Dactinomycin
FDA approved · RxCytotoxic antitumor antibiotic
Also known as: Cosmegen, actinomycin D, Actinomycin C1, Actinomycin IV, Meractinomycin, Oncostatin K, Actinomycin I1
Strong, human-grade evidence
- Regulatory standing. FDA-approved prescription medicine
- Human trials. Backed by controlled human studies
- Registered human trials. 74 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
Dactinomycin, also called actinomycin D and sold as Cosmegen, is a chromopeptide antibiotic originally isolated from Streptomyces bacteria. It binds to DNA and blocks the cell's ability to make RNA, which stops rapidly dividing cells, including cancer cells, from growing.
What the evidence shows
It is FDA-approved as a prescription chemotherapy drug, approved for several cancers including Wilms tumor, rhabdomyosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, and gestational trophoblastic neoplasia, typically as part of combination regimens. It has a long clinical history with 73 registered human trials and over 900 published papers, and it carries significant toxicity that requires specialist oversight.
Key facts
Registered human trials
Live from ClinicalTrials.gov, refreshed daily.
Vincristine, Dactinomycin, and Cyclophosphamide With or Without Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients With Embryonal Rhabdomyosarcoma
High-Dose Combination Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients With Newly Diagnosed Metastatic Rhabdomyosarcoma or Ectomesenchymoma
Induction Therapy With Cytarabine, High-Dose Mitoxantrone and Dasatinib for Patients With Philadelphia-Chromosome Positive (Ph+) Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Combination Chemotherapy in Treating Young Patients With Nonmetastatic Rhabdomyosarcoma
Published literature
Live from Europe PMC. This is how much has been published, not how much is proven in humans.
Network-based drug repurposing for novel coronavirus 2019-nCoV/SARS-CoV-2.
Addition of ifosfamide and etoposide to standard chemotherapy for Ewing's sarcoma and primitive neuroectodermal tumor of bone.
Preoperative chemotherapy for osteogenic sarcoma: selection of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy based on the response of the primary tumor to preoperative chemotherapy.
Intergroup rhabdomyosarcoma study-IV: results for patients with nonmetastatic disease.
Sources
- PubChem compound record (CID 457193)
- FDA drug label on DailyMed
- Registered trials on ClinicalTrials.gov
- Published papers on Europe PMC
Risks, side effects and study doses are only published on hand-reviewed profiles. Want this one reviewed, or spotted something wrong? Tell us.