New Hope for Arthritis Victims
Chemical & Engineering News · 1957
AN ANTIMALARIAL DRUG is now exciting wide interest for treating rheumatoid arthritis. The product is chloroquine, produced by Winthrop Laboratories as Aralen. Since 1951, over a dozen independent researchers in this country and abroad have studied the new drug, and all reported on it favorably. Several weeks ago, Food and Drug Administration gave its okay to use of Aralen as a prescription drug in treating rheumatoid arthritis. With this goahead, Winthrop plans to produce 150 million tablets for antiarthritic use within the next six months. This is in addition to Winthrop's regular production of Aralen for combating malaria. To meet the expected upsurge in Hemand, Hilton-Davis, a division of Sterling Drug, is doubling its facilities for producing a major Aralen intermediate in Cincinnati. At the same time, Winthrop is doubling its capacity for making the final product at Rensselaer, N. Y. Synthesis route: m-chloroaniline and sodium ethyl oxalacetate reacting to give chloroquine, or 7-chloro-4-(4- diethylamino ...