Clinical data | |
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Trade names | Aemcolo |
AHFS/Drugs.com | Monograph |
MedlinePlus | a619010 |
License data | |
Routes of administration | By mouth |
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Chemical and physical data | |
Formula | C37H47NO12 |
Molar mass | 697.778 g·mol−1 |
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The rifamycins are a group of antibiotics that are synthesized either naturally by the bacterium Amycolatopsis rifamycinica or artificially. They are a subclass of the larger family of ansamycins. Rifamycins are particularly effective against mycobacteria, and are therefore used to treat tuberculosis, leprosy, and mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infections.
The rifamycin group includes the classic rifamycin drugs as well as the rifamycin derivatives rifampicin (or rifampin), rifabutin, rifapentine, rifalazil and rifaximin. Rifamycin, sold under the trade name Aemcolo, is approved in the United States for treatment of travelers' diarrhea in some circumstances.[1][2][3]
The name "rifamycin" (originally "rifomycin") was derived from the 1955 French film Rififi.[4]: S402