New and Emerging Treatments in Lung Cancer
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Alimta
Generic drug name: |
pemetrexed |
Brand/trade name: |
Alimta |
Manufactured by: |
Eli Lilly and Co. |
FDA approval: |
July 2009* for maintenance treatment of locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer that is not squamous cell carcinoma for those whose disease has not progressed after four cycles of platinum-based first-line chemotherapy.
September 2008** as first line treatment with cisplatin for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer that is not squamous cell. The 2004 approval was also amended to exclude use of Alimta alone for those with squamous cell lung cancer.
August 2004*** for use alone to treat patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer who have previously received chemotherapy |
Type of drug: |
Chemotherapy |
Overview
Alimta is a chemotherapy drug that works by interfering with one of the ways in which cancer cells grow and spread. Specifically, it interrupts the action of three enzymes (proteins which trigger activity in the cells) that help the cancer to grow.
Clinical trials:
Alimta is currently being tested in a wide variety of clinical trials including use with other kinds of chemotherapies, in early stage non-small cell lung cancer and after surgical removal of lung tumors, for brain metastases, and for the treatment of small cell lung cancer.
Treatment Overview:
Alimta is injected into the vein over 10 minutes, usually once every three weeks. When used with the chemotherapy drug cisplatin, the cisplatin will be given about 30 minutes after the Alimta injection ends and usually takes about two hours.
Common side effects:
Alimta alone typically has fewer side effects than traditional chemotherapies, including less hair loss and numbness in arms and legs (neuropathy). Most common side effects for patients receiving Alimta (alone or in combination with cisplatin) include stomach upset; low blood cell counts; mouth, throat, or lip sores; loss of appetite; and rash.
Special warnings:
Patients being treated with Alimta must take folic acid and vitamin B12 prior to treatment to lower the chance of harmful side effects such as low blood cell counts and bone marrow suppression. Alimta has not been shown to be effective to treat a kind of non-small cell lung cancer called squamous cell cancer.
For more detailed information on treatment with Alimta and side effects:
*for results of the study that lead to the 2009 approval, see this abstract from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual meeting 2009 http://www.asco.org/ASCOv2/Meetings/Abstracts?&vmview=abst_detail_view&confID=65&abstractID=33019
** for results of the study that lead to the 2008 approval, see this abstract in the Journal of Clinical Oncology http://jco.ascopubs.org/cgi/content/abstract/26/21/3543
*** for results of the study that lead to the 2004 approval, see the Journal of Clinical Oncology NSCLC study results
