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Atracurium (Atracurium Besylate)
Nondepolarizing skeletal muscle relaxant that competitively antagonizes acetylcholine at motor end-plate cholinergic receptors.
Atracurium besylate is a nondepolarizing skeletal muscle relaxant indicated as an adjunct to general anesthesia for endotracheal intubation and muscle relaxation during surgery or mechanical ventilation. An initial dose of 0.4 to 0.5 mg/kg produces maximum neuromuscular block within 3 to 5 minutes with good intubation conditions in 2 to 2.5 minutes. Recovery begins approximately 20 to 35 minutes after injection with 95% recovery by 60 to 70 minutes. Contraindications include hypersensitivity to atracurium or benzyl alcohol, and numerous drug interactions may enhance neuromuscular blocking effects.
At a glance
| Generic name | Atracurium Besylate |
|---|---|
| Sponsor | Pfizer |
| Drug class | Nondepolarizing skeletal muscle relaxant |
| Target | Cholinergic receptor sites on motor end-plate |
| Modality | Small molecule |
| Therapeutic area | Neuroscience |
| Phase | FDA-approved |
| First approval | 1983 |
Mechanism of action
Atracurium besylate antagonizes the neuromuscular action of acetylcholine by binding competitively with cholinergic receptor sites on the motor end-plate. This antagonism is inhibited and neuromuscular block reversed by acetylcholinesterase inhibitors such as neostigmine, edrophonium, and pyridostigmine. The duration of neuromuscular block produced by atracurium is approximately one-third to one-half the duration of block by d-tubocurarine, metocurine, and pancuronium at initially equipotent doses.
Approved indications
- General anesthesia
- Muscle relaxation, function
- Skeletal Muscle Relaxation for Endotracheal Intubation
Common side effects
- Skin Flush
- Mean Arterial Pressure Increase
- Heart Rate Increase
- Mean Arterial Pressure Decrease
- Erythema
- Heart Rate Decrease
- Itching
- Wheezing/Bronchial Secretions
- Hives
Serious adverse events
- Anaphylactic/Anaphylactoid reactions (including cardiac arrest)
- Seizures (ICU patients, long-term infusion)
- Bronchospasm
- Laryngospasm
- Dyspnea
Drug interactions
- Enflurane
- Isoflurane
- Halothane
- Aminoglycoside antibiotics
- Polymyxin antibiotics
- Lithium
- Magnesium salts
- Procainamide
- Quinidine
- Succinylcholine
Primary sources
Every claim on this page is sourced from regulatory or scientific primary sources. See our editorial policy for full methodology.
| Source | Used for |
|---|---|
| FDA label | Mechanism, indications, dosing, boxed warnings, drug interactions |
Competitive intelligence
For the full competitive landscape — auto-detected comparators, recent regulatory actions across the set, upcoming PDUFA, patent timeline, sponsor landscape:
- Atracurium CI brief — competitive landscape report
- Atracurium updates RSS · CI watch RSS
- Pfizer portfolio CI