Halofuginone is a coccidiostat

Coccidiostat

A coccidiostat is an antiprotozoal agent that acts upon Coccidia parasites.Examples include:* amprolium* arprinocid* artemether* clopidol* decoquinate* diclazuril* dinitolmide* ethopabate* halofuginone* lasalocid* monensin* narasin* nicarbazin...

 used in veterinary medicine. It is a synthetic halogen

Halogen

The halogens or halogen elements are a series of nonmetal elements from Group 17 IUPAC Style of the periodic table, comprising fluorine , chlorine , bromine , iodine , and astatine...

ated derivative of febrifugine

Febrifugine

Febrifugine is a quinazolinone alkaloid first isolated from Chinese herb Dichroa febrifuga, but also found in the garden plant Hydrangea....

, a natural quinazolinone

Quinazolinone

Quinazolinone is a heterocyclic chemical compound. There are two structural isomers, 2-quinazolinone and 4-quinazolinone, with the 4-isomer being the more common.-Derivatives:...

 alkaloid which can be found in the Chinese herb Dichroa febrifuga

Dichroa febrifuga

Dichroa febrifuga is a flowering plant in the family Hydrangeaceae.-Medicinal uses:It is an important herb in traditional Chinese medicine, where it is considered one of the 50 fundamental herbs.-External links:*...

(Chang Shan). Collgard Biopharmaceuticals is developing halofuginone for the treatment of scleroderma

Scleroderma

Systemic sclerosis or systemic scleroderma is a systemic autoimmune disease or systemic connective tissue disease that is a subtype of scleroderma.-Skin symptoms:...

 and it has received orphan drug

Orphan drug

An orphan drug is a pharmaceutical agent that has been developed specifically to treat a rare medical condition, the condition itself being referred to as an orphan disease...

 designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Halofuginone inhibits the development of T helper 17 cell

T helper 17 cell

T helper 17 cells are a subset of T helper cells producing interleukin 17 discovered in 2007. They are considered developmentally distinct from Th1 and Th2 cells and excessive amounts of the cell are thought to play a key role in autoimmune disease such as multiple sclerosis , but also...

s, immune cells that play an important players in autoimmune disease, but it does not affect other kinds of T cells which involved in normal immune function. Halofuginone therefore has potential for the treatment of autoimmune disorders.

Halofuginine is also an inhibitor of collagen type I gene expression and as a consequence it may inhibit tumor cell growth.