Mechanism of Thalidomide??

[TooJiggly]

Hello Pharm D'ers, I am medical student studying for my national licensing exams and have a question: What is the mechanism of action of "Thalidomide"?

I know the drug do be teratogenic to embryologic development of a fetus, but have found 10 uses of the drug, without any discussion of the mechanism (I believe pregnant mothers use it as an anti-nausea med). Can anyone help me?

Jiggly

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[28657]

The MOA is still unclear. What I could find is that thalidomide probably works to inhibit neutrophils and monocytes. More specifically it most likely downregulates tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha).


Also, pregnant mothers do not use this medication for anti-nausea! That was a prior indication which resulted in "flipper babies". The only current FDA approved use is for ENL (erythema nodosum leprosum). The unlabeled uses include Chron's disease, prevention of graft vs. host reactions, lupus, and multiple myeloma.