Norgesterone Explained

Norgesterone, also known as norvinodrel or vinylestrenolone and sold under the brand name Vestalin, is a progestin medication which was formerly used in birth control pills for women but is now no longer marketed.^{[1] [2] [3] [4]} It was used in combination with the estrogen ethinylestradiol. It is taken by mouth.^{[5] [6]}

Norgesterone is a progestin, or a synthetic progestogen, and hence is an agonist of the progesterone receptor, the biological target of progestogens like progesterone.^[7] It has no androgenic activity.

Norgesterone was first described in 1962.^{[8] [9]} It is no longer available.

Medical uses

Norgesterone was used in combination with ethinylestradiol in birth control pills to prevent pregnancy. It is no longer available.

Pharmacology

Pharmacodynamics

Norgesterone is a progestogen, and hence is an agonist of the progesterone receptor. Unlike related progestins, it is virtually devoid of androgenic activity in animal assays.

Chemistry

See also: List of progestogens and List of androgens/anabolic steroids.

Norgesterone, also known as 17α-vinyl-δ⁵⁽¹⁰⁾-19-nortestosterone or as 17α-vinylestr-5(10)-en-17β-ol-3-one, is a synthetic estrane steroid and a derivative of testosterone and 19-nortestosterone. Analogues of norgesterone include norvinisterone (17α-vinyl-19-nortestosterone) and vinyltestosterone (17α-vinyltestosterone).

History

Norgesterone was first described in 1962.

Society and culture

Generic names

Norgesterone is the generic name of the drug and its . It has also been referred to as norvinodrel, vinylestrenolone, and vinylnoretynodrel.^[10]

Brand names

Norgesterone was marketed in combination with ethinylestradiol, an estrogen, as a birth control pill under the brand name Vestalin.

Availability

Norgesterone is no longer marketed and hence is no longer available in any country.^[11]

Notes and References

1. Book: Elks J . The Dictionary of Drugs: Chemical Data: Chemical Data, Structures and Bibliographies. 14 November 2014. Springer. 978-1-4757-2085-3. 887–.
2. Wassef SA, Sami G, Hamid EA . Effect of switching with oral contraceptives . The Egyptian Population and Family Planning Review . 3 . 1 . 77–93 . June 1970 . 12254511 .
3. Book: Bengtsson LP, Tausk M . Pharmacology of the endocrine system and related drugs: progesterone, progestational drugs and antifertility agents. September 1972. Pergamon Press. 9780080157450.
4. Book: Challener CA . Chiral Drugs. 1 December 2001. Wiley. 978-0-566-08411-9.
5. Boris Rubio L . [Vinylestrenolone: a new progestational hormone. Results of its cyclic administration] . it . Minerva Ginecologica . 18 . 21 . 1215–1217 . November 1966 . 5997085 .
6. Samaja BA, Prandini B . The influence of estrogenic and-or progestogenic treatment on some parameters of lipid metabolism (a controlled clinical study) . Endokrinologie . 63 . 1 . 76–84 . March 1974 . 4140086 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180228161735/https://www.popline.org/node/492815 . 2018-02-28 .
7. de Ruggieri P, Matscher R, Lupo C, Spazzoli G . Biological properties of 17α-vinyl-5(10)-estrene-17β-ol-3-one (norvinodrel) as a progestational and claudogenic compound. Steroids. 5. 1. 1965. 73–91. 0039-128X. 10.1016/0039-128X(65)90133-9.
8. Web site: Steroid hormone compositions and method of using same.
9. D'Incerti Bonini L, Pagani C . [Clinical investigations of the progestational activity of vinylestrenolone] . it . Annali di Ostetricia e Ginecologia . 84 . 279–285 . April 1962 . 13883015 .
10. Book: Greydanus DE . Contraception . Lavery JP, Sanfilippo JS . Pediatric and Adolescent Obstetrics and Gynecology. https://books.google.com/books?id=l9XTBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA236. 6 December 2012. Springer Science & Business Media. 978-1-4612-5064-7. 236–.
11. http://www.micromedexsolutions.com/micromedex2/{{Dead link|date=April 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}