Alimta approved by FDA for advanced lung cancer treatment
Alimta (pemetrexed) has become the first drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for maintenance therapy of advanced or metastatic lung cancer. The drug works by disrupting folate-dependent metabolic processes. It can be used after patients discontinue several successful chemotherapy cycles in order to prevent the cancer from progressing.
Clinical trials have shown that patients with non-small cell lung cancer who tried Alimta maintenance therapy had a longer average survival rate than patients who received a placebo. The exception to this was patients with squamous cell cancer, although patients with other subtypes of non-small cell lung cancer were among those who survived an average of five months longer with Alimta than patients who received the placebo. Adverse reactions to Alimta included fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite, blood cell damage, numbness or tingling in the hands and feet, and skin rash.
In 2004, Alimta was initially approved for the treatment of patients with mesothelioma. The drug is manufactured by Eli Lilly & Co.
For the full story, go to the Food and Drug Administration.
