Alinia (Nitazoxanide) Sources

[mike716]

Hi, fellow medhelpers! At the risk of becoming a pest and annoying those who don't love me (yes, such people do seem to exist and they're not all doctors, I fear), I'm posting again. However, this is not a "give me" post, but a "giving back" post.

I spent some time recently searching for info on and sources of Alinia (one brand name), or nitazoxanide (the chemical name). I thought I'd share some of the information with you.

First, names. Nitazoxanide comes in so many different brand names that I can only list a few. Alinia was the first, and is the drug name given to nitazoxanide by its discoverer, Dr. Jean-Francois Rossignol, who works at the Pasteur Institute in Paris. The Pasteur Institute is where the AIDS virus was first isolated and identified (despite claims to the contrary by certain less-than-forthright persons at the National Institute of Health in Washington). Dr. Rossignol is part of a company called Romark Laboratories, in Tampa, Florida, which manufactures Alinia and is running the current trials for its use as an adjunct therapy with SOC.

Romark has licensed certain other manufacturers to produce nitazoxanide. These are the less-expensive equivalents that can be found, for example, in Europe and Canada and a few other places that still respect patents and copyrights. In places that don't, nitazoxanide is produced by a plethora of small-ish pharmaceutical companies under a myriad of brand names. A few of them are: Daxon, Dexidex, Pacovanton, Paramix, Nitax, Zox, Nitazox, Toza, Zóntricon, Celectan, Nixoran, Dexidex, Kidonax, Nitanid, Colufase, Nodik, Paraxin, Rosanil, Nitaxom, Noxolin, Uniplus7, Nitaxin, Nitapax, Zoxanid, Nitarid, Bionit, Rosanil, Parsenida, Zotanixin.

Who thinks up all these silly names? It makes you wonder...

Anyway, these are all nitazoxanide, or pretend to be. The ones that are manufactured in places where there isn't much control over pharmaceuticals might not be exactly the same formula as the nitazoxanide used in Alinia. On the other hand, it isn't a very complex chemical so there's really not much point in them using anything else (unless it's sugar or talc).

One point about the chemical contents that could be important, though, is that Romark appears to be using a time-release formulation of nitazoxanide in the Alinia used in their trials. I sincerely doubt that any of these other nitazoxanides are time-release.

Prices vary widely, as one would imagine. And since the Internet has spawned huge industries of online wholesalers, retailers, and geographically-unidentifiable resellers of everything under the sun including pharmaceuticals, there are places (I use this term in its broadest virtual sense) where you can buy nitazoxanide, or something that looks very much like it, for a small fraction of what the name brand companies sell it for. Here's a list of the ones I've had time to look at, together with price data:

===========================================

http://www.wisemeds.net/buy_online/Nitarid.shtml
***@****

Nitarid
Glenmark Ltd.
500mg x 60 Tablets  $55.42  ($0.92/tablet)

===========================================

http://www.brandprescriptiondrugs.com/Nitazoxanide.htm   (Int'l comparison site)

Nitarid

Cipla Ltd. (India)

2 x 60 tabs x 500mg  $ 99.65  ($0.83/tablet)
  
===========================================

http://www.generics.ws/shopping_carts/show/

(India)

Nizonide
Lupin Pharm.

12 x 2 = 24 for $18.96  =  ($0.79/tablet)

===========================================

OnlinePharmaciesCanada.com

(Canada)

Generic 500mg 60 Tablets $73.79  ($1.23/tablet)

===========================================

http://www.farmasana.com.mx/productos.pdf

(Mexico)

Kidonax

65 pesos = 5USD /bottle of 6 x 500mg   ($0.83/tablet)

===========================================

Nitaxin - Qualifarm SA in Guatemala

(Guatemala)

6 tablets x 500mg  69 Quetzals = 8 USD ($1.33/tablet)

Teléfono: 2414 4242
Fax: [phone]
4ta. Avenida 19-33, zona 14
Guatemala, Guatemala

