Becaplermin 0.01% gel
Becaplermin is produced by recombinant DNA technology by insertion of the gene for the B chain of platelet derived growth factor (PDGF) into the yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
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Safety monitoring data
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Suspected adverse reactions reported for Becaplermin
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1 branded products available
Therapeutically similar medicines
Similarity is based on WHO Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification and on a factual NHS dm+d therapeutic-grouping code prefix. Source data: NHS dm+d via TRUD (OGL v3.0), WHO ATC/DDD Index.
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Codes for healthcare professionals and prescribing systems
These codes are used by healthcare IT systems and prescribers to identify this medicine.
NHS UK identifiers
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SNOMED CT and dm+d codes from NHS TRUD (Technology Reference data Update Distribution), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. BNF code shown is the factual mapping value distributed by NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) in the dm+d supplementary file under OGL v3.0; it is not affiliated with, nor licensed from, the publishers of the British National Formulary. ATC codes from the WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology (whocc.no).
Active and completed clinical studies from ClinicalTrials.gov
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health (NIH). Data accessed via ClinicalTrials.gov API v2. Trial information is provided for research purposes and does not constitute medical advice.
Academic studies and reviews for this medicine's active substance
Showing the 50 most relevant studies.
Reviews & meta-analyses: 13 · Randomised trials: 1 · Trials: 1 · 1998–2020
Showing the 50 most relevant studies, sorted by most relevant.
Νικόλαος Παπάνας
Clinical Interventions in Aging, 2008
- Becaplermin
- Gels
- Platelet-Derived Growth Factor
Becaplermin gel in the treatment of diabetic neuropathic foot ulcers Nikolaos Papanas, Efstratios MaltezosOutpatient Clinic of Obesity, Diabetes and Metabolism at the Second Department of Internal Medicine, Democritus University of Thrace, GreeceAbstract: Diabetic foot ulcers remain a major cause of morbidity. Significant progress has been accomplished in ulcer healing by improved management of both ischemia and neuropathy in the diabetic foot. Nevertheless, there is a vital need for further improvement. Becaplermin gel represents an important therapeutic advance for diabetic neuropathic foot ulcers with adequate blood supply. Randomized controlled trials have shown that it is effective in increasing healing rates. However, this efficacy has not translated to positive clinical experience, and the drug is not widely used. Moreover, becaplermin is an expensive medication. Even though it has repeatedly been estimated as cost-effective, its high cost may be prohibitive for some clinicians, especially in developing countries. Clearly, further work is needed to clarify whether use of becaplermin is justified in everyday clinical practice. Future research also needs to assess the potential room for improvement with becaplermin, for instance by combination with other growth factors or by exploring alternative modes of drug delivery.Keywords: becaplermin, diabetes mellitus, diabetic foot, neuropathy, PDGF
Abstract licence: CC BY-NC 3.0
T. Jeffery Wieman
The American Journal of Surgery, 1998
- Becaplermin
- Administration, Topical
- Anticoagulants
John M. Embil, Mary K. Nagai
Expert Opinion on Biological Therapy, 2002
- Becaplermin
- Anticoagulants
- Platelet-Derived Growth Factor
T. Jeffery Wieman, Janice M. Smiell, Yachin Su
Diabetes Care, 1998
- Becaplermin
- Administration, Topical
- Anticoagulants
Janice M. Smiell, T. Jeffery Wieman, David L Steed, et al.
Wound Repair and Regeneration, 1999
- Becaplermin
- Administration, Topical
- Gels
R. Rees, M. Robson, J. Smiell, et al.
Wound Repair and Regeneration, 1999
- Becaplermin
- Administration, Cutaneous
- Anticoagulants
Νικόλαος Παπάνας, Efstratios Maltezos
Drug Safety, 2010
- Becaplermin
- Adjuvants, Pharmaceutic
- Cost-Benefit Analysis
R. Fang, R. Galiano
Biologics : Targets & Therapy, 2008
E. LeGrand
American journal of surgery, 1998
- Wound Healing
- Becaplermin
- Anticoagulants
John M. Embil, Kim Papp, Gary Sibbald, et al.
Wound Repair and Regeneration, 2000
- Becaplermin
- Chronic Disease
- Gels
Sources: aggregated from Europe PMC (EMBL-EBI), OpenAlex, Crossref, PubMed and other open scholarly databases. Retracted articles are excluded. Study information is provided for research purposes and does not constitute medical advice.
Pharmacology and chemical data from DrugBank
Key facts
Drug status
Approved
Major interactions
None known
Half-life
Not available
Mechanism
Binds to the beta platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) receptor, a tyrosine kinase receptor.
