From disulfiram to Antabuse: The invention of a drug

Kragh, Helge

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/127717 Copy

Description

Title

From disulfiram to Antabuse: The invention of a drug

Author(s)

Kragh, Helge

Issue Date

2008-09-15

Keyword(s)

• History
• Chemistry
• History antabuse disulfiram alcoholism therapy

Abstract

Antabuse is the trade name for an org. sulfur compd., chem. identical to disulfiram or tetraethylthiuram disulfide, a light-gray cryst. powder with a mol. wt. of 296.54. In 1945 Danish researchers obsd. that the substance caused very unpleasant physiol. effects in persons who had consumed alc. A few years later this chance observation was turned into a profitable prodn. of pills used to combat alcoholism (antabuse = anti-abuse). The new drug quickly came into general use in Denmark and also, if somewhat later and on a lesser scale, internationally.

Publisher

Division of the History of Chemistry

ISSN

1053-4385

Type of Resource

text

Genre of Resource

article

Language

eng

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/127717

DOI

https://doi.org/10.70359/bhc2008v033p082

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2008 Division of the History of Chemistry

Owning Collections