The World Health Organization's ATC classification organizes medical drugs based on therapeutic properties, chemical composition, and anatomy. It helps make essential medicines readily available globally and is widely used in the pharmaceutical industry.
| Level | Code | Title | |
|---|---|---|---|
1
|
L | Antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents | |
2
|
L01 | Antineoplastic agents | |
3
|
L01X | Other antineoplastic agents | |
4
|
L01XD | Sensitizers used in photodynamic/radiation therapy | |
5
|
L01XD04 | Aminolevulinic acid |
| Active Ingredient |
|---|
|
5-Aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) is a natural biochemical precursor of heme that is metabolised in a series of enzymatic reactions to fluorescent porphyrins, particularly PPIX. 5-ALA synthesis is regulated by an intracellular pool of free heme via a negative feedback mechanism. Administration of excess exogenous 5-ALA avoids the negative feedback control, and accumulation of PPIX occurs in target tissue. In the presence of visible light, fluorescence of PPIX (photodynamic effect) in certain target tissues can be used for photodynamic diagnosis. |
| Document | Type | Information Source | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ALACARE Medicated plaster | MPI, EU: SmPC | Medicines & Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (GB) | |
| AMELUZ Gel | MPI, US: SPL/PLR | FDA, National Drug Code (US) | |
| Gliolan 30mg/ml powder for oral solution | MPI, EU: SmPC | Medicines & Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (GB) | |
| GLIOLAN Powder for oral solution | MPI, EU: SmPC | European Medicines Agency (EU) |
Note the following: The list of brand names is continuously updated, and thus does not include the total of products circulating worldwide.