← Library
Prescription-only medicine. This page is educational information only. Do not use without a licensed prescriber.
IndexedBuilt automatically from public databases on 2026-09-30. Not yet hand-reviewed by PLOBT.How this works →

Bleomycin

FDA approved · Rx

Glycopeptide antitumor antibiotic

Also known as: Blenoxane, Bleomicin, Bleocin, Bleomicina, Bleomycine, Bleomycins, Bleomycinum, NDC 0015-3010

Evidence score
95/ 100
Strong evidence

Strong, human-grade evidence

  • Regulatory standing. FDA-approved prescription medicine
  • Human trials. Backed by controlled human studies
  • Registered human trials. 234 registered studies on ClinicalTrials.gov, most advanced Phase 4
  • 2 cited sources. Includes primary / regulatory sources

Computed with the same four public criteria as every profile. The human-evidence grade on an indexed profile is set automatically and may change when it is hand-reviewed. It is not a safety score, not a purity rating, and not medical advice, and not a claim that this compound treats, cures, or prevents any condition.

What it is

Bleomycin is a glycopeptide antibiotic originally isolated from the bacterium Streptomyces verticillus and used as a chemotherapy drug, formerly sold under the brand name Blenoxane. It is thought to act by binding metal ions such as iron and generating reactive oxygen species that cause breaks in DNA strands, which interferes with the growth of rapidly dividing cells.

What the evidence shows

Automatic summaryHuman trials

Bleomycin is FDA approved for treating certain cancers, including testicular cancer, Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and squamous cell carcinomas, and for controlling malignant pleural effusion. Its benefits and risks, including well-documented lung toxicity, are established through decades of clinical use, hundreds of registered human trials, and a large published literature.

Key facts

Molecular formula
C55H84N17O21S3+
Molecular weight
1415.6 g/mol
FDA approval
Confirmed on openFDA

Registered human trials

Live from ClinicalTrials.gov, refreshed daily.

234registered studies
Phase 4most advanced phase
50completed (sample)
9recruiting (sample)

Paclitaxel-Bleomycin/Etoposide/Cisplatin vs Bleomycin/Etoposide/Cisplatin in Poor-prognosis Non-seminomatous Germ Cell Tumors (NSGCT) and Unfavorable Tumor Marker Decline: Randomized Phase II Trial

Phase 2RecruitingNCT07847190

HD17 for Intermediate Stage Hodgkin Lymphoma

Phase 3CompletedNCT01356680

Treatment of Low-flow Vascular Malformations With Bleomycin Electrosclerotherapy (BEST)

Phase 2RecruitingNCT07579962

Brentuximab Vedotin and Nivolumab in Treating Patients With Early Stage Classic Hodgkin Lymphoma

Phase 2Active Not RecruitingNCT03712202

Published literature

Live from Europe PMC. This is how much has been published, not how much is proven in humans.

20,931papers referencing Bleomycin

Reference-based analysis of lung single-cell sequencing reveals a transitional profibrotic macrophage.

Nat Immunol2019

Advanced mammalian gene transfer: high titre retroviral vectors with multiple drug selection markers and a complementary helper-free packaging cell line.

Nucleic Acids Res1990

Cellular senescence mediates fibrotic pulmonary disease.

Nat Commun2017

Senolytics in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: Results from a first-in-human, open-label, pilot study.

EBioMedicine2019

Sources

Risks, side effects and study doses are only published on hand-reviewed profiles. Want this one reviewed, or spotted something wrong? Tell us.