What You Should Know About Clodronate Liposome

By Teri Farley


By definition, clodronate liposome is a drug delivered using liposome (a synthetic lipid that encapsulates other substances for ease of administration into the body). Liposome is manly a medium which carries the highly hydrophilic Clodronate thus facilitating its transport into the target organ. Essentially, the aim of this type of drug administration is to achieve higher macrophage depletion after an intravenous injection of the drug.

The idea behind this drug is mainly to use it as the carrier or Trojan horse to help administer drugs that would not easily reach the target organ in normal cases. Provided the liposome has been ingested and digested by the macrophages (in the spleen for instance), the Clodronate is released into the organ though intracellular activities. The resultant product is the effective bisphosphonates that can then stop the macrophage functions.

Though still in the trial stages, the drug has shown a lot of success and will help in the treatment of cancer, osteoporosis and autoimmune hemolytic anemia. Metastatic carcinoma of the breast and multiple myeloma are among other conditions that the drug will be able to handle. On the other hand, this drug has shown success with the suppression of macrophage activities in neurological disorders, gene therapy and transplantation.

Since other bisphosphonates are in the market, it is easy to predict the side effects that may be associated with the drug once it is released. There is no need to worry though as these effects are classified as mild. For example, a few patients do report stomach pains, nausea and vomiting. In some rare scenarios, bisphosphonates may have some serious reactions.

Most patients have also reported loss of appetite. However, in the event that this drug will present with serious conditions like hives, skin rashes or even difficult breathing it is advisable that one sees a doctor immediately. Unlike the mild symptoms that would disappear after few days, these may be signs of deep-rooted drug reactions.

Additional complications such as unknown malaise, swelling of body parts and mouth pain should also be treated with caution. Physicians in such cases may recommend treatment or drug discontinuation. It is important to note that these are not recorded drug reactions from the drug since it has not been fully put into human use. You should therefore not be discouraged in anyway.

There are conditions in which the use of bisphosphonates is prohibited. For instance, pregnant mothers and those allergic to Clodronate and other bisphosphonate products should not use the drug. Those on similar drug components are accordingly advised to avoid the drug too. On the other hand, patients with underlying conditions such as gastrointestinal swellings are equally prohibited from using the drug.

There are basic rules that apply to prescription medicine, which also apply to clodronate liposome. For instance, you cannot share it with any one whether they are as sick as you are. In addition, you do not use it without express instructions from a qualified physician.




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