Camostat is a serine protease inhibitor. Serine protease enzymes have a variety of functions in the body, and so camostat has a diverse range of uses. Camostat is approved in Japan for the treatment of chronic pancreatitis and postoperative reflux esophagitis.[1][2] The oral proteolytic enzyme inhibitor has been on the market since 1985 under the trade name Foipan Tablets. The manufacturer is Ono Pharmaceutical. The drug is used in the treatment of some forms of cancer and is also effective against some viral infections, as well as inhibiting fibrosis in liver or kidney disease or pancreatitis.[3][4][5][6][7]
^Okuno M, Kojima S, Akita K, Matsushima-Nishiwaki R, Adachi S, Sano T, et al. (January 2002). "Retinoids in liver fibrosis and cancer". Frontiers in Bioscience. 7 (4): d204–d218. doi:10.2741/A775. PMID11779708.
^Kitamura K, Tomita K (February 2012). "Proteolytic activation of the epithelial sodium channel and therapeutic application of a serine protease inhibitor for the treatment of salt-sensitive hypertension". Clinical and Experimental Nephrology. 16 (1): 44–48. doi:10.1007/s10157-011-0506-1. PMID22038264. S2CID6522071.
^Ueda M, Uchimura K, Narita Y, Miyasato Y, Mizumoto T, Morinaga J, et al. (2015). "The serine protease inhibitor camostat mesilate attenuates the progression of chronic kidney disease through its antioxidant effects". Nephron. 129 (3): 223–232. doi:10.1159/000375308. PMID25766432. S2CID207652863.