| 1963 |
Patent registered for N-acetyl-L-cysteine |
Mucolytic-nu-acylated sulfhydryl compositions and process for treating animal mucus. |
| 1968 – 1985 |
Approved by the FDA for use intravenously, by mouth, or inhaled as a mist. |
- Prescribed for the treatment of paracetamol (acetaminophen) overdose
- Prescribed as an adjunct treatment to loosen thick mucus in individuals with pneumonia and bronchitis, as well as chronic bronchopulmonary disorders like cystic fibrosis, emphysema, tuberculosis, and bronchiectasis.
|
| 2000 – present |
Off-label use by prescription |
- To treat lactobezoar in infants
- As an augmentation strategy for reducing depression scale scores in bipolar disorder.
|
| 2017 – |
Research into new usage of NAC to combat the negative effect of oxidative stress |
- In models of Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy
- reducing the damage associated with moderate traumatic brain or spinal injury
- reducing ocular soreness caused by Sjögren’s syndrome
- as an adjunct therapy for the treatment of addiction to cocaine, nicotine, alcohol, and other drugs (modulates glutamate neurotransmission in adult humans who are addicted to cocaine)
- decreasing the frequency and severity of flu episodes
- as a possible adjunct therapy for COVID-19
|
|
Studies into other uses, with positive results in several fields: |
- Major psychiatric disorders, including bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, and schizophrenia
- progressive myoclonic epilepsy
- anxiety disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Autism
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder
|
| 2021 |
Listed by the World Health Organization as one of the 100 essential medicines – under Antidotes and other substances used in poisoning |
| 2021 |
FDA notified manufacturers and retail platforms like Amazon that NAC can not be marketed as a dietary supplement, because it had previously been registered or approved as a drug. |
| April 2022 |
Following petitions from suppliers, the FDA released draft guidance on its policy regarding products labeled as dietary supplements that contain N-acetyl-L-cysteine. |
| August 2022 |
The FDA announced final guidance on its policy regarding products labeled as dietary supplements that contain N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC). |
It’s been just over a year since the US Food and Drug Agency (FDA) notified health supplement manufacturers that it was refusing their petition against the decision to block the marketing of NAC (N-acetyl-L-cysteine, aka n-acetylcysteine) as a food supplement. This decision has deep consequences for all of the parties involved in the supply chain of NAC, and also for consumers.
As research progresses into the multiple benefits of NAC, more and more uses are being found for it. But as long as the bureaucratic hurdles are being maintained by the authorities in the US, the best place to find a source of n-acetylcysteine is here on IsraelPharm, the home of medical-grade NAC in the form of Reolin.
Bottom line – it makes far better sense to follow the lead of science and apply these findings than to wait for the committees in Washington to find their way onto the current market.