Food interactions
None known
Human targets
3 targets
Data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0
Pharmacokinetics at a glance
Absorption
15%
Pharmacokinetic data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0
How the body processes this drug — absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination
Proteins and enzymes this drug interacts with in the body
Required for normal development of the cardiovascular system. Required for normal recruitment of pericytes (mesangial cells) in the kidney glomerulus, and for normal formation of a branched network of capillaries in kidney glomeruli. Promotes rearrangement of the actin cytoskeleton and the formation of membrane ruffles.
Binding of its cognate ligands - homodimeric PDGFB, heterodimers formed by PDGFA and PDGFB or homodimeric PDGFD -leads to the activation of several signaling cascades; the response depends on the nature of the bound ligand and is modulated by the formation of heterodimers between PDGFRA and PDGFRB. Phosphorylates PLCG1, PIK3R1, PTPN11, RASA1/GAP, CBL, SHC1 and NCK1. Activation of PLCG1 leads to the production of the cellular signaling molecules diacylglycerol and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate, mobilization of cytosolic Ca(2+) and the activation of protein kinase C.
Phosphorylation of PIK3R1, the regulatory subunit of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, leads to the activation of the AKT1 signaling pathway. Phosphorylation of SHC1, or of the C-terminus of PTPN11, creates a binding site for GRB2, resulting in the activation of HRAS, RAF1 and down-stream MAP kinases, including MAPK1/ERK2 and/or MAPK3/ERK1. Promotes phosphorylation and activation of SRC family kinases.
Promotes phosphorylation of PDCD6IP/ALIX and STAM. Receptor signaling is down-regulated by protein phosphatases that dephosphorylate the receptor and its down-stream effectors, and by rapid internalization of the activated receptor
Required for normal skeleton development and cephalic closure during embryonic development. Required for normal development of the mucosa lining the gastrointestinal tract, and for recruitment of mesenchymal cells and normal development of intestinal villi. Plays a role in cell migration and chemotaxis in wound healing.
Plays a role in platelet activation, secretion of agonists from platelet granules, and in thrombin-induced platelet aggregation. Binding of its cognate ligands - homodimeric PDGFA, homodimeric PDGFB, heterodimers formed by PDGFA and PDGFB or homodimeric PDGFC -leads to the activation of several signaling cascades; the response depends on the nature of the bound ligand and is modulated by the formation of heterodimers between PDGFRA and PDGFRB. Phosphorylates PIK3R1, PLCG1, and PTPN11.
Activation of PLCG1 leads to the production of the cellular signaling molecules diacylglycerol and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate, mobilization of cytosolic Ca(2+) and the activation of protein kinase C. Phosphorylates PIK3R1, the regulatory subunit of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, and thereby mediates activation of the AKT1 signaling pathway. Mediates activation of HRAS and of the MAP kinases MAPK1/ERK2 and/or MAPK3/ERK1.
Promotes activation of STAT family members STAT1, STAT3 and STAT5A and/or STAT5B. Receptor signaling is down-regulated by protein phosphatases that dephosphorylate the receptor and its down-stream effectors, and by rapid internalization of the activated receptor
The entrapped enzyme remains active against low molecular weight substrates (activity against high molecular weight substrates is greatly reduced). Following cleavage in the bait region, a thioester bond is hydrolyzed and mediates the covalent binding of the protein to the proteinase
ATC D03AX06
ATC A01AD08
Chemical identifiers
CAS, UNII, InChI Key and database cross-references
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Chemical identifiers
CAS, UNII, InChI Key and database cross-references
Linked compound data from DrugBank Open Data (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Becaplermin
Additional database identifiers
Drugs Product Database (DPD)
11832
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:8804
GenAtlas
PDGFRB
GeneCards
PDGFRB
GenBank Gene Database
J03278
GenBank Protein Database
189732
Guide to Pharmacology
1804
UniProt Accession
PGFRB_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:8803
GenAtlas
PDGFRA
GeneCards
PDGFRA
GenBank Gene Database
M21574
GenBank Protein Database
189734
Guide to Pharmacology
1803
UniProt Accession
PGFRA_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:7
GenAtlas
A2M
GeneCards
A2M
GenBank Gene Database
M11313
GenBank Protein Database
177870
UniProt Accession
A2MG_HUMAN
DrugBank citations
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Structured knowledge from the free knowledge base
Linked open data from Wikidata (Q2313188), a free and open knowledge base operated by the Wikimedia Foundation. Data is available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication. WHO INN from the World Health Organization.