Campolon

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Campolon was a drug introduced by Bayer AG in the early 1930s for the treatment of pernicious anemia . It was based on a purified water extract from the livers of slaughtered animals , which was obtained by means of pressure pressing of comminuted liver tissue with subsequent filtration and removal of the protein components . The manufacturing process was developed and patented by the Tübingen hematologist Max Gänsslen . Campolon was developed based on the observation that a regular diet of raw liver or foods made from liver, also known as the liver diet, improved the symptoms of pernicious anemia in many patients. Disadvantages of this form of treatment, however, were the aversion of many patients to the daily intake of liver dishes and the great need for livers from farm animals, which were required for each individual patient. In addition, the absorption of the therapeutically active components from the liver was subject to great fluctuations during digestion , which made therapy more difficult. Keeping the necessary amounts of liver fresh until preparation was also sometimes problematic. Max Gänsslen's goal was therefore to produce a product based on liver extracts that could be administered by injections and that had a standardized effectiveness.

Previous attempts by other scientists to develop such a preparation were unsuccessful or only partially successful due to severe side effects, in particular allergic reactions in the case of inadequately cleaned preparations. In contrast , the extract described by Max Gänsslen in 1930 and later marketed commercially by Bayer AG under the name “Campolon”, which was injected intramuscularly , was well tolerated and highly effective in almost all treated patients. The amount of fresh liver required to produce a daily dose of the preparation was around five grams, which is significantly less than the daily requirement of 300 to 600 grams of liver for conventional therapy. Campolon was also of benefit in patients on whom the liver diet was ineffective or ineffective. It was the first commercially produced drug for the successful treatment of pernicious anemia, and in Europe it became the leading treatment method for this disease just a few years after it was launched. It was later shown to be effective in a few other forms of anemia as well as in funicular spinal disease and remained on the market until about 1970. After the Second World War , its use in cirrhosis of the liver , tuberculosis and chronic hepatitis was also investigated , especially in the Soviet Union . The main active ingredient in Campolon was vitamin B12 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Max Gänsslen: A highly effective, injectable liver extract. In: Clinical weekly. 9 (45 )/1930. Pp. 2099-2102
  2. ^ Process for the manufacture of physiologically active substances from liver. Patent GB372128, issued to Max Gänsslen on May 5, 1932
  3. ↑ a b F. Meythaler: Experience with Gänsslen's injectable liver extract in the treatment of pernicious anemia. In: Clinical weekly. 10 (51 )/1931. Pp. 2236-2238
  4. ^ J. Alexander Bell: The Modern Treatment of Pernicious Anemia and associated Macrocytic Anaemias. In: South African Medical Journal. Issue of August 13, 1938, pp. 547-551
  5. ↑ See list of publications on the keyword “Campolon” ​​in the PubMed literature database , online under Campolon - PubMed Results