Penicillamine 250 mg Capsule, Gelatin Coated, 100-count
🆔 Identity & classification
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🏷️ RxNorm drug class
This medicine belongs to the Antirheumatic Agent class.
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🏭 Manufacturer & labeler
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🩺 Clinical
Penicillamine is used to treat Wilson's disease (an inherited condition that causes copper to build up in the body and may result in serious symptoms) and cystinuria (an inherited condition which can lead to kidney stones). It is also used in combination with other treatments to treat severe rheumatoid arthritis (a condition in which the body's immune system attacks its own joints, causing pain, swelling, and loss of function) that did not get better after treatment with other medications. Penicillamine is in a class of medications called heavy metal antagonists. It works to treat Wilson's dis...
Read the full MedlinePlus article ↗- That's one of the most important parts of staying safe on penicillamine. This drug can affect your bone marrow and reduce blood cell counts — sometimes severely — and it can also c...
- Why does my doctor keep ordering so many blood tests while I'm on this medication?
- Unfortunately, no — even a small snack matters here. Food, milk, antacids, and iron all significantly reduce how much penicillamine your body absorbs, and they can even inactivate...
- Why do I have to take it on an empty stomach? Can I just take it with a small snack?
Patient education
Supplement & herbal interactions
Some supplements/herbs that may interact with Penicillamine — tap one for details:
Penicillamine may be associated with lower levels of 5 nutrients — worth a chat with your pharmacist, not a cause for alarm.
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Ask a licensed pharmacist directly — free, answered by our team.
💊 What it looks like
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🧪 Inactive Ingredients / Excipients
Inactive ingredients, also called excipients, are components of the drug product other than the active ingredient. They may include fillers, dyes, coatings, preservatives, flavors, or other formulation ingredients.
💡 Tap an ingredient (hover on desktop) to see what it is and why it’s used.
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UNII 5138Q19F1X
Ammonia is a colorless gas made from nitrogen and hydrogen. It's used in medicines as a pH buffer to maintain the correct acidity level and help keep the product stable.
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UNII XM0M87F357
A dark iron oxide compound that gives medicines their black or dark color. It's used as a colorant in tablets and capsules to help identify the product and make it visually distinctive.
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UNII 2G86QN327L
Gelatin is a protein derived from animal collagen, commonly used in medicines as a gelling agent and capsule material. It helps create soft or hard capsule shells that hold and release medication, and can also thicken liquid formulations.
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UNII 70097M6I30
Magnesium stearate is a salt made from magnesium and stearic acid, a fatty substance. It's used in tablets and capsules as a lubricant and glidant to help ingredients flow smoothly during manufacturing and prevent sticking.
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UNII OP1R32D61U
Microcrystalline cellulose is a purified form of cellulose, a natural fiber from plant sources. It acts as a binder and filler in tablets and capsules, helping hold ingredients together and give the medicine its shape and size.
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UNII WZH3C48M4T
Potassium hydroxide is a strong alkaline chemical used in medicines to adjust and maintain the pH level of liquid formulations, helping keep the product stable and the active ingredients effective.
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UNII 6DC9Q167V3
Propylene glycol is a clear liquid derived from petroleum or vegetable sources. It acts as a solvent, humectant, and preservative in medicines, helping dissolve active ingredients and maintain product stability.
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UNII 46N107B71O
Shellac is a natural resin secreted by the lac beetle. It's used as a coating on tablets and capsules to control how quickly the medicine dissolves and to improve appearance and stability.
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UNII 15FIX9V2JP
Titanium dioxide is a bright white mineral powder commonly used as a colorant and opacifying agent. It makes pills and tablets white or lighter in color and helps make coatings non-transparent.
9 inactive ingredients listed in the exact product block matched to this NDC.
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ingredient classCode="IACT" elements from the exact product block matched by this NDC. Label-section narrative from DailyMed / the openFDA label index is shown separately when available.Inactive ingredient FAQ
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💲 Pricing
A drug doesn't have one price. Each row is a different public payment system, and none is what you'd pay at the counter — that depends on your insurance. The ⓘ on each row explains what it measures.
