Polyoxidonium — Application areas of the drug

It increases the effectiveness of the body’s response to infection at any stage of a disease.

It accelerates the immune response

The drug affects the systemic immunity:

It stimulates the production of interferons — proteins that are released in response to invading viruses and prevent them from multiplying;
It increases the formation of antibodies — proteins that prevent viruses from multiplying and help to destroy them;
It activates phagocytes — immune system cells that destroy viruses and bacteria.

As a result, the body can cope with a disease more rapidly.

It increases the effectiveness of the body’s response to infection at any stage of a disease.

It reduces the risk of repeated infection

It activates defense mechanisms and prepares the body to meet new infections.

It strengthens local immunity

Polyoxidonium activates the protective properties of the nasopharyngeal mucosa and increases the bactericidal properties of saliva. It reduces the likelihood of viral, bacterial, and fungal infections.

It reduces excessive inflammation

Polyoxidonium regulates the balance of cytokines — molecules that can have both pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory effect. Therefore, the drug reduces the severity of ARVI and the risk of complications.

It helps to eliminate toxins

During a disease, not only viruses appear in the body, but also the products of their vital activity, as well as the products of disintegration of inflamed and damaged tissues. Elimination of these substances requires enormous resources. Polyoxidonium «collects» toxic substances and microparticles and helps to remove them from the body, improving the patient’s health.

Normally, the immune system copes with viral diseases on its own: they either do not develop at all, or quickly pass, and a person fully recovers. But when the immune system is weakened or viral load on it is great, the disease is prolonged and threatens by complications. In this case, help for the body is possible. That’s exactly what azoximer bromide does: it affects both innate and acquired immunity enhancing their action.

ARVI are diseases that affect the respiratory system. More than 200 viruses — causative agents of ARVI — are known. Among the most dangerous ones are influenza viruses and coronavirus, they can cause severe complications.

Innate immunity

Acquired immunity

Innate immunity

This is an innate defense system that begins to work at the first contact of the body with a pathogen and is activated very quickly (but less accurately recognizes a virus). One of the mechanisms of action of this type of immunity is phagocytosis. Special cells of the immune system, phagocytes, as if draw in viruses and bacteria that have entered the body, and then destroy them.

Another component of innate immunity is natural killer cells, or NK cells. They destroy cells infected with viruses or bacteria. And special proteins, interferons, prevent viral particles from multiplying.

Acquired immunity

It appears later and fights only those viruses, which a person has already encountered, if he or she has had an illness or has been vaccinated. This type of immunity works thanks to specialized cells, for instance, T-lymphocytes or B-lymphocytes: they ‘remember the enemy’ and react quickly when they meet it again.

Another tool of acquired immunity is antibodies. These are large proteins, each of which recognizes a specific pathogen (virus, bacteria, fungus, parasite or even poison) and takes measures to neutralize it.

Polyoxidonium helps both types of immunity. It promotes the activation of phagocytosis and production of interferons, increases the activity of NK-cells — all this provides more effective work of the innate immunity. And normalization of the number of T-lymphocytes and acceleration of maturation of dendritic cells help the acquired immunity.

Azoximer bromide helps the immune system to fight viruses at all levels:

1

It increases the activity of natural killer cells, which destroy more infected cells.

2

It increases the production of interferons, which inhibits the multiplication of viruses.

3

It stimulates phagocytosis, which helps phagocytes ‘capture’ and destroy more infected cells.

4

It increases the production of antibodies, which helps to more effectively recognize viruses outside of cells and bind them.

Studies have shown that Polyoxidonium has a significant antiviral effect against A and B influenza viruses, parainfluenza, herpes, rhinovirus, enterovirus and metapneumovirus.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers studied the effects of azoximer bromide in coronavirus therapy.

The following effects were shown

Improvement of the state of patients with out-of-hospital pneumonia — a frequent complication of coronavirus.

● Reduction of fever, decreased risk of patient transfer to artificial lung ventilation and development of sepsis.

Azoximer bromide is included in the Temporary Methodological Recommendations on the therapy of acute respiratory viral infections during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as in the methodological recommendations of FMBA on prevention and treatment of influenza and other ARVI during the COVID-19 pandemic, clinical recommendations of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation on the treatment of influenza in adults. The drug is recognized and used not only in Russia, but also in the territory of Europe — it is included in the clinical recommendations of Slovakia on the treatment of COVID-19.

Indirectly — through components of the immune system:

Interferon-α synthesis

slows down virus multiplication

NK efficacy

natural killer cells kill infected cells

Interferon-γ synthesis and phagocytosis

macrophages lyse infected cells

Production of antibodies

bind the virus outside a cell and help to recognize infected cells

The drug helps to cope with bacteria as well. There is no contradiction in this, since the basis of the antibacterial immunity is phagocytosis. Besides, bacteria and toxins they produce are neutralized by antibacterial and antitoxic antibodies. Polyoxidonium, as shown above, stimulates both phagocytosis and antibody production.

Components of human antimicrobial defense

Staphylococcus aureus — on mucous membranes. The drug also activates the protective properties of mucous membranes, reducing the risk of bacterial infection.

Most infections are accompanied by a general toxic syndrome. Toxins appear in two ways:

1

Are released by viruses or bacteria.

2

Are formed after the death and destruction of a microbial cell and body tissues.

Intoxication results not only in deterioration of health (fever, chills, excessive sweating, lack of energy, headache and muscle pain, rheumatic pain, rapid fatigue are symptoms of intoxication). Toxins also negatively affect immune cells, and this further worsens the body’s resistance.

Azoximer bromide fights harmful substances: it binds toxins, increases the resistance of cell membranes to toxins, removes active oxygen radicals — aggressive oxidizing molecules — from the body. All this contributes to the protection of healthy tissues.

Thanks to its complex effect — stimulating immunity, fighting viruses and bacteria — azoximer bromide as part of a complex therapy is recommended for the treatment of a whole range of diseases, for example:

Inflammatory infections of the ear, nose and throat

Bronchial asthma *

Allergic diseases (allergic rhinitis) *

* Complicated by bacterial, viral or fungal infection.

The drug has shown its properties in the treatment of inflammatory infections of the genitourinary system and female genital organs. Polyoxidonium is even used in the therapy of cancer to reduce the burden on the liver and kidneys of patients taking anticancer drugs, as well as to strengthen immunity after chemotherapy. Azoximer bromide is one of the immune-correcting drugs that can be used after chemotherapy.

The results of use of azoximer bromide in the therapy and prevention of inflammatory infections have been demonstrated by:

Meta-analyses of clinical trials;
Randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trials.

Polyoxidonium is included in clinical and methodological recommendations, including on the treatment of influenza in adults, as well as on the therapy of ARVI during the COVID-19 pandemic (FMBA) in children and adults.

The drug is approved not only in Russia. Polyoxidonium is the only Russian drug of this type registered in and supplied to the territory of the EU.

About the drug