===========================================

http://patientindia.com/resultDetails.php?searchC=1&genId=1047&brandId=10880

(India)

NIZONIDE   6  x  ? 45.36   Lupin Laboratories

===========================================

http://chemistparadise.com/Nizonide_500_mg-d-32183.html

(India)

Nizonide 500 mg
Name:   Nizonide
Manufacturer:   Lupin Laboratories Ltd. (Pinnacle)
Form:   Tablet
Dosage:   500 mg
Packing:   10
Chemical name:   Nitazoxanide
Price:   3.50 ($1.67/tablet)

Others:

Brand:   Manufacturer:   Dosage:   Price:  

Zimdax DT   US Vitamins Limited   200 mg   2.50
Mehulox   Heal All Pharmaceuticals (P) Ltd.   500mg   3.50
Mehulox DT   Heal All Pharmaceuticals (P) Ltd.   200mg   2.50
Nitacure   Alembic Chemical Works Co Ltd   200mg   3.67
Nitarid   Cipla Limited   500mg   6.25
Nitarid DT   Cipla Limited   200mg   4.42
Nitcol   Rexcel Pharmaceuticals   500mg   5.83
Nitcol DT   Rexcel Pharmaceuticals   200mg   4.17
Zstop   Svizera Healthcare (Sigma Division)   200mg   4.42
Nizonide   Lupin Laboratories Ltd. (Pinnacle)   500 mg   3.50
Nizonide DT   Lupin Laboratories Ltd. (Pinnacle)   200 mg   7.50
Zimdax DT (500 mg)   US Vitamins Limited   500 mg   3.50
Zoxakind   Mankind Pharmaceuticals Pvt. Ltd.   500 mg   5.0

Chemical4u Ltd.
26 Parkridge Road
Ward Hill, Mumbai 01835 India
Catalog sales: [phone] or 978-521-6300
Bulk/Specialty Sales: [phone]
***@****
FAX:           [phone]

===========================================

http://www.mexmeds4you.com/productdetails.asp?pid=1886

(Mexico)

Nitazoxinide Generic - 500 mg
Package Size: 6 tabs
Price: $10  ($1.67/tablet)

===========================================

http://www.progressiverx.com/store/search.php?mode=search&page=1

(Canada)

Alinia (Nitazoxanide)

60 Pills x 500 mg  $71.99   ($1.20/tablet)

===========================================


Whew! There sure is a lot of nitazoxanide around. And it seems to be getting cheaper by the minute.

Now, some of these companies (I use the term loosely) may require a prescription, or say they do. Others don't. Still others make believe they do but give you unusual ways of showing you've got one, like emailing a scan of a prescribed bottle label! People need to investigate these details and deal with them individually (like most other things in this sad, strange world).

I hope this info is of some use. I personally believe that nitazoxanide has been shown to work and that it beats doing SOC alone, especially for us gt1 infectees. Being gt1, 65 years old, and having a high viral load and low platelets, I figure my chances of SVRing with SOC are around 20%. So I'm not going to Tx with just SOC, I'll add nitazoxanide. It makes sense.

Cheers!

Mike

[ajayabc]

Nitazoxanide is available in india i am also hbsag b positive..help me..

[mike716]

Hey, how are you? Long time no see (or something like that).

I´m going to let you into a well-kept secret about these buxom Argentine women at the dance halls. Their chests are made of plastic and it´s really hard to dance with them because their embrace is painful. Really. And they lose their balance easily. ´cause silicone weighs a ton.

It´s true that they wear skimpy dresses, but after dancing for three hours I would rather they covered up.

As to those high spike heels, have you ever had one come down onto your metatarsal with the weight of a siliconed-up six-foot broad behind it?

Not all is what it seems, believe me.

M.

[GoofyDad]

Just because you spend nights and days spinning the dance floors with buxom Agentine women in skimpy dresses and strappy heels? Really, Mike. What's not to love?

