Ethambutol

Ethambutol was discovered at Lederle Laboratories in 1961, when randomly selected synthetic compounds were being tested for antituberculosis activity. Chemically, it is dextro-2, 2′-(ethylenediimino)-di-1-butanol dihydrochloride, and it has a high degree of activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Thomas et al., 1961). The chemical formula of ethambutol dihydrochloride is C₁₀H₂₄N₂O₂. 2(HCl) and its molecular weight is 277.23; its molecular structure is shown in Figure 124.1. Ethambutol is a useful drug for the treatment of tuberculosis and infections due to Mycobacterium avium complex and other nontuberculous mycobacteria. Figure 124.1 Chemical structure of ethambutol. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781315152110/08d8042d-9481-4a8d-8c27-9bd589f6de6b/content/fig124_1.tif" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>