ALIMTA® (pemetrexed for injection) and Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
June 3, 2007 by Gloria Gamat
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
Manufactured and marketed by Eli Lilly and Company, ALIMTA® (pemetrexed for injection) is indicated as a second-line treatment for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and in combination with cisplatin is indicated for the treatment of patients with malignant pleural unresectable mesothelioma.
Now, according to Phase III study clinical data, a first-line ALIMTA®-based regimen may deliver less toxicity than a commonly used therapy in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
The said clinical data as presented at ASCO 43rd Annual Meeting came from the prospective, randomized, multicenter Phase III study conducted to compare ALIMTA® plus carboplatin with the commonly used regimen of GEMZAR® (gemcitabine HC1 for injection) plus carboplatin.
According to Bjørn Henning Grønberg, M.D. of St. Olavs University Hospital in Norway and the study’s principal investigator:
“The patients in this study received a comparable quality-of-life benefit whether they received ALIMTA and carboplatin or GEMZAR and carboplatin. Patients on the ALIMTA arm also appeared to benefit from a lower toxicity profile.”
Also, while previous research has indicated that oxaliplatin and ALIMTA (as single agents) have shown activity in NSCLC, now ALIMTA has shown synergistic effects when combined with platinum-based drugs.
Find more details from the full report.
