Description
Nixanide (Nitazoxanide) 500 mg
Nixanide 500 mg is a nitazoxanide product. Nitazoxanide is an antiprotozoal medicine with broader antiparasitic activity. Official U.S. prescribing information identifies nitazoxanide tablets as a treatment for diarrhea caused by Giardia lamblia or Cryptosporidium parvum in appropriate patients.
Active Ingredient and Medicine Class
The verified active ingredient is nitazoxanide. It is classified as an antiprotozoal and antiparasitic medicine. It has also been described in scientific literature as having activity against some intestinal protozoa, helminths and certain bacteria, although the established regulatory indication is narrower.
Established Medical Uses
According to U.S. prescribing information, nitazoxanide tablets are indicated for the treatment of diarrhea caused by Giardia lamblia or Cryptosporidium parvum. The label also states that effectiveness has not been shown for C. parvum diarrhea in HIV-infected or immunodeficient patients.
Published clinical studies support activity in human giardiasis and cryptosporidiosis, including randomized controlled trials and later reviews.
How It Works
Nitazoxanide is believed to interfere with parasite energy metabolism, which reduces the organism’s ability to survive and multiply. In human studies and reviews, this mechanism has been associated with clinical and microbiological improvement in susceptible intestinal protozoal infections.
Important Safety Information
Nitazoxanide is contraindicated in people with hypersensitivity to the medicine or its components. Prescribing information advises caution with highly protein-bound drugs with narrow therapeutic indices, because competition for binding sites may occur; warfarin is specifically noted as an example.
The label also notes limited effectiveness in HIV-infected or immunodeficient patients with Cryptosporidium parvum diarrhea.
Possible Side Effects
The most commonly reported adverse reactions include abdominal pain, headache, nausea and chromaturia (discolored urine). Other clinically important reactions may occur, including allergy or intolerance.
Scientific Evidence
Randomized trials in giardiasis and cryptosporidiosis found higher rates of symptom resolution and parasite clearance with nitazoxanide than with placebo, and a later systematic review found evidence of benefit for infectious diarrhea caused by Giardia and Cryptosporidium. In HIV-associated cryptosporidiosis, older studies suggested more limited benefit, consistent with the product label’s warning about reduced effectiveness in immunodeficient patients.
Medical Information Notice
This educational summary is based on sources available at the time of review and does not replace the official patient leaflet, prescribing information, or assessment by a qualified healthcare professional.
Medical Sources
- DailyMed / FDA — Nitazoxanide tablets, full prescribing information
- Rossignol JF, Ayoub A, Ayers MS — Treatment of diarrhea caused by Giardia intestinalis and Entamoeba histolytica or E. dispar: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of nitazoxanide, Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2001
