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🏅 FDA Orphan Designation

Penicillamine

PENICILLAMINE

Manufacturer: Endo USA, Inc.

Indicated for:
Wilson diseaseCystinuriaJuvenile idiopathic arthritis
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Black Box Warning (Boxed Warning)

A Boxed Warning is the FDA's strongest safety warning — it indicates serious or life-threatening risks identified during clinical trials or post-market surveillance. It does not mean the medication is unsafe for all patients; your prescriber weighs these risks against the benefits for your specific situation. Source: FDA-approved prescribing information.

View full prescribing information on DailyMed (NLM) ↗

FDA-Approved Indications (3)

indicated in the treatment of Wilson's disease

Population: all ages

indicated in the treatment of cystinuria

Population: all ages

indicated in patients with severe, active rheumatoid arthritis who have failed to respond to an adequate trial of conventional therapy

Population: adults

Indications & Usage

INDICATIONS Penicillamine capsules are indicated in the treatment of Wilson's disease, cystinuria, and in patients with severe, active rheumatoid arthritis who have failed to respond to an adequate trial of conventional therapy. Available evidence suggests that penicillamine capsules are not of value in ankylosing spondylitis. W il son’s Disease — Wilson’s disease (hepatolenticular degeneration) occurs in individuals who have inherited an autosomal recessive defect that leads to an accumulation of copper far in excess of metabolic requirements. The excess copper is deposited in several organs and tissues, and eventually produces pathological effects primarily in the liver, where damage progresses to postnecrotic cirrhosis, and in the brain, where degeneration is widespread. Copper is also deposited as characteristic, asymptomatic, golden-brown Kayser-Fleischer rings in the corneas of all patients with cerebral symptomatology and some patients who are either asymptomatic or manifest only hepatic symptomatology. Two types of patients require treatment for Wilson's disease: (1) the symptomatic, and (2) the asymptomatic in whom it can be assumed the disease will develop in the future if the patient is not treated. The diagnosis, if suspected on the basis of family or individual history or physical examination, can be confirmed if the plasma copper-protein ceruloplasmin ** is <20 mg/dL and either a quantitative determination in a liver biopsy specimen shows an abnormally high concentration of copper (>250 mcg/g dry weight) or Kayser- Fleischer rings are present. ** For quantitative test for serum ceruloplasmin see: Morell, A.G.; Windsor, J.; Sternlieb, I.; Scheinberg, I.H.: Measurement of the concentration of ceruloplasmin in serum by determination of its oxidase activity, in “Laboratory Diagnosis of Liver Disease”, F.W. Sunderman; F.W. Sunderman, Jr. (eds.), St. Louis, Warren H. Green, Inc., 1968, pp. 193-195. Treatment has two objectives: (1) to minimize dietary intake

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Medical disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before making treatment decisions. Data sourced from FDA and current as of our last update.