Indications and therapeutic uses of Trientine capsules

Trientine is a copper chelator commonly used to treat Wilson's disease. Wilson's disease is a rare genetic disease in which patients suffer from copper metabolism disorders, resulting in excessive accumulation of copper in the body, especially in the liver and brain tissue, leading to liver disease, neurological symptoms, and mental and behavioral abnormalities. Trientine forms a soluble complex with free copper in the body, promoting the excretion of copper in the urine, thereby reducing the burden of copper in the body. It is one of the important treatments for this disease.

Trientine is often used as an alternative treatment option in patients who are refractory to or intolerant to penicillamine therapy. Compared with penicillamine, trientine has relatively fewer side effects, especially the risk of immune complications. Therefore, for adverse reactions caused by penicillamine, such as rash, fever, kidney damage, etc., switching to trientine can often effectively alleviate these problems and continue to maintain long-term treatment of Wilson's disease.

In addition to Wilson's disease, some studies are also exploring the potential use of trientine in other copper overload-related diseases, such as certain neurodegenerative diseases, but these uses are not yet widely approved. Trientine needs to be used under the guidance of a specialist, and urinary copper excretion, serum copper and ceruloplasmin levels need to be regularly monitored to evaluate the therapeutic effect and adjust the dosage.

Currently, trientine capsules have been approved for marketing in my country, but they have not yet been included in medical insurance, and patients need to purchase them at their own expense. Abroad, the German version of the original drug (200mg*100pills) is priced at more than 40,000 yuan per box. Considering that the course of treatment is long and the cost is high, patients should fully communicate with their doctors before taking medication to ensure reasonable selection of treatment options and regular follow-up to ensure medication safety.

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