Sodium polydihydroxyphenylene thiosulfonate (гипоксен, Hypoxen) is under laboratory studies in Russia as a potential regulator of

cell metabolism Metabolism (, from el, μεταβολή ''metabolē'', "change") is the set of life-sustaining chemical reactions in organisms. The three main functions of metabolism are: the conversion of the energy in food to energy available to run cell ...

. It is purported to affect mitochondrial function, though this has not been proven in any high-quality, peer-reviewed publications. It is registered in Russia as an antihypoxic agent, but has not been subjected to any

clinical trial Clinical trials are prospective biomedical or behavioral research studies on human participants designed to answer specific questions about biomedical or behavioral interventions, including new treatments (such as novel vaccines, drugs, diet ...

s meeting internationally accepted standards, and has no regulatory approval as a prescription drug outside Russia and some former Soviet states. Although called an "oxygen booster" in

public media Public broadcasting involves radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing ...

to imply its potential to "increase endurance and reduce fatigue", there is no scientific evidence it has this property, and it is not used in conventional

cardiology Cardiology () is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the heart and the cardiovascular system. The field includes medical diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular h ...

as a therapy for treating heart disease. Hypoxen is sold online without a prescription, mainly from Russian websites, and does not appear to be sold in health stores in the United States. Hypoxen is not listed on the prohibited substance list of the

World Anti-Doping Agency The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA; french: Agence mondiale antidopage, AMA) is a foundation initiated by the International Olympic Committee based in Canada to promote, coordinate, and monitor the fight against drugs in sports. The agency's key ...

. In 2017, the

United States Anti-Doping Agency The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA, ) is a non-profit, non-governmental 501(c)(3) organization and the national anti- doping organization (NADO) for the United States. To protect clean competition and the integrity of sport and prevent ...

applied to have hypoxen banned from athletic competitions, but the ban was not implemented. It has been identified in tests on athletes in competition, such as

Kamila Valieva Kamila Valeryevna Valieva (russian: Камила Валерьевна Валиева; born 26 April 2006) is a Russian figure skater. She is the 2022 European champion, 2021 Rostelecom Cup champion, 2021 Skate Canada International champion, ...

, a Russian figure-skater competing at the 2022 Winter Olympics, but is not itself banned in international competitions, as of 2022. It is claimed to be a polymeric mixture containing between 2 and 6 repeat units of 2,4-dihydroxyphenylene with a thiosulphonate group joined at the end.

References

Russian drugs {{pharm-stub

See also

References