Acetylcysteine · Acetadote, NSC-111180

What is Acetylcysteine?

Acetylcysteine is an N-acetyl derivative of the amino acid L-cysteine that acts as a precursor to glutathione. It prevents or lessens hepatic injury after acetaminophen overdose by maintaining or restoring glutathione levels and serving as an alternate substrate for detoxification of acetaminophen's reactive metabolite. It also has mucolytic and antioxidant properties.

Summary written with AI from the sources listed at the end of this page.

At a glance

Also known as

Acetadote, NSC-111180, RK-0202

Drug type

Small molecule

Targets

glutathione

Mechanism

Activator of glutathione

Pathways

antioxidant defense, glutathione metabolism, ROS scavenging

Therapy area

Metabolic

Developer

Apothecon

In trials of

CPIX

FDA status

Approved as Acetadote (September 14, 1963), NDA013601 · FDA label

UNII

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✅ FDA-approved uses

• Hepatic injury from acetaminophen overdose

From the indications section of the FDA label (version of Apr 30, 2025). Read the full label for the exact wording, limitations and safety information.

🧪 Clinical trials

Trials of the companies BioRadar tracks, from ClinicalTrials.gov, most advanced phase first.

Conditions studied

Acetaminophen OverdoseRadiocontrast Nephropathy

Sources

• FDA label (DailyMed)
• FDA label Acetylcysteine (2025-07-31), indications
• FDA label Acetadote (2025-04-30), indications
• NCI Thesaurus
• ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00780962
• ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01118663
• ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01118663

Updated Oct 3, 2026.