Gestrinone

Gestrinone

Gestrinone, also known as ethylnorgestrienone, is a synthetic steroid of the 19-nortestosterone group that is marketed in Europe, Australia, and Latin America, though not the United States or Canada, and is used primarily in the treatment of endometriosis. Gestrinone was developed in the early 1970s and was tested clinically as a weekly oral contraceptive in Europe and North America. Without significant advantages over other oral contraceptives and with its high cost, gestrinone was no longer used after the Stage II clinical trials. However, from 1982 this drug attracted increased interest due to significant therapeutic effects in the treatment endometriosis. Under different endocrine conditions, gestrinone possesses estrogenic, progestational, androgenic, antiestrogenic and antiprogesterone actions.