{"entity":{"id":"propofol","kind":"drug","name":"Propofol","aka":[],"tldr":"Propofol is an anaesthetic given into a vein for operations and deep sedation. Children with cancer may have it for lumbar punctures and other procedures, and in palliative care it is a last-step option for sedation, given under an anaesthetist.","summary":"The Diprivan label covers monitored anaesthesia care sedation, combined sedation and regional anaesthesia, induction and maintenance of general anaesthesia and sedation of ventilated patients in intensive care. The international guideline on needle procedures in children with cancer (Loeffen 2020) strongly recommends offering deep sedation or general anaesthesia to all children having a lumbar puncture; NICE CG112 requires a professional trained in delivering anaesthetic agents to be available whenever propofol, sevoflurane or opioids with ketamine are used for sedation in under-19s. In the EAPC 2024 palliative sedation framework propofol is step 3, \"Administration under the supervision of an anaesthesiologist is advisable\". The Diprivan NDA was approved on 2 October 1989.","status":"approved","asOf":"2026-11-11","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propofol","links":[{"label":"US label (DailyMed): Diprivan","url":"https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=5cec3b97-5183-4a9d-accd-21e76c99d3dd"},{"label":"NICE CG112: Sedation in under 19s, using sedation for diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, recommendations","url":"https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg112/chapter/Recommendations"},{"label":"Surges et al., Revised EAPC recommended framework on palliative sedation (Palliat Med 2024), table of medications","url":"https://doi.org/10.1177/02692163231220225"},{"label":"Loeffen et al., Reducing pain and distress related to needle procedures in children with cancer: a clinical practice guideline (Eur J Cancer 2020)","url":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejca.2020.02.039"}],"tags":["supportive","generic","supportive-care-gaps-2026-11"],"related":["midazolam","ketamine","levomepromazine"],"cancers":[],"sections":[],"technologies":[],"targets":[],"drugs":[],"companies":[],"institutions":[],"pathways":[],"terms":["palliative-sedation"],"trials":[],"people":[],"bottlenecks":[],"keyPapers":[],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"provenance":{"editedBy":"OnCo supportive care gap fill (DailyMed, openFDA, Drugs@FDA, emc SmPCs, NICE, ESMO, ASCO, MASCC, SITC, ASTCT, ITAC, Europe PMC)","editedOn":"2026-11-11"},"brand":"Diprivan","modality":"Intravenous general anaesthetic and sedative","supportive":true,"mechanism":"A short-acting intravenous anaesthetic that enhances GABA-A receptor signalling.","approvals":[{"region":"US","year":1989,"indication":"Induction and maintenance of general anaesthesia; procedural and intensive care sedation","note":"Year is the Diprivan NDA 019627 approval (Drugs@FDA)"}],"mechanismSteps":[],"toxicity":[],"access":[],"regulatoryEvents":[]},"route":"/drugs/propofol/","neighbours":{"drug":[{"id":"ketamine","kind":"drug","name":"Ketamine","route":"/drugs/ketamine/"},{"id":"levomepromazine","kind":"drug","name":"Levomepromazine","route":"/drugs/levomepromazine/"},{"id":"midazolam","kind":"drug","name":"Midazolam","route":"/drugs/midazolam/"}],"term":[{"id":"palliative-sedation","kind":"term","name":"Palliative sedation","route":"/terms/palliative-sedation/"}]}}