[h=2]
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Medical uses[/h] PEG is the basis of a number of
laxatives (e.g.,
macrogol-containing products, such as
Movicol and
polyethylene glycol 3350, or SoftLax, MiraLAX,ClearLAX, Osmolax or GlycoLax).
Whole bowel irrigation with polyethylene glycol and added electrolytes is used for bowel preparation before
surgery or
colonoscopy. The preparation is sold under the brand names
GoLYTELY,
GaviLyte C,
NuLytely,
GlycoLax,
Fortrans,
TriLyte,
Colyte,
Halflytely,
Softlax,
Lax-a-Day,
ClearLax and
MoviPrep. In the United States,
MiraLAX and
Dulcolax Balance are sold without prescription for short-term relief of chronic constipation. Miralax is currently FDA approved for adults for a period of seven days, and is not approved for children.[SUP]
[6][/SUP] A 2007 comparison showed that patients suffering from
constipation had a better response to PEG medications than to
tegaserod.[SUP]
[7][/SUP] These medications soften the fecal mass by osmotically drawing water into the GI tract. It is generally well tolerated, however, side effects are possible bloating, nausea, gas, and diarrhea (with excessive use).
When attached to various protein medications, polyethylene glycol allows a slowed clearance of the carried protein from the blood. This makes for a longer-acting medicinal effect and reduces toxicity, and allows longer dosing intervals. Examples include PEG-
interferon alpha, which is used to treat
hepatitis C, and
PEGfilgrastim (Neulasta), which is used to treat
neutropenia. It has been shown that polyethylene glycol can improve healing of
spinal injuries in dogs.[SUP]
[8][/SUP] One of the earlier findings, that polyethylene glycol can aid in nerve repair, came from the University of Texas (Krause and Bittner).[SUP]
[9][/SUP] Polyethylene glycol is also commonly used to fuse B-cells with
myeloma cells in
monoclonal antibody production.
PEG is used as an
excipient in many pharmaceutical products. Lower-molecular-weight variants are used as solvents in oral liquids and soft
capsules, whereas solid variants are used as
ointment bases,
tablet binders, film
coatings, and
lubricants.[SUP]
[10][/SUP]
PEG is also used in lubricating
eye drops.
Thought that was interesting