| Price system | Per each | Per package |
|---|---|---|
| Retail pharmacies payNADAC · weekly | Not in the retail survey — common for institutional, discontinued, or low-volume packs. | |
| Medicaid paysCMS SDUD · 12 mo | No recent Medicaid claims on file for this NDC — rare and low-volume NDCs are suppressed in the public data. | |
| Medicare drug plans payPart D · Q2 2026 | $17.05 | $1,705.23 / 100 capsules |
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🔁 Therapeutic equivalents
| Product | Labeler | Pack | NADAC/unit | TE | Status | Price vs. this |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penicillamine 250 mg 00591-4171-01 | Actavis | 100 capsules | — | — | FDA listed | — |
| Cuprimine 250 mg 25010-0705-15 | Bausch | 100 capsules | — | AB | FDA listed | — |
| Penicillamine 250 mgthis 43598-0634-01 | Dr. | 100 capsules | — | AB | FDA listed | — |
| Penicillamine 250 mg 49884-0146-01 | Par | 100 capsules | — | AB | FDA listed | — |
| Penicillamine 250 mg 51991-0974-01 | Breckenridge | 100 capsules | — | AB | FDA listed | — |
| Penicillamine 250 mg 68475-0201-01 | Navinta | 100 capsules | — | AB | FDA listed | — |
| Penicillamine 250 mg 70010-0907-01 | Granules | 100 capsules | — | AB | FDA listed | — |
| Aagylur 250 mg 70709-0102-10 | Cycle | 100 capsules | — | AB | FDA listed | — |
| Penicillamine 250 mg 71205-0916-00 | Proficient | 100 capsules | — | AB | FDA listed | — |
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⏳ Availability & generic status
This product is an FDA-approved generic. Other versions of the same drug are listed under Therapeutic equivalents, least expensive first.
Where does this data come from?
📊 Medicare Part D spend CMS · PART D · 2026 (Q1)
📦 Packaging — all sizes for this product
| Package NDC | Description | Marketing start | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 43598-0634-01 You're viewing this | 100 CAPSULE, GELATIN COATED in 1 BOTTLE (43598-634-01) | 2020-08-04 | Active |
🧭 About this NDC listing & data coverage
What data is (and isn’t) available for this NDC — tap to expand
| NDC identity (package / product / labeler codes) | ✓ Available |
| Labeler | ✓ Available |
| Product & package description | ✓ Available |
| Marketing category & status | ✓ Available |
| Active ingredient / dosage form / route | ✓ Available |
| FDA label (SPL via DailyMed) | ✓ Available |
| Package photos | ✓ Available |
| Inactive ingredients (structured) | ✓ Available |
| NADAC pharmacy acquisition price (CMS) | — Not published for this NDC CMS publishes NADAC only for NDCs reported in its retail-pharmacy survey. |
| Orange Book / therapeutic-equivalence data | ✓ Available |
| HCPCS J-code billing crosswalk | — Not published for this NDC Most self-administered / retail products have no J-code — that is normal. |
| Medicaid utilization (CMS SDUD) | — Not published for this NDC CMS reports utilization only for NDCs with Medicaid claims above its privacy threshold. |
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📄 Full prescribing information FDA SPL
🚨 Boxed Warning ▾
Physicians planning to use penicillamine should thoroughly familiarize themselves with its toxicity, special dosage considerations, and therapeutic benefits. Penicillamine should never be used casually. Each patient should remain constantly under the close supervision of the physician. Patients should be warned to report promptly any symptoms suggesting toxicity.
🎯 Indications and 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. Wilson’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. Treatment has two objectives: (1) to minimize dietary intake of copper; (2) to promote excretion and complex formation (i.e., detoxification) of excess tissue copper. The first objective is attained by a daily diet that contains no more than one or two milligrams of copper.
Such a diet should exclude, most importantly, chocolate, nuts, shellfish, mushrooms, liver, molasses, broccoli, and cereals and dietary supplements enriched with copper, and be composed to as great an extent as possible of foods with a low copper content. Distilled or demineralized water should be used if the patient's drinking water contains more than 0.1 mg of copper per liter. For the second objective, a copper chelating agent is used.
In symptomatic patients this treatment usually produces marked neurologic improvement, fading of Kayser-Fleischer rings, and gradual amelioration of hepatic dysfunction and psychic disturbances. Clinical experience to date suggests that life is prolonged with the above regimen. Noticeable improvement may not occur for one to three months.
Occasionally, neurologic symptoms become worse during initiation of therapy with penicillamine capsules. Despite this, the drug should not be withdrawn. Temporary interruption carries an increased risk of developing a sensitivity reaction upon resumption of therapy, although it may result in clinical improvement of neurological symptoms (see WARNINGS ).
