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Purinethol

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PURINETHOL®
(mercaptopurine) 50-mg Scored Tablets

CAUTION

PURINETHOL (mercaptopurine) is a potent drug. It should not be used unless a diagnosis of acute lymphatic leukemia has been adequately established and the responsible physician is experienced with the risks of purinethol and knowledgeable in assessing response to chemotherapy.

DRUG DESCRIPTION

PURINETHOL (mercaptopurine) was synthesized and developed by Hitchings, Elion, and associates at the Wellcome Research Laboratories.

Mercaptopurine, known chemically as 1,7-dihydro-6H-purine-6-thione monohydrate, is an analogue of the purine bases adenine and hypoxanthine. Its structural formula is:

PURINETHOL (mercaptopurine) structural formula illustration

PURINETHOL is available in tablet form for oral administration. Each scored tablet contains 50 mg mercaptopurine and the inactive ingredients corn and potato starch, lactose, magnesium stearate, and stearic acid.

Brand Name: Purinethol
Generic Name: Mercaptopurine

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