Pidotimod: In-depth review of current evidence

Abstract

Pidotimod, an immunostimulant, is researched for over two decades. Current evidence indicates its utility in a variety of indications in children as well as in adults. Its immunostimulant activity has been firmly established in the management of recurrent respiratory infections in children with or without asthma. Compared to standard of care alone, addition of pidotimod to standard of care significantly prevents the recurrences and reduces the severity and duration of acute episodes, ultimately resulting in reduced visits to pediatric clinics and lower absenteeism at school. In adults, pidotimod is effective in the prevention and treatment of acute infectious exacerbations of chronic bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Further, it has been evaluated in indications such as pneumonia, hand–food–mouth disease, bronchiectasis, and chronic idiopathic urticaria. From a total of 32 studies conducted in child (24 studies) and adult (8 studies) population, this in-depth review discusses the current evidence of pidotimod. With further exploration, the immunostimulant activity of pidotimod might be extended to different immunological disorders.

Advances in the development of therapeutic strategies against COVID-19 and perspectives in the drug design for emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants

“…Pidotimod can increase the expression of NF-κB protein without an increase of IL-8 expression [134] . Pidotimod has been evaluated as an immunostimulant for respiratory infections (RTIs) [135] and the treatment of many other diseases [136] . A controlled experiment involving 20 COVID-19 patients showed that Pidotimod can effectively improve the fever of patients and prevent the activation of the cytokine cascade [137] .…”

Pidotimod for Covid-19

“…5 Acute respiratory infections (aris) are one of the most frequent infections in both adults and children. 6 Most Covid-19 cases either are asymptomatic (35.1 %)or result in only mild disease (up to 81 % in some series). 1,2 However, in some patients, a respiratory illness requiring hospital care develops, and such infections can progress to critical illness with hypoxemic respiratory failure requiring prolonged ventilatory support.…”

“…12 Modulation of immunity with pidotimod has emerged as a novel therapeutic approach. [13][14][15][16] Pidotimod is a synthetic dipeptide that exerts immunostimulatory effects by affecting both innate and adaptive immunity and has been investigated for more than two decades. Numerous studies have assessed the efficacy and safety of pidotimod in both adults and children in different conditions such as recurrent respiratory infection (rri), asthma, bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (copd), and pneumonia.…”

“…Numerous studies have assessed the efficacy and safety of pidotimod in both adults and children in different conditions such as recurrent respiratory infection (rri), asthma, bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (copd), and pneumonia. 6,16 It is clinically evident that immunostimulants play a crucial role in the case of respiratory disease. Among the currently available immunostimulants, pidotimod is the most effective for respiratory disease and there is evidence that showed positive effects of this immunotherapy in adult patients with and without Covid-19 pneumonia.…”

Effect of pidotimod on growth performance, immune function, intestinal epithelial barriers and microbiota of piglets

“…Currently, the immune dipeptide is mainly applied in preventing and treating repeated respiratory and urinary tract infections as well as acute and chronic bronchitis infections both in children and adults (Mahashur et al, 2019). In vivo and in vitro experiments revealed that PTD can significantly enhance the functions of natural killer (NK) cells, the phagocytic activity of monocytes and the chemotactic roles of neutrophils (Migliorati et al, 1992;.…”