Actovegin®

Actovegin is a calf blood hemodialysate used for many different clinical applications.

It is used in post-soviet and some European countries to promote injury recovery, and treat various peripheral and cerebral vascular diseases.

The exact mechanism of action of Actovegin is not fully understood as it is multi-component drug, and each component has its own action. Actovegin contains both inorganic components such as blood electrolytes, and organic compounds such as amino acids and nucleosides. About 2% of the dry weight of drug consist of low-molecular weight peptides and nucleic acid derivatives.

In sport, Actovegin is used by many athletes worldwide to treat sport injuries and as performance-enhancing drug. In 2011 pilot study performed on soccer players, players in the Actovegin treatment group were able to return to play 8 days earlier, compared to the players receiving physiotherapy alone. It is suggested that Actovegin may improve physical performance by enhancing oxygen consumption and glucose uptake. However, there is no evidence that Actovegin improves physical performance significantly.

The drug also has insulin-like effect on glucose uptake, possibly mediated by inositol-phospho-oligosaccharides in its composition, and is shown to improve symptoms in type 2 diabetic patients. In double-blind, placebo-controlled 2009 clinical trial performed on 567 patients with type 2 diabetes, Actovegin significantly improved Total symptoms score, vibration perception threshold, and NIS-LL sensory function, without increasing risk of adverse events. However, it should be noted that in this trial Actovegin was used long-term and in very high dosage (compared to the dosage and treatment duration as suggested by the instruction).

There is a generic version of Actovegin in different dosage form, called Solcoseryl. Solcoseryl also contains calf blood dialysate as an active ingredient. It is primarily known as a topical gel for wound healing.

Actovegin is used in different forms – pills, solution for injection, and topical gel. They have slightly different indications for use, and as general rule, injections has significantly better bioavailability and efficacy. Solcoseryl, a generic version of Actovegin, also available in eye gel and dental paste forms.

The indications for Actovegin injections use are:

• Metabolic and vascular brain diseases (including ischemic stroke and traumatic brain injury)
• Peripheral (arterial and venous) vascular diseases and their implications (arterial angiopathy [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angiopathy], trophic ulcers, and diabetic neuropathy)
• Wounds recovery (ulcers of various origins, burns, bedsores), impairment of wound healing process
• Skin and mucous membrane care during radiotherapy

The indications for Actovegin pills use are:

• Complex therapy of metabolic and vascular diseases of the brain (cerebrovascular diseases, dementia, traumatic brain injuries).
• Peripheral (arterial and venous) vascular diseases and their implications.

You can read more about Actovegin and its pharmacology here.

Actovegin® is marketed under different brands and generic names, and comes in different dosage forms: