Epirubicin is an anthracycline topoisomerase II inhibitor used as an adjuvant to treating axillary node metastases in patients who have undergone surgical resection of primary breast cancer. An anthracycline which is the 4'-epi-isomer of doxorubicin.
- Mechanism
- Curator reviewed
Epirubicin has antimitotic and cytotoxic activity. It inhibits nucleic acid (DNA and RNA) and protein synthesis through a number of proposed mechanisms of action: Epirubicin forms complexes with DNA by intercalation between base pairs, and it inhibits topoisomerase II activity by stabilizing the DNA-topoisomerase II complex, preventing the religation portion of the ligation-religation reaction that topoisomerase II catalyzes. It also interferes with DNA replication and transcription by inhibiting DNA helicase activity.
- Primary indication
- For use as a component of adjuvant therapy in patients with evidence of axillary node tumor involvement following resection of primary breast cancer.Curator reviewed · 13 structured indications
- Formula / weight
- C27H29NO11 · 543.5193 g/mol (avg)
- First approval
- Canada, 2003 · United States, 1999
- Also known as
- (1S,3S)-3-GLYCOLOYL-1,2,3,4,6,11-HEXAHYDRO-3,5,12-TRIHYDROXY-10-METHOXY-6,11-DIOXO-1-NAPHTHACENYL 3-AMINO-2,3,6-TRIDEOXY-.ALPHA.-L-ARABINO-HEXOPYRANOSIDE · 4'-EPI-ADRIAMYCIN · 4'-Epiadriamycin · 5,12-NAPHTHACENEDIONE, 10-((3-AMINO-2,3,6-TRIDEOXY-.ALPHA.-L-ARABINO-HEXOPYRANOSYL)OXY)-7,8,9,10-TETRAHYDRO-6,8,11-TRIHYDROXY-8-(HYDROXYACETYL)-1-METHOXY-, (8S-CIS)- · Epiadriamycin
- Code names
- NSC-256942
- Brand names
Resolves to
AOJJSUZBOXZQNB-VTZDEGQISA-NSMILESCOC1=CC=CC2=C1C(=O)C1=C(O)C3=C(C[C@](O)(C[C@@H]3O[C@H]3C[C@H](N)[C@@H](O)[C@H](C)O3)C(=O)CO)C(O)=C1C2=OWhat you can answer from here — as of September 23, 2026
Which drugs share a target with Epirubicin, and which of those have an active Phase 3 trial?
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