Danaparoid
Encyclopedia
Danaparoid sodium is an anticoagulant
Anticoagulant
An anticoagulant is a substance that prevents coagulation of blood. A group of pharmaceuticals called anticoagulants can be used in vivo as a medication for thrombotic disorders. Some anticoagulants are used in medical equipment, such as test tubes, blood transfusion bags, and renal dialysis...

 that works by inhibiting activated factor X
Factor X
Factor X, also known by the eponym Stuart-Prower factor or as prothrombinase, is an enzyme of the coagulation cascade. It is a serine endopeptidase .-Physiology:...

 (factor Xa).

Danaparoid is considered a "low molecular weight heparin
Low molecular weight heparin
In medicine, low-molecular-weight heparin is a class of medication used as an anticoagulant in diseases that feature thrombosis, as well as for prophylaxis in situations that lead to a high risk of thrombosis....

" by some sources, but is chemically distinct from heparin and thus has little cross-reactivity in heparin-intolerant patients.

It consists of a mixture of heparan sulfate
Heparan sulfate
Heparan sulfate is a linear polysaccharide found in all animal tissues. It occurs as a proteoglycan in which two or three HS chains are attached in close proximity to cell surface or extracellular matrix proteins...

, dermatan sulfate
Dermatan sulfate
Dermatan sulfate is a glycosaminoglycan found mostly in skin, but also in blood vessels, heart valves, tendons, and lungs....

 and chondroitin sulfate
Chondroitin sulfate
Chondroitin sulfate is a sulfated glycosaminoglycan composed of a chain of alternating sugars . It is usually found attached to proteins as part of a proteoglycan. A chondroitin chain can have over 100 individual sugars, each of which can be sulfated in variable positions and quantities...

.

It has also been described as a heparinoid.

Uses

It is used to prevent deep venous clots, particularly in situations with a high risk of clot formation, such as after hip surgery.

It is also used as a heparinoid substitute in heparin-induced thrombocytopenia
Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia
Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia is the development of thrombocytopenia , due to the administration of various forms of heparin, an anticoagulant...

 (HIT) which may otherwise cause paradoxical thrombosis. Danaparoid is used for thrombosis prophylaxis and treatment in heparin-induced thrombocytopenia patients, although cross-reactivity with heparin-induced antibodies can occur in 10–20% of the patients (ESRA).
It has been proposed for use in Kasabach-Merritt syndrome
Kasabach-Merritt syndrome
Kasabach–Merritt syndrome , also known as Hemangioma with thrombocytopenia) is a rare disease, usually of infants, in which a vascular tumor leads to decreased platelet counts and sometimes other bleeding problems, which can be life-threatening. It is also known as hemangioma thrombocytopenia...

.

Discontinuation

On August 14, 2002, this drug was withdrawn by Organon International
Organon International
Organon is a human pharmaceutical company headquartered in Oss, Netherlands. In November 2007 the company became a part of Schering-Plough Corporation, acquired Organon, active pharmaceutical ingredient producer Diosynth , and its veterinary pharmaceutical sister company Intervet from Akzo Nobel. ...

. Due to a shortage in drug substance, the manufacturer discontinued providing the medication in the United States. It is available in several other countries.

On the Schering-Plough
Schering-Plough
Schering-Plough Corporation was a United States-based pharmaceutical company. It was founded in 1851 by Ernst Christian Friedrich Schering as Schering AG in Germany. In 1971, the Schering Corporation merged with Plough to form Schering-Plough. On November 4, 2009 Merck & Co...

 website, Orgaran is described as "Marketed outside the U.S."

Side effects

  • Bleeding problems
  • Low platelets
    Thrombocytopenia
    Thrombocytopenia is a relative decrease of platelets in blood.A normal human platelet count ranges from 150,000 to 450,000 platelets per microliter of blood. These limits are determined by the 2.5th lower and upper percentile, so values outside this range do not necessarily indicate disease...

    , due to a low level of structural similarity between danaparoid and heparin
    Heparin
    Heparin , also known as unfractionated heparin, a highly sulfated glycosaminoglycan, is widely used as an injectable anticoagulant, and has the highest negative charge density of any known biological molecule...

  • Asthma
    Asthma
    Asthma is the common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath...

     exacerbations, due to allergies to sulfite
    Sulfite
    Sulfites are compounds that contain the sulfite ion SO. The sulfite ion is the conjugate base of bisulfite. Although the acid itself is elusive, its salts are widely used.-Structure:...

    s contained within the medicine
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