{"entity":{"id":"urokinase","kind":"drug","name":"Urokinase","aka":["Abbokinase","Syner-KINASE"],"tldr":"Urokinase is a clot-dissolving medicine. Its US label is for large clots in the lungs; in cancer care it has also been used to unblock central lines, with low-quality evidence that it works.","summary":"The Kinlytic label (DailyMed SPL, 2008) is indicated in adults \"for the lysis of acute massive pulmonary emboli\" and of pulmonary emboli with unstable haemodynamics. The 2012 Cochrane review of occluded central venous catheters found \"low quality evidence from a meta-analysis of two studies suggesting that urokinase (various strengths) was more effective than placebo for restoring patency to occluded CVC lumens\" (relative risk 2.09, 95% CI 1.47 to 2.95; number needed to treat 4). The licence holder's original approval in Drugs@FDA is dated 16 January 1978.","status":"approved","asOf":"2026-11-11","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urokinase","links":[{"label":"US label (DailyMed): Kinlytic (urokinase)","url":"https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=bfe5cfb9-591d-4df8-12a3-6555cde3185d"},{"label":"van Miert et al., Interventions for restoring patency of occluded central venous catheter lumens (Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2012)","url":"https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD007119.pub2"}],"tags":["supportive","generic","supportive-care-gaps-2026-11"],"related":["alteplase"],"cancers":[],"sections":[],"technologies":["picc-lines","implanted-ports"],"targets":[],"drugs":[],"companies":[],"institutions":[],"pathways":[],"terms":["central-venous-access"],"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":"Kinlytic","modality":"Thrombolytic (plasminogen activator)","supportive":true,"mechanism":"A plasminogen activator: converts plasminogen to plasmin, which digests fibrin in a clot.","approvals":[{"region":"US","year":1978,"indication":"Lysis of acute massive pulmonary embolism, or pulmonary embolism with unstable haemodynamics","note":"Year from Drugs@FDA (BLA 021846, original approval)"}],"mechanismSteps":[],"toxicity":[],"access":[],"regulatoryEvents":[]},"route":"/drugs/urokinase/","neighbours":{"drug":[{"id":"alteplase","kind":"drug","name":"Alteplase","route":"/drugs/alteplase/"}],"technology":[{"id":"implanted-ports","kind":"technology","name":"Implanted ports for chemotherapy (port-a-cath, power-injectable, apheresis and intraperitoneal ports)","route":"/technologies/implanted-ports/"},{"id":"picc-lines","kind":"technology","name":"Peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC lines)","route":"/technologies/picc-lines/"}],"term":[{"id":"central-venous-access","kind":"term","name":"Central venous access (port, PICC line)","route":"/terms/central-venous-access/"}]}}