Cinacalcet is a drug

Medication

A pharmaceutical drug, also referred to as medicine, medication or medicament, can be loosely defined as any chemical substance intended for use in the medical diagnosis, cure, treatment, or prevention of disease.- Classification :...

 that acts as a calcimimetic (i.e. it mimics the action of calcium

Calcium in biology

Calcium plays a pivotal role in the physiology and biochemistry of organisms and the cell. It plays an important role in signal transduction pathways, where it acts as a second messenger, in neurotransmitter release from neurons, contraction of all muscle cell types, and fertilization...

 on tissue

Tissue (biology)

Tissue is a cellular organizational level intermediate between cells and a complete organism. A tissue is an ensemble of cells, not necessarily identical, but from the same origin, that together carry out a specific function. These are called tissues because of their identical functioning...

s) by allosteric activation of the calcium-sensing receptor

Calcium-sensing receptor

The calcium-sensing receptor is a Class C G-protein coupled receptor which senses extracellular levels of calcium ion. In the parathyroid gland, the calcium-sensing receptor controls calcium homeostasis by regulating the release of parathyroid hormone .-Signal transduction:The release of PTH is...

 that is expressed in various human organ tissues. It is sold by Amgen

Amgen

Amgen Inc. is an international biotechnology company headquartered in Thousand Oaks, California. Located in the Conejo Valley, Amgen is the world's largest independent biotech firm. The company employs approximately 17,000 staff members. Its products include Epogen, Aranesp, Enbrel, Kineret,...

 under the trade name Sensipar in North America and Australia and as Mimpara in Europe. Cinacalcet is used to treat secondary hyperparathyroidism

Hyperparathyroidism

Hyperparathyroidism is overactivity of the parathyroid glands resulting in excess production of parathyroid hormone . The parathyroid hormone regulates calcium and phosphate levels and helps to maintain these levels...

 (elevated parathyroid hormone

Parathyroid hormone

Parathyroid hormone , parathormone or parathyrin, is secreted by the chief cells of the parathyroid glands as a polypeptide containing 84 amino acids...

 levels), a consequence of having end-stage renal disease.. Cinacalcet is also indicated for the treatment of hypercalcemia in patients with parathyroid carcinoma.

Clinical uses

Cinacalcet is indicated for the treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism

Secondary hyperparathyroidism

Secondary hyperparathyroidism refers to the excessive secretion of parathyroid hormone by the parathyroid glands in response to hypocalcemia and associated hypertrophy of the glands. This disorder is especially seen in patients with chronic renal failure...

 in patients with chronic kidney disease on dialysis and hypercalcemia in patients with parathyroid carcinoma

Parathyroid carcinoma

Parathyroid carcinoma is a rare cause of hypercalcemia. It forms in tissues of one or more of the parathyroid glands ....

.

Synthesis

B.C. Van Wagenen, S.T. Moe, M.F. Balandrin, E.G. DelMar, E.F. Nemeth, (2001).

External links

• Sensipar website run by Amgen
  Amgen
  Amgen Inc. is an international biotechnology company headquartered in Thousand Oaks, California. Located in the Conejo Valley, Amgen is the world's largest independent biotech firm. The company employs approximately 17,000 staff members. Its products include Epogen, Aranesp, Enbrel, Kineret,...
  
  
• Prescribing information (package insert)
• Cinacalcet - Medlineplus.org
• Cinacalcet - Drug Digest.