Sulbutiamine sold under the brand names Arcalion, Enerion, and Sulbuxin is a synthetic derivative of thiamine (vitamin B1). In France, it is used to treat symptoms of weakness or fatigue. In Uruguay, it is prescribed when there is thiamine deficiency, mainly in patients with asthenia, overwork, apathy, depressive states, memory disorders, and iatrogenic disorders of wakefulness. It is also sold as a dietary supplement. Sulbutiamine was discovered in Japan as part of an effort to develop useful thiamine derivatives.
It was first marketed in France by Servier in 1973 under the brand name Arcalion. The drug registration went through a validation procedure in France in the 1980s, which found that the use for treatment of fatigue was not supported by data. In January 1989, 100 mg tablet doses were discontinued in favour of 200 mg tablets.
Sulbutiamine has been explored in clinical trials as a potential treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Studies have also been undertaken to
assess its impact on reversing age-related changes in the circadian system.
The pharmacology of sulbutiamine has been studied in various mice and rats; as of 2014 it appeared that sulbutiamine might be more effective in raising thiamine phosphate levels in the brain than benfotiamine and fursultiamine, but this has not been fully verified. University of Oxford studies indicate that it helps prevent apoptotic cell death, caused by trophic factor deprivation, in retinal ganglion cells.
In an uncontrollled clinical trial, sulbutiamine was reported to be effective in reducing fatigue in patients with multiple sclerosis.
Research
See also
|
|