[xaber_geo]

It's a Good news., is Alinia (Nitazoxanide) available in the Philippines? i'm desperate for a cure (HbsAg clear)

[stef2011]

sorry i answer late, of course i am on the hbv community and rarely read here

i haven t found no sources in europe for cheap generics that can be very reliable, only thw swiss pharmacy which orders from romark but they are very very expensive
i am still buying from canada (but they are in india and send from india) progressiverx

i am also trying daxon from an online mexican pharmacy since HR suggested daxon in mexico (which is lincensed by romrk rather than indian ntz)

we are lucky we have somebody in the group who can check ntz quality.
my only concern is that we might get some fake pills or expired ones mixed with the others so i'd prefer to find real pharmacies, not online.

we have only US lupin pharmacies ditributors so the best way is to have a friend who can buy in US and a prescription

[Cory255]

You are correct, it is an older thread.  I think the context of the information is still good though.  Are you basing your decision to take Alinia Mike on these three links provided?

At an initial glance the FIRST link looks good, I'm not doubting the reliability of the data contained there in , I'd like to know more about it.  Where it came from , who provided the link , and most importantly is this data good enough?

I'm wondering if this study was done at the Columbia University Medical Center by Basa P?  If K. Rayapudi was from the Vassar Brothers Hospital, in Poughkeepsie New York, or if N.J. Shah, T Pacana , N. Krishnaswamy , or R. Brown Jr. at the North Shore University Hospital at Forest HIlls, NY , USA had anything to do with it?  I've not yet sent an email to ***@**** yet, but intend to do so at some point.  

The poster presentation data is dated April 15, 2010.  The TITLE, reads presenting data in terms of , effects of high dose ribavirin , alinia , and pegylated interferon alfa-2a in attaining SVR in tx of chronic hep c.  Alinia is an interferon inducer that may increase SVR in combination with PegINT and Riba.  They are assessing Alinia in this open-label, pilot study of naive hepatitis c GT1 patients.  All received NTZ 500 mg bid - during the first 2 weeks.  Riba 800 mg AM , 600 mg PM , added to NTZ for 2 weeks , PegIFN alfa-2a 180 mcg weekly added to Riba and NTZ at same dose.  The Predictive values during VRVR, RVR, EVR, ETR, and SVR were assessed.  Now, The patients.  23 total.  39% Caucasian , 17% Hispanic , 21% African-American , and 21% Asian.  The average Body Mass Index was 27.9.  The average HCV RNA - 600,000 IU/ml, fibrosis or scarring F2 57%.  It did increase the SVR rate.  The results were that 56.5% achieved SVR compared to the standard global 46% for GT1 patients.  

I will review the second and third link when I get more time :)  Cory.  

[mike716]

Your link is for a thread from 2007. Kinda old news, no?

Here are three Alinia trial links I was sent a coupla months ago, can't remember by whom:

http://www.kenes.com/easl2010/Posters/Abstract130.htm
http://www.kenes.com/easl2010/Posters/Abstract1.htm
http://www.kenes.com/easl2010/Orals/296.htm

M.

[Cory255]

So far I've only been able to find that it significantly increased sustained response rates for Geno 4's.

Here's a nice link you might want to take a look at.  

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Hepatitis-C/Alinia/show/338944

[mike716]

If you put "Alinia" and/or "nitazoxanide" into the Medhelp search engine, you should come up with a lot of threads and messages containing personal stories and links to studies and websites.

Mike

[Cory255]

Several valued attemtps :) You're husband used Alinia for 16 months, that's a long time.  It sounds as if Joe had a 2 log reduction at the 12 week marker, and didn't clear, is that correct?  Bali is diong very well with his treatment.  Forgot to ask, what genotype was Joe, who told him to take it, and why?  I'm in the process of deciding whether I should take it or not.  I need studies or hard scientific evidence from reliable and trusted websites in order to take it first.  Cory.  