If the neurological symptoms and signs continue to worsen for a month after the initiation of penicillamine capsules therapy, several short courses of treatment with 2,3 - dimercaprol (BAL) while continuing penicillamine capsules may be considered. Treatment of asymptomatic patients has been carried out for over thirty years. Symptoms and signs of the disease appear to be prevented indefinitely if daily treatment with penicillamine capsules is continued.
Cystinuria — Cystinuria is characterized by excessive urinary excretion of the dibasic amino acids, arginine, lysine, ornithine, and cystine, and the mixed disulfide of cysteine and homocysteine. The metabolic defect that leads to cystinuria is inherited as an autosomal, recessive trait. Metabolism of the affected amino acids is influenced by at least two abnormal factors: (1) defective gastrointestinal absorption and (2) renal tubular dysfunction.
Arginine, lysine, ornithine, and cysteine are soluble substances, readily excreted. There is…
⏱️ Dosage and Administration ▾
DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION In all patients receiving penicillamine, it is important that penicillamine capsules be given on an empty stomach, at least one hour before meals or two hours after meals, and at least one hour apart from any other drug, food, or milk. Because penicillamine increases the requirement for pyridoxine, patients may require a daily supplement of pyridoxine (see PRECAUTIONS ). Wilson's Disease — Optimal dosage can be determined by measurement of urinary copper excretion and the determination of free copper in the serum.
The urine must be collected in copper-free glassware, and should be quantitatively analyzed for copper before and soon after initiation of therapy with penicillamine capsules. Determination of 24 hour urinary copper excretion is of greatest value in the first week of therapy with penicillamine. In the absence of any drug reaction, a dose between 0.75 and 1.5 g that results in an initial 24 hour cupriuresis of over 2 mg should be continued for about three months, by which time the most reliable method of monitoring maintenance treatment is the determination of free copper in the serum.
This equals the difference between quantitatively determined total copper and ceruloplasmin-copper. Adequately treated patients will usually have less than 10 mcg free copper/dL of serum. It is seldom necessary to exceed a dosage of 2 g/day.
If the patient is intolerant to therapy with penicillamine capsules, alternative treatment is trientine hydrochloride. In patients who cannot tolerate as much as 1 g/day initially, initiating dosage with 250 mg/day, and increasing gradually to the requisite amount, gives closer control of the effects of the drug and may help to reduce the incidence of adverse reactions. Cystinuria — It is recommended that penicillamine capsules be used along with conventional therapy.
By reducing urinary cystine, it decreases crystalluria and stone formation. In some instances, it has been reported to decrease the size of, and even to dissolve, stones already formed. The usual dosage of penicillamine capsules in the treatment of cystinuria is 2 g/day for adults, with a range of 1 to 4 g/day.
For pediatric patients, dosage can be based on 30 mg/kg/day. The total daily amount should be divided into four doses. If four equal doses are not feasible, give the larger portion at bedtime.
If adverse reactions necessitate a reduction in dosage, it is important to retain the bedtime dose. Initiating dosage with 250 mg/day, and increasing gradually to the requisite amount, gives closer control of the effects of the drug and may help to reduce the incidence of adverse reactions. In addition to taking penicillamine capsules, patients should drink copiously.
It is especially important to drink about a pint of fluid at bedtime and another pint once during the night when urine is more concentrated and more acid than during the day. The greater the fluid intake, the lower the required dosage of penicillamine capsules. Dosage must be individualized to an amount that limits cystine excretion to 100-200 mg/day in those with no history of stones, and below 100 mg/day in those who have had stone formation and/or pain.
Thus, in determining dosage, the inherent tubular defect, the patient's size, age, and rate of growth, and his diet and water intake all must be taken into consideration. The standard nitroprusside cyanide test has been reported useful as a qualitative measure of the effective dose:† Add 2 mL of freshly prepared 5 percent sodium cyanide to 5 mL of a 24 hour aliquot of protein-free urine and let stand ten minutes. Add 5 drops of freshly prepared 5 percent sodium nitroprusside and mix.
Cystine will turn the mixture magenta. If the result is negative, it can be assumed that cystine excretion is less than 100 mg/g creatinine. Although penicillamine is rarely excreted unchanged, it also will turn the mixture magenta.
If there is any question as to which substance is causing the reaction, a ferric chlori…
⛔ Contraindications ▾
CONTRAINDICATIONS Except for the treatment of Wilson's disease or certain patients with cystinuria, use of penicillamine during pregnancy is contraindicated (see WARNINGS ). Although breast milk studies have not been reported in animals or humans, mothers on therapy with penicillamine should not nurse their infants. Patients with a history of penicillamine-related aplastic anemia or agranulocytosis should not be restarted on penicillamine (see WARNINGS and ADVERSE REACTIONS ).
