement and/or microbiological evidence of cure was attained in approximately 59 to 96% of patients. In the clinical trials reviewed, secnidazole was well tolerated; most adverse events were gastrointestinal in nature and did not require treatment intervention or withdrawal from therapy.
In summary, available evidence suggests that secnidazole is as efficacious as other 5-nitroimidazole drugs in the treatment of protozoal infections and bacterial vaginosis. The convenience and ease of administration associated with single-dose therapy, combined with a good tolerability profile, make secnidazole a suitable option to other single-dose treatments and an attractive alternative to multiple dosage regimens with other drugs in this class.