Eritoran
Eritoran is an investigational drug for the treatment of severe sepsis, an excessive inflammatory response to an infection. In a phase III clinical trial, eritoran did not perform better than placebo for the treatment of sepsis. It was being developed by the Japanese pharmaceutical company Eisai Co. and administered intravenously as the sodium salt eritoran tetrasodium. Mechanism of action Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play an important role in the innate immune system. They recognise microbes and activate inflammatory immune responses. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) detects lipopolysaccharides found in most Gram-negative bacteria. Because of its similarity to the lipopolysaccharide lipid A, eritoran acts as TLR4 antagonist and so blocks the excessive reaction triggered by this receptor. Cytokine storm While eritoran did not perform well in the treatment of sepsis, it was shown to combat another, related phenomenon called cytokine storm in influenza cases involving certain virus st ...
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