ATC Group: L01XD04 Aminolevulinic acid

The World Health Organization's ATC classification organizes medical drugs based on therapeutic properties, chemical composition, and anatomy. It helps make essential medicines readily available globally and is widely used in the pharmaceutical industry.

Position of L01XD04 in the ATC hierarchy

Level Code Title
1 L Antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents
2 L01 Antineoplastic agents
3 L01X Other antineoplastic agents
4 L01XD Sensitizers used in photodynamic/radiation therapy
5 L01XD04 Aminolevulinic acid

Active ingredients in L01XD04

Active Ingredient Description
Aminolevulinic acid

5-Aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) is a natural biochemical precursor of heme that is metabolised in a series of enzymatic reactions to fluorescent porphyrins, particularly PPIX. 5-ALA synthesis is regulated by an intracellular pool of free heme via a negative feedback mechanism. Administration of excess exogenous 5-ALA avoids the negative feedback control, and accumulation of PPIX occurs in target tissue. In the presence of visible light, fluorescence of PPIX (photodynamic effect) in certain target tissues can be used for photodynamic diagnosis.

Related product monographs

Title Information Source Document Type  
ALACARE Medicated plaster Medicines & Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (GB) MPI, EU: SmPC
AMELUZ Gel FDA, National Drug Code (US) MPI, US: SPL/PLR
Gliolan 30mg/ml powder for oral solution Medicines & Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (GB) MPI, EU: SmPC
GLIOLAN Powder for oral solution European Medicines Agency (EU) MPI, EU: SmPC

Medicines in this ATC group

United States (US)

Austria (AT)

Canada (CA)

Cyprus (CY)

Estonia (EE)

Finland (FI)

France (FR)

Hong Kong (HK)

Ireland (IE)

Japan (JP)

Lithuania (LT)

Netherlands (NL)

New Zealand (NZ)

Poland (PL)

Romania (RO)

Singapore (SG)

Spain (ES)

United Kingdom (UK)

Note the following: The list of brand names is continuously updated, and thus does not include the total of products circulating worldwide.