[evangelin]

I will leave the studies for someone else but I can tell you that my husband used Alinia for 16 months on his 3rd TX try.  He predosed one month.  It gave him diarrhea but it only gives that special gift to some people.  I don't know how Joe gets so lucky. :>)
He still did not achieve SVR but he came much closer to it than he ever had prior.  With Alinia, he at least had the 2 log drop in 12 weeks but it wasn't enough of a boost for Joe.  His viral load got stuck in the low 100's and after 15 months, we had to give it up.  If he didn't have cirrhosis, we would nave needed to stop much sooner but we threw everything we had at it and still came up short.  For someone that is more responsive to the interferon than Joe, it might be just the kick you need to get you an SVR.  Bali has taken lots of Alinia and never had the diarrhea issue.  He also has cleared his geno4 early which can also be a hard genotype.  Well, that is my two cents.  I would want to use it if you can get it.  Because of Joe's desperate status, Joe's insurance covered it after Romark sent them a ream of study info they had at the time.  I don't think it has performed well enough to become common protocol but I personally would look for every edge I could get.
Ev

[Cory255]

More than enough sources here to find Alinia.  Great Information.

Would it be helpful to take for a genotype 1 hepatitis c patient?  If so, why and are there any studies or evidence to show this from a reliable website?

Again, thanks for the information Mike.

[viaduk]

Thanks for your hard work in compiling this info.

[Bali05]

anybody with HCV taking 3x 500mg of NTZ ?

[Diamando6]

Hello stefano,

do you have any informations , if Lupin Pharmaceuticals, have distributors ,in Italy, or in Swiss, or in Europe, any country. I see that you are from Italy, I am very close too, Belgrade,Serbia. Greetings, and >I am happy for you that you have started taking it.

[willing]

good to hear about the solid progress!

BTW - how are you assessing NTZ purity? is there a lab running HPLCs?

[Bali05]

slow release is not available

HCV is what I am interested in not HBV

[stef2011]

as to ntz quality if you know drug makers in other countries than indian that might make a better ntz please let us know so that we check if 100% purity can be reached

[stef2011]

well we re on hbv so it doesn't correlate to hcv, virus are different universe

you might check for hcv trials with slow release tablet 2700mg daily, 100% got hbvrna <12iu/ml by 16h week i believe it was genotype 4

as to hbv 2g result i will check tomorrow but it is only 3 weeks on 2g, i hope the hbsag got very low (first 4 weeks it got down 2600iu/ml at 1-1,5 staggered dose, no other drug can lower hbsag so fast and only interferon lowers it a little)

i have also found a trial of ntz+reuteri baccillus to regress cirrhosis encephalopathy and tried it instead of the other probiotics to prevent diarrea and it is working very well, yesterday i went to bathroom 4-5times solid stools (i also have a fiber rich diet), today i went 2 times and stools were super solid

[Bali05]

"the 2g daily dose every 12hr looks much more potent than 1g"

How does it look more potent ?

[stef2011]

forgot to say we are using 1,5-2g daily no sides and using probiotics to prevent diarrea or in case of diarrea
the 2g daily dose every 12hr looks much more potent than 1g

[stef2011]

http://www.lupinpharmaceuticals.com/adrsub.htm#product_t

on hbv nitazoxanide is dynamite, our group is using nizonide500 from lupin officil distributors, we have also checked purity and it is 99,9655% which is a good value although not 100%

we haven't checked nitarid from cipla purity but i have found some docs online about it and it ooks little less than nizonide500

[sh625]

Thanks.,It would be nice if they would start all the drugs that control the sides 1st.For sure the ZOLOFT

[mike716]

I agree that starting Alinia in the middle of SOC doesn't sound like a good idea. Too many drugs already floating around. They start to have cross-reactions. And Alinia is supposed to work best when it's done with a lead-in.

Mike