pentamidine

[ pen-tam-i-deen, -din ]

noun

, Pharmacology.

1. an antiprotozoal substance, C 1 9 H 2 4 N 4 O 2 , used in the treatment of leishmaniasis, trypanosomiasis, and pneumonia due to Pneumocystis carinii.

pentamidine

/ pɛnˈtæmɪˌdiːn; -dɪn /

noun

1. a drug used to treat protozoal infections, esp pneumonia caused by Pneumocystis carinii in patients with AIDS

Word History and Origins

Origin of pentamidine¹

First recorded in 1941; pent(ane) + amidine

Example Sentences

The new label lists the other drugs to avoid as antiarrhythmic drugs like quinidine, procainamide, amiodarone and sotalel; antipsychotic drugs like ziprasidone, chlorpromazine and thioridazine; antibiotics like gatifloxacin and moxifloxacin; the anti-infective drug pentamidine; and synthetic opioids like levomethadyl acetate and methadone.

From New York Times

At the + time, pneumocystis was treated with a drug called pentamidine, which was given intravenously.

From Time Magazine Archive

Thus far he has tried interferon, aerosol pentamidine, which is used to treat deadly Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, and AZT.

From Time Magazine Archive

But studies reported in Montreal confirm that pentamidine inhaled directly into the lungs is dramatically effective in preventing the pneumonia from developing.

From Time Magazine Archive

At typical dosages, AZT costs each patient about $7,000 a year, and pentamidine up to $1,200.

From Time Magazine Archive