Immunovir

[Spinney Lainey]

Sounds like it could be CFS wonder drug if it helps with ATP production and has immune modulatory effects!

 

[Woolie]

I know this thread is a bit old, but I just finished doing a literature search of pharamcological studies of inosine and its relatives. This answered a few questions we have had about the difference bewteen inosine and imunovir.

Yes, the drug imunovir/inosine pranobex/isoprinosine does deliver inosine as its key active ingredient. The main advantage of the drug over the OTC supplement inosine is that it offers a more gradual release of inosine into the bloodstream. Apparently, inosine is rapidly metabolised into other compounds (uric acid, for example). I couldn't find anywhere where it specifies exactly how rapidly, but definitely less than an hour.

By using a compound like imunovir, which delivers the inosine more gradually, you can slightly prolong the time interval that the drug is actually present in the blood. The half-life of imunovir is around 50 minutes - this means that it takes 50 minutes for the concentration of the drug to reduce to half its peak concentration.

There are other ways to slow down the delivery of inosine, and one is the way suggested by Dr. De Melier (is that the right name?), which is to take the tablets sublingually (place them under the tongue one at a time, and waiting for them to dissolve). It might also help to take them with, or just after a meal, and also to take a 10 minute break between tablets. A total pain, but worth doing if you can't get the drug or its too expensive.

Woolie

 

[SOC]

I thought this might be true but Swansons vitamins seem to have a good reputation and they do a really cheap one......Anyone else tried Swansons vitamins?

Dr Rey has suggested Swanson's as a reliable brand, so I would be comfortable buying from them.

 

[heapsreal]

I know this thread is a bit old, but I just finished doing a literature search of pharamcological studies of inosine and its relatives. This answered a few questions we have had about the difference bewteen inosine and imunovir.

Yes, the drug imunovir/inosine pranobex/isoprinosine does deliver inosine as its key active ingredient. The main advantage of the drug over the OTC supplement inosine is that it offers a more gradual release of inosine into the bloodstream. Apparently, inosine is rapidly metabolised into other compounds (uric acid, for example). I couldn't find anywhere where it specifies exactly how rapidly, but definitely less than an hour.

By using a compound like imunovir, which delivers the inosine more gradually, you can slightly prolong the time interval that the drug is actually present in the blood. The half-life of imunovir is around 50 minutes - this means that it takes 50 minutes for the concentration of the drug to reduce to half its peak concentration.

There are other ways to slow down the delivery of inosine, and one is the way suggested by Dr. De Melier (is that the right name?), which is to take the tablets sublingually (place them under the tongue one at a time, and waiting for them to dissolve). It might also help to take them with, or just after a meal, and also to take a 10 minute break between tablets. A total pain, but worth doing if you can't get the drug or its too expensive.

Woolie

Do you have any links to this Info?
Interesting subject.

 

[Woolie]

Do you have any links to this Info?
Interesting subject.

Hi Heapsreal,

Sure. Here are some of the most relevant articles that are freely downloadable.

General stuff on use of isoprniosine in CFS (you probably already know this one):
http://www.cfids-cab.org/cfs-inform/Antiviral/diaz-mitoma.etal03.pdf

This article briefly comments on the rapid rate at which the pure (supplement type) inosine metabolises (see paragraph 3 of the intro): http://joe.endocrinology-journals.org/content/198/3/581.full

The article above refers to an article by Hasko et al, which reviews the effects of inosine on immune function (although in fact, its doesn't discuss the drug's short half-life at all):
http://www.inotekcorp.com/publications/pdf/ipcpub306.pdf

This article refers to the half-life of isoprinosine/imunovir:
http://link.springer.com/article/10.2165/00003495-198632050-00001

I accessed some of these using my University access code, so some of the links may not work for you. If that happens, send a private message to me and I'll email them to you (don't think I'm allowed to post them publicly).

Woolie

 

[Spinney Lainey]

Anyone else tried putting it under their tongue yet? I did it and wasn't very pleasant! Any idea how long we should wait before washing the goey liquid down with water?

 

[Woolie]

Anyone else tried putting it under their tongue yet? I did it and wasn't very pleasant! Any idea how long we should wait before washing the goey liquid down with water?

Yep, I did! Its pretty yuck.

I think the idea is you don't wash it down. You just let the stuff dissolve and diffuse through your mucous membranes and saliva that you swallow (urgh!).

I'm using source naturals, and the main taste there is like calcium powder (sort of granuley, not too bad although uncomfortable having it under your tongue and you can't talk either). Depending on their filler ingredients, some brands might be less yucky than others.

I've been trying it for a couple of weeks now. I picked a rare period of almost complete remission to give it a go (bear that in mind, might be hard to tolerate at other times). I dosed myself in the evenings, because in my first few tries, I got a burning headache and hot sleepy sensation about 8 hours after dosing (so wanted to time this to happen at bedtime!). I've been cycling a few days then a few days off, for reasons that'll be clear below. So far, here's what I've found:

Fatigue scale used on graph:
9 able to do strenuous walking for 1hr+
5 able to sit without too much discomfort, can read if I take breaks
1 bed-ridden can't lift head without difficulty

It looks to me like the inosine has a negative effect on my symptoms by around day 3, but then I get a burst of good health for several days following withdrawal.

I don't expect this to last, based on what others have said. So I'll keep reporting how it goes.

Woolie.

 

[Hip]

IP6 is a known immune supplement in the US: Inositol Hexaphosphate 6. It is a derivative of Inositol like what Immunovir is. It is actually quite cheap and is know to increase NKC.

Note that Imunovir is a derivative of inosine, rather than inositol.


Imunovir is in fact a molecular complex of the inosine molecule "glued" onto the acedoben molecule (the latter is the acetyl form of the vitamin PABA).

A molecular complex is defined as two or more molecules loosely bonded or "glued" together. This bonding between the molecular components of a molecular complex is normally weaker than the normal covalent bonds found in much of chemistry.

The patent for Imunovir is here. The patent actually tells you how to make Imunovir:

"It [Imunovir] is prepared by mixing dimethylaminoisopropanol and p-acetamido benzoic acid [= acedoben] mole for mole and then heating slightly. The salt thus formed is then dry mixed with inosine in a mole ratio of, for example, either 1:1 or 3:1 (salt to inosine). The complex is then formed, for example, by dissolving in water and can be recovered therefrom if desired by evaporation."

 

[heapsreal]

I think using immunovir or inosine under the tongue is probably only going to speed up absorption and probably reduce how long its in the body.

 

[Spinney Lainey]

Do you reckon there's any way of getting any UK doctor to prescribe Immunovir??

 

[Hip]

Do you reckon there's any way of getting any UK doctor to prescribe Immunovir??

It's worth a try, I guess, but I believe Dr Klimas says you have to take Imunovir for periods of six months (on a pulsed basis) to see effects, so you'd have to get a long prescription.

Inosine though is a supplement available without prescription, and it's not expensive.

 

[Woolie]

I think using immunovir or inosine under the tongue is probably only going to speed up absorption and probably reduce how long its in the body.

Heapsreal, you could be right. I had a look, and some articles mention this kind of diffusion could be fast. Hmm. Time to rethink again.

 

[heapsreal]

Taking multiple doses through out the day is a possibility I guess or using both immunovir and inosine together maybe? Maybe more economical?

 

[ukxmrv]

You could try Professor Brostoff if you can afford to see a private doctor.

Also see if Professor Pinching still sees patients anywhere.

They are the only two that I know of with an interest in Imunovir in the UK