Because of its potential for causing renal damage, penicillamine should not be administered to rheumatoid arthritis patients with a history or other evidence of renal insufficiency.
⚠️ Warnings ▾
WARNINGS The use of penicillamine has been associated with fatalities due to certain diseases such as aplastic anemia, agranulocytosis, thrombocytopenia, Goodpasture's syndrome, and myasthenia gravis. Because of the potential for serious hematological and renal adverse reactions to occur at any time, routine urinalysis, white and differential blood cell count, hemoglobin determination, and direct platelet count must be done twice weekly, together with monitoring of the patient's skin, lymph nodes and body temperature, during the first month of therapy, every two weeks for the next five months, and monthly thereafter.
Patients should be instructed to report promptly the development of signs and symptoms of granulocytopenia and/or thrombocytopenia such as fever, sore throat, chills, bruising or bleeding. The above laboratory studies should then be promptly repeated. Leukopenia and thrombocytopenia have been reported to occur in up to five percent of patients during penicillamine therapy.
Leukopenia is of the granulocytic series and may or may not be associated with an increase in eosinophils. A confirmed reduction in WBC below 3500/mm3 mandates discontinuance of penicillamine therapy. Thrombocytopenia may be on an idiosyncratic basis, with decreased or absent megakaryocytes in the marrow, when it is part of an aplastic anemia.
In other cases the thrombocytopenia is presumably on an immune basis since the number of megakaryocytes in the marrow has been reported to be normal or sometimes increased. The development of a platelet count below 100,000/mm 3 , even in the absence of clinical bleeding, requires at least temporary cessation of penicillamine therapy. A progressive fall in either platelet count or WBC in three successive determinations, even though values are still within the normal range, likewise requires at least temporary cessation.
Proteinuria and/or hematuria may develop during therapy and may be warning signs of membranous glomerulopathy which can progress to a nephrotic syndrome. Close observation of these patients is essential. In some patients the proteinuria disappears with continued therapy; in others, penicillamine must be discontinued.
When a patient develops proteinuria or hematuria the physician must ascertain whether it is a sign of drug-induced glomerulopathy or is unrelated to penicillamine. Rheumatoid arthritis patients who develop moderate degrees of proteinuria may be continued cautiously on penicillamine therapy, provided that quantitative 24 hour urinary protein determinations are obtained at intervals of one to two weeks. Penicillamine dosage should not be increased under these circumstances.
Proteinuria which exceeds 1 g/24 hours, or proteinuria which is progressively increasing, requires either discontinuance of the drug or a reduction in the dosage. In some patients, proteinuria has been reported to clear following reduction in dosage. In rheumatoid arthritis patients penicillamine should be discontinued if unexplained gross hematuria or persistent microscopic hematuria develops.
In patients with Wilson's disease or cystinuria the risks of continued penicillamine therapy in patients manifesting potentially serious urinary abnormalities must be weighed against the expected therapeutic benefits. When penicillamine is used in cystinuria, an annual x-ray for renal stones is advised. Cystine stones form rapidly, sometimes in six months.
Up to one year or more may be required for any urinary abnormalities to disappear after penicillamine has been discontinued. Because of rare reports of intrahepatic cholestasis and toxic hepatitis, liver function tests are recommended every six months for the duration of therapy. In Wilson’s disease, these are recommended every three months, at least during the first year of treatment.
Goodpasture's syndrome has occurred rarely. The development of abnormal urinary findings associated with hemoptysis and pulmonary infiltrates on x-ray requires immediate cessation of pen…
🤒 Adverse Reactions ▾
ADVERSE REACTIONS Penicillamine is a drug with a high incidence of untoward reactions, some of which are potentially fatal. Therefore, it is mandatory that patients receiving penicillamine therapy remain under close medical supervision throughout the period of drug administration (see WARNINGS and PRECAUTIONS). Reported incidences (%) for the most commonly occurring adverse reactions in rheumatoid arthritis patients are noted, based on 17 representative clinical trials reported in the literature (1270 patients).
Allergic — Generalized pruritus, early and late rashes (5%), pemphigus (see WARNINGS ), and drug eruptions which may be accompanied by fever, arthralgia, or lymphadenopathy have occurred (see WARNINGS and PRECAUTIONS) . Some patients may show a lupus erythematosus-like syndrome similar to drug-induced lupus produced by other pharmacological agents (see PRECAUTIONS ). Urticaria and exfoliative dermatitis have occurred.
