Alimta
The Food and Drug Administration department approved of Alimta recently as an effective measure for treating malignant pleural mesothelioma – a rare form of carcinoma of the mesothelium lining (in the lungs or abdomen or heart) brought forth by asbestos exposure. It requires to be administered with Cisplatin, another medicine for treating cancer. Alimta blocks specific enzymes that accelerate the growth of the cancerous tumors. Thus, if someone thinks it to be a complete cure for malignant pleural mesothelioma, know that the drug just increases the median survival rate of cancer patients that Cisplatin alone has had provided all these years; it increased to 12.1 months per person on an average from the previous 9.3 months span.
Alimta is administered through the veins and is thus an intravenous drug. The frequency is one dose in about every 21 days. After 30 minutes of pushing Alimta, Cisplatin is infused after administering folic acid and vitamin B12 to the patient. This has been found to lower and at times, completely eliminate the side effects of Alimta. However, if you are pregnant or planning for pregnancy, stay away from the drug as it can harm substantially an embryo. The same is advised to patients
with renal disorders or the ones under non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
The most common side effects of Alimta are an upset stomach, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dropped platelets, leucocyte and erythrocyte count, infection, anemia, tiredness, sores in the face region, loss of appetite and rash. However, if preceded and succeeded with cortico-steroids (a steroid hormone produced by the adrenal cortex or synthesized; administered as drugs they decrease swelling and response to the body’s immune process), Alimta treatment does not give rise to any skin reaction. In order to ensure reaction free treatment, your doctor or
physician will conduct regular blood tests prior to and after Almita treatment.
ALIMTA NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
- Study outcome won’t sway company on eye drug
(AP) - Acupuncture beats drug to treat hot flashes: study
(Reuters) - Avastin slows progression of lung cancer
(Reuters) - Study confirms Avastin lung-cancer benefits: Roche
(Reuters) - Study confirms Avastin lung-cancer benefits: Roche
(Reuters) - Health Tip: Symptoms of a Drug Allergy
(HealthDay) - FDA Grants Lilly’s Alimta (Pemetrexed for Injection) Third U.S. Approval
- FDA Approves Colcrys (colchicine, USP) for Prevention of Gout Flares
- FDA Approves Colcrys (colchicine, USP) for Prevention of Gout Flares
- Safety a problem for new generation drugs, too
(AP) - FDA Grants Lilly’s Alimta (Pemetrexed for Injection) Third U.S. Approval
- Cancer diagnoses delayed as Dutch reactor to stay shut till Feb
(AFP) - Radiation After Surgery Lowers Chances of Melanoma
Recurrence
(HealthDay) - Radiation After Surgery Lowers Chances of Melanoma
Recurrence
(HealthDay) - Long-Term Problems Linked to Testicular Cancer Chemo
(HealthDay) - Long-Term Problems Linked to Testicular Cancer Chemo
(HealthDay) - Pill as good as chemo on lung cancer, but costlier
(AP) - Study: Pill as good as chemo on lung cancer, but costlier
(AP) - Pill as good as chemo on lung cancer, but costlier
(AP) - Pain drug morphine may accelerate cancer growth
(Reuters) - Pain drug morphine may accelerate cancer growth
(Reuters) - Sunbeds: 250,000 English kids at risk of cancer
(AFP) - Sunbeds: 250,000 English kids at risk of cancer
(AFP) - Sunbeds: 250,000 English kids at risk of cancer
(AFP) - Sunbeds: 250,000 English kids at risk of cancer
(AFP) - Medication fears lead to worse side effects
(Reuters) - Medication fears lead to worse side effects
(Reuters) - Lilly Receives Fourth FDA Approval for Alimta (pemetrexed for injection) as Maintenance Therapy For Nonsquamous Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
- Antipsychotics Up Death Risk in Alzheimer’s Patients
(HealthDay) - Antipsychotics Up Death Risk in Alzheimer’s Patients
(HealthDay) - Antipsychotics Up Death Risk in Alzheimer’s Patients
(HealthDay) - New Drug Slows Advanced Kidney Cancer
(HealthDay) - New Drug Slows Advanced Kidney Cancer
(HealthDay) - MS pills show promise and risk, studies say
(AP) - MS pills show promise and risk, studies say
(AP) - Several diseases form deadly brain cancer: study
(AFP) - Several diseases form deadly brain cancer: study
(AFP) - Antipsychotics Up Death Risk in Alzheimer’s Patients
(HealthDay) - Antipsychotics Up Death Risk in Alzheimer’s Patients
(HealthDay) - Antipsychotics Up Death Risk in Alzheimer’s Patients
(HealthDay) - Combo treatment for prostate cancer cuts deaths
(AP) - Combo treatment for prostate cancer cuts deaths
(AP) - Combo treatment for prostate cancer cuts deaths
(AP) - Prostate cancer radiotherapy safe for HIV patients
(Reuters) - Prostate cancer radiotherapy safe for HIV patients
(Reuters) - Prostate cancer radiotherapy safe for HIV patients
(Reuters) - LinkMed: Qiagen Launches Olerup SSP AB’s New Test For Detecting Adverse Reactions To HIV-Medicine In The EU
- Zoledronic Acid Improves Bone-Mineral Density Loss In Premenopausal Patients Using Endocrine Therapies For Early Stage Breast Cancer
- HIV/AIDS Groups Express Concern About Potential For New Antiretroviral Advertising To ‘Scare Off’ Patients
- Infant Sensitivity To Negative Emotional Expressions Develops At Around Six Months