Definition
Urbason® is the trade name of the active ingredient methylprednisolone and is used as a therapeutic glucocorticoid. The drug is available only on prescription and can therefore only be taken on the advice of a doctor.
Effect
Glucocorticoids are endogenous hormones from the adrenal cortex that bind to receptors in the cell and thus control the regulation of many important variables and functions in the human body. They do this by binding to a specific receptor, ensuring that proteins and enzymes that are important for specific metabolic pathways are synthesized (transcribed) in greater numbers. The main functions of glucocorticoids are the maintenance of blood sugar levels and the inhibition of inflammatory, immunological, allergic and proliferative processes.
Furthermore, glucocorticoids suppress the immune response. Besides, glucocorticoids have numerous other effects in the human body, they ensure that the body excretes less sodium but more potassium and calcium. The best known biological representative is probably cortisol. Methylprednisolone is produced semi-synthetically and has a stronger anti-inflammatory effect than the body’s own cortisol.
Revenue
Urbason® with the active ingredient methylprednisolone can be taken orally as a tablet, with a daily dose of 4-160mg. Alternatively, Urbason® can be administered intravenously, where the daily dose can be chosen between 250 and 1000mg.
Application areas
The versatile therapeutic use of glucocorticoids such as Urbason® results from its numerous effects in our body. Above all, however, Urbason® is used for its anti-inflammatory (antiphlogistic), decongestant and anti-allergic effects. Important therapeutic indications for Urbason® are allergic and autoimmune diseases, skin diseases, and as a concomitant medication in cancer and pain therapy.
Intravenous administration is indicated in anaphylactic shock, cerebral edema, relapsing treatments for multiple sclerosis, severe asthma attack and asthmaticus status, and a few other life-threatening conditions. Urbason® is frequently used for various respiratory conditions, such as asthma. Bronchial asthma is a chronic inflammation of the airways, which in some cases leads to respiratory distress (dyspnea) due to bronchospasm and increased secretion of mucus.
Up to 5% of adults and 10% of children in Germany suffer from asthma. Thanks to its anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative properties, Urbason® dilates the bronchial tubes and reduces the swelling of the bronchial mucosa, thus counteracting shortness of breath. Urbason® can be administered orally for up to ten consecutive days, depending on the severity of the disease, with a methylprednisolone content of 4-40mg.
Other respiratory diseases indicated for Urbason® are chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic sarcoidosis, acute alveolitis and upper respiratory diseases such as severe hay fever and allergic rhinitis. Urbason® can also be used in chronic bronchitis and sinusitis. Another large field of application of Urbason® is in various skin diseases where local (topical) treatment with glucocorticoids is not sufficient.
These include allergic and apparently allergic reactions, allergic reactions related to infections such as hives (acute urticaria), shock-like (anaphylactic) reactions; serious skin diseases, some of which destroy the skin; drug-induced rashes (e.g. (e.g. Steven Johnsons syndrome), allergic contact dermatitis and vascular inflammation (vasculitis), e.g. allergic vasculitis allergica.)
Psoriasis vulgaris can also be treated with Urbason®, as can neurodermatitis. Furthermore, due to the anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive action of Urbason®, autoimmune diseases such as lupus erythematosus and rheumatic diseases such as arthritis, polyarthritis or psoriasis-arthritis can be treated. Finally, chronic inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis can also be treated with Urbason®.
Urbason® can also be used as a hormone replacement therapy in cases of reduced or absent adrenal cortex function (adrenal cortex insufficiency) of various causes (e.g.B. Addison’s disease, adrenogenital syndrome, surgical removal of the adrenal glands, hypofunction of the pituitary gland) is possible. Urbason® can also be used to suppress the body’s own defenses (immunosuppression) after transplantation as part of standard combination therapies, or as a complementary measure in cytostatic or radiation therapy as part of existing combination therapy, palliative therapy (disease-relieving treatment) or antiemetic therapy (treatment against vomiting) schemes.