Thyroiditis has been reported; hypoglycemia in association with anti-insulin antibodies has been reported. These reactions are extremely rare. Some patients may develop a migratory polyarthralgia, often with objective synovitis (see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION) .
Gastrointestinal — Anorexia, epigastric pain, nausea, vomiting, or occasional diarrhea may occur (17%). . Isolated cases of reactivated peptic ulcer have occurred, as have hepatic dysfunction including hepatic failure, and pancreatitis. Intrahepatic cholestasis and toxic hepatitis have been reported rarely.
There have been a few reports of increased serum alkaline phosphatase, lactic dehydrogenase, and positive cephalin flocculation and thymol turbidity tests. Some patients may report a blunting, diminution, or total loss of taste perception (12%); or may develop oral ulcerations. Although rare, cheilosis, glossitis, and gingivostomatitis have been reported (see PRECAUTIONS ).
Gastrointestinal side effects are usually reversible following cessation of therapy. Hematological — Penicillamine can cause bone marrow depression (see WARNINGS ). Leukopenia (2%) and thrombocytopenia (4%) have occurred.
Fatalities have been reported as a result of thrombocytopenia, agranulocytosis, aplastic anemia, and sideroblastic anemia. Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, hemolytic anemia, red cell aplasia, monocytosis, leukocytosis, eosinophilia, and thrombocytosis have also been reported. Renal — Patients on penicillamine therapy may develop proteinuria (6%) and/or hematuria which, in some, may progress to the development of the nephrotic syndrome as a result of an immune complex membranous glomerulopathy (see WARNINGS ).
Renal failure has been reported. Central Nervous System — Tinnitus, optic neuritis and peripheral sensory and motor neuropathies (including polyradiculoneuropathy, i.e., Guillain-Barré syndrome) have been reported. Muscular weakness may or may not occur with the peripheral neuropathies.
Visual and psychic disturbances; mental disorders; and agitation and anxiety have been reported. Neuromuscular — Myasthenia gravis (see WARNINGS ); dystonia. Other — Adverse reactions that have been reported rarely include thrombophlebitis; hyperpyrexia (see PRECAUTIONS ); falling hair or alopecia; lichen planus; polymyositis; dermatomyositis; mammary hyperplasia; elastosis perforans serpiginosa; toxic epidermal necrolysis; anetoderma (cutaneous macular atrophy); and Goodpasture's syndrome, a severe and ultimately fatal glomerulonephritis associated with intra-alveolar hemorrhage (see WARNINGS ).
Vasculitis, including fatal renal vasculitis, has also been reported. Allergic alveolitis, obliterative bronchiolitis, interstitial pneumonitis and pulmonary fibrosis have been reported in patients with severe rheumatoid arthritis, some of whom were receiving penicillamine. Bronchial asthma also has been reported.
Increased skin friability, excessive wrinkling of skin, and development of small white papules at venipuncture and surgical sites have been reported (see PRECAUTIO…
🤰 Pregnancy ▾
Pregnancy Pregnancy Category D (see WARNINGS , Pregnancy)
🧒 Pediatric Use ▾
Pediatric Use The efficacy of penicillamine in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis has not been established.
🧓 Geriatric Use ▾
Geriatric Use Clinical studies of penicillamine are limited in subjects aged 65 and over, they did not include sufficient numbers of elderly subjects aged 65 and over to adequately determine whether they respond differently from younger subjects. Review of reported clinical trials with penicillamine in the elderly suggest greater risk than in younger patients for overall skin rash and abnormality of taste. In general, dose selection for an elderly patient should be cautious, starting at the low end of the dosing range, reflecting the greater frequency of decreased hepatic, renal or cardiac function, and of concomitant disease or other drugs.
This drug is known to be substantially excreted by the kidney, and the risk of toxic reactions to this drug may be greater in patients with impaired renal function. Because elderly patients are more likely to have decreased renal function, care should be taken in dose selection, and careful monitoring of renal function is recommended.
🧬 Clinical Pharmacology ▾
CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY Penicillamine is a chelating agent recommended for the removal of excess copper in patients with Wilson's disease. From in vitro studies which indicate that one atom of copper combines with two molecules of penicillamine, it would appear that one gram of penicillamine should be followed by the excretion of about 200 milligrams of copper; however, the actual amount excreted is about one percent of this. Penicillamine also reduces excess cystine excretion in cystinuria.
