Cremophor EL

Cremophor EL is the registered trademark of BASF Corp. for its version of polyethoxylated castor oil. It is prepared by reacting 35 moles of ethylene oxide with each mole of castor oil. The resulting product is a mixture (CAS number 61791-12-6): the major component is the material in which the hydroxyl groups of the castor oil triglyceride have ethoxylated with ethylene oxide to form polyethylene glycol ethers. Minor components are the polyethyelene glycol esters of ricinoleic acid, polyethyelene glycols and polyethyelene glycol ethers of glycerol. Cremophor EL is a synthetic, nonionic surfactant. Its utility comes from its ability to stabilize emulsions of nonpolar materials in aqueous systems.

Cremophor EL is an excipient or additive in drugs. Therapeutically, modern drugs are rarely given in a pure chemical state, so most active ingredients are combined with excipients or additives such as Cremophor EL.

Uses

• Miconazole, anti-fungal
• Paclitaxel, anti-cancer

(Cremophor EL is used in Taxol (paclitaxel) and has been called as a dose limiting agent because of its toxicities. (A formulation of paclitaxel that uses nanoparticle albumin instead of Cremophor EL is marketed as an alternative under the trade name of Abraxane.))

• Aci-Jel (acetic acid / oxyquinoline / ricinoleic acid - vaginal)
• Sandimmune (cyclosporine injection, USP)
• Nelfinavir mesylate, HIV protese inhibitor
• Propofol, intravenous anaesthetic agent, originally presented in Cremophor for trials; now presented in a lipid emulsion
• Diazepam injection; superseded by lipid emulsion alternative (Diazemuls)
• Vitamin K injection