Lilly's lung cancer drug Alimta is approved in US

by Anil Kumar

Know more about
Lung Cancer
Lilly's lung cancer drug Alimta is approved in US

Eli Lilly's lung cancer drug Alimta (pemetrexed) -- the first drug available for maintenance therapy of advanced or metastatic lung cancer, is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, USA.

Patients with cancer often receive maintenance therapy to prevent the disease from progressing after their tumor has shrunk or the disease has stabilized in response to chemotherapy.

Alimta disrupts metabolic processes that are dependent on the B-vitamin folate, a necessary ingredient for cell replication.

"This drug represents a new approach in the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer," said Richard Pazdur, M.D., director, Office of Oncology Drug Products in the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. "Typically, patients whose tumors respond to chemotherapy do not receive further treatment after four-to-six chemotherapy cycles. This study demonstrates an advantage in overall survival in certain patients who received Alimta for maintenance therapy."

Alimta initially was approved in 2004 for the treatment of patients with mesothelioma, a cancer frequently related to asbestos exposure. The drug was later approved for the treatment of patients with non-small cell lung cancer whose disease worsened on prior chemotherapy drugs and also as an initial therapy for advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Alimta is manufactured by Eli Lilly & Co. of Indianapolis.


(Anil Kumar -- sub-editor compiled and published Lilly's lung cancer drug Alimta is approved in US at HealthNewsTrack on July 6, 2009 sourced from U.S. Food and Drug Administration - http://www.fda.gov/)

Lung Cancer - recent articles and current news stories:

- New lung cancer test could accurately guide treatment for people with lung cancer
- 20% reduction in lung cancer mortality with low dose CT vs chest X ray
- Gene expression changes in nasal cells may help identify lung cancer
- Genetic test for lung cancer risk prompts smokers to quit
- Vitamin B6 lowers risk of lung cancer

Lung Cancer article/news source:

Read more health articles from U.S. Food and Drug Administration and health articles from USA.

Lung Cancer - search related terms:

Asbestos, Chemotherapy, Lung cancer, Maintenance therapy, Mesothelioma, Metastatic lung cancer, Tumor,
Lung Cancer books,

Searched keywords: alimta (5),

Mission
Health Newstrack is dedicated to serve recent and updated health & medical research, events/news, views/reviews to its subscribers and free access to general public, health & medical professionals, and other health seekers worldwide online with a user-friendly system.


Subscribe to Health News by Email

Current news
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves first maintenance drug therapy for advanced lung cancer -- Alimta, pemetrexed.

Lung Cancer
About Lung Cancer
Lung cancer is a disease in which the cells of the lung tissues grow uncontrollably and form tumors. There are two kinds of lung cancers, primary and secondary. Primary lung cancer (also called adenocarcinoma) starts in the lung itself. Primary lung cancer is divided into small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer, depending on how the cells look under the microscope. Secondary lung cancer is cancer that starts somewhere else in the body (for example, the breast or colon) and spreads to the lungs.


List health news, Health organizations, Health news world, Glossary, Best health articles, Featured     Go to top

The information provided on Health Newstrack is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her physician. We comply with the HONcode principles for trustworthy health information, and Health News Track is hon code accredited, verify here.
About us, Site map Privacy policy, Disclaimer
© 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 HealthNewsTrack.com
1.31