This is done, at least in part, by disulfide interchange between penicillamine and cystine, resulting in formation of penicillamine-cysteine disulfide, a substance that is much more soluble than cystine and is excreted readily. Penicillamine interferes with the formation of cross-links between tropocollagen molecules and cleaves them when newly formed. The mechanism of action of penicillamine in rheumatoid arthritis is unknown although it appears to suppress disease activity.
Unlike cytotoxic immunosuppressants, penicillamine markedly lowers IgM rheumatoid factor but produces no significant depression in absolute levels of serum immunoglobulins. Also unlike cytotoxic immunosuppressants which act on both, penicillamine in vitro depresses T-cell activity but not B-cell activity. In vitro , penicillamine dissociates macroglobulins (rheumatoid factor) although the relationship of the activity to its effect in rheumatoid arthritis is not known.
In rheumatoid arthritis, the onset of therapeutic response to penicillamine may not be seen for two or three months. In those patients who respond, however, the first evidence of suppression of symptoms such as pain, tenderness, and swelling is generally apparent within three months. The optimum duration of therapy has not been determined.
If remissions occur, they may last from months to years, but usually require continued treatment (see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION ). In all patients receiving penicillamine, it is important that penicillamine be given on an empty stomach, at least one hour before meals or two hours after meals, and at least one hour apart from any other drug, food, milk, antacid, zinc or iron-containing preparation. This permits maximum absorption and reduces the likelihood of inactivation by metal binding in the gastrointestinal tract.
Pharmacokinetics Penicillamine is absorbed rapidly but incompletely (40 to 70%) from the gastrointestinal tract, with wide inter-individual variations. Food, antacids, and iron reduce absorption of the drug. The peak plasma concentration of penicillamine occurs 1 to 3 hours after ingestion; it is approximately 1 to 2 mg/L after an oral dose of 250 mg.
The drug appears in the plasma as free penicillamine, penicillamine disulfide, and cysteine-penicillamine disulfide. When prolonged treatment is stopped, there is a slow elimination phase lasting 4 to 6 days. More than 80% of plasma penicillamine is bound to proteins, especially albumin and ceruloplasmin.
The drug also binds to erythrocytes and macrophages. A small fraction of the dose is metabolized in the liver to S-methyl-D-penicillamine. Excretion is mainly renal, mainly as disulfides.
📦 How Supplied / Storage and Handling ▾
HOW SUPPLIED Penicillamine Capsules USP, 250 mg are white to off white colored granular powder filled in size-1 hard gelatin capsules with opaque white colored cap imprinted with 'RDY' with black ink and opaque white color body imprinted with '634' with black ink. They are supplied as follows: Bottles of 100 NDC 43598-634-01 Storage Store at 20° to 25°C (68° to 77°F); excursions permitted to 15° to 30°C (59° to 86°F) [see USP Controlled Room Temperature]. Keep container tightly closed. ** 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. *** Scheinberg, I.H.; Sternlieb, I.: N.
Engl. J. Med.
293: 1300-1302, Dec. 18, 1975. † Lotz, M.; Potts, J.T. and Bartter, F.C.: Brit. Med.
J. 2: 521, Aug. 28, 1965 (in Medical Memoranda).
Rx only Distributor: Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Inc., Princeton, NJ 08540 Made in India Issued: 0818
📋 Description ▾
DESCRIPTION Penicillamine USP is a chelating agent used in the treatment of Wilson's disease. It is also used to reduce cystine excretion in cystinuria and to treat patients with severe, active rheumatoid arthritis unresponsive to conventional therapy (see INDICATIONS ). It is 3-mercapto-D-valine.
It is a white or practically white, crystalline powder, freely soluble in water, slightly soluble in alcohol, and insoluble in chloroform and ether. Although its configuration is D, it is levorotatory as usually measured: [α] 25° = -62.5° ± 2° (c = 1, 1N NaOH), D calculated on a dried basis. The molecular formula is C 5 H 11 NO 2 S, giving it a molecular weight of 149.21.
The structural formula is: It reacts readily with formaldehyde or acetone to form a thiazolidine-carboxylic acid. Penicillamine Capsules USP, for oral administration contains 250 mg of penicillamine. Each capsule contains the following inactive ingredients: Black iron oxide, gelatin, microcrystalline cellulose, magnesium stearate, potassium hydroxide, propylene glycol, shellac, strong ammonia solution and titanium dioxide.