Hydroxocobalamin
Dosage form: injection, solution
Drug class:Vitamins
Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on Nov 22, 2021.
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Hydroxocobalamin Description
Hydroxocobalamin injection is a sterile solution of Hydroxocobalamin for intramuscular administration.
Each mL contains: Hydroxocobalamin Acetate equivalent to 1000 mcg Hydroxocobalamin, Sodium Acetate Anhydrous 0.2 mg, Glacial Acetic Acid 0.442 mg, Sodium Chloride 8.2 mg, with Methylparaben 1.5 mg and Propylparaben 0.2 mg as preservatives, in Water for Injection q.s. Additional Glacial Acetic Acid and/or Sodium Acetate may have been used to adjust pH. pH range is 3.5 to 5.0.
Hydroxocobalamin appears as dark red orthorhombic needles or as an amorphous or crystalline red powder. It is very hygroscopic in the anhydrous form, and moderately soluble in water. It has a molecular weight of 1346.37. The vitamin B12 coenzymes are very unstable in light. Hydroxocobalamin shares the cobalamin molecular structure with cyanocobalamin.
The chemical name is α-(5,6-dimethylbenzimidazoly) hydroxocobamide. The empirical formula is C62H89CoN13O15P and its structural formula is:
The cobalt content is 4.34%.
Hydroxocobalamin - Clinical Pharmacology
Vitamin B12 is essential to growth, cell reproduction, hematopoiesis, nucleoprotein and myelin synthesis.
Fifty percent of the administered dose of Hydroxocobalamin disappears from the injection site in 2.5 hours. Hydroxocobalamin is bound to plasma proteins and stored in the liver. It is excreted in the bile and undergoes some enterohepatic recycling. Within 72 hours after injection of 500 to 1000 mcg of Hydroxocobalamin, 16 to 66 percent of the injected dose may appear in the urine. The major portion is excreted within the first 24 hours.
Indications and Usage for Hydroxocobalamin
Pernicious anemia, both uncomplicated and accompanied by nervous system involvement.
Dietary deficiency of Vitamin B12, occurring in strict vegetarians and in their breast-fed infants. (Isolated vitamin B12 deficiency is very rare).
