Pemetrexed (Alimta)

Generic Name: pemetrexed

Brand Name: Alimta

Pemetrexed (brand name Alimta) is a chemotherapy drug manufactured and marketed by Eli Lilly and Company. Its indications are the treatment of pleural mesothelioma as well as non-small cell lung cancer.

Alimta is a cancer medication that interferes with the growth of cancer cells and slows their growth and spread in the body. Alimta is used to treat mesothelioma, a form of lung cancer associated with exposure to asbestos. Alimta is also used to treat non-small cell lung cancer that has already been treated with other cancer medications.

Pemetrexed disodium, powder for solution for infusion, vial 500 mg. Each vial contains 500 mg of pemetrexed as pemetrexed disodium. Each 500 mg vial must be reconstituted with 20 mL of 0.9 % Sodium Chloride Injection (preservative free). The reconstituted Alimta solution contains 25 mg/mL of pemetrexed.

Alimta is supplied as a sterile lyophilized powder for intravenous infusion available in single-dose vials. The product is a white to either light yellow or green-yellow lyophilized solid. Each 500-mg vial of Alimta contains pemetrexed disodium equivalent to 500 mg pemetrexed and 500 mg of mannitol. Hydrochloric acid and/or sodium hydroxide may have been added to adjust pH.

Pemetrexed disodium, powder for solution for infusion, vial 500 mg. Each vial contains 500 mg of pemetrexed as pemetrexed disodium. Each 500 mg vial must be reconstituted with 20 mL of 0.9 % Sodium Chloride Injection (preservative free). The reconstituted Alimta solution contains 25 mg/mL of pemetrexed.
Alimta is supplied as a sterile lyophilized powder for intravenous infusion available in single-dose vials. The product is a white to either light yellow or green-yellow lyophilized solid. Each 500-mg vial of Alimta contains pemetrexed disodium equivalent to 500 mg pemetrexed and 500 mg of mannitol. Hydrochloric acid and/or sodium hydroxide may have been added to adjust pH.

Side effects of Alimta

Most patients taking Alimta will have side effects. Sometimes it is not always possible to tell whether Alimta, another medicine, or the cancer itself is causing these side effects. Call your doctor right away if you have a fever, chills, diarrhea, or mouth sores. These symptoms could mean you have an infection.

The most common side effects of Alimta when given alone or in combination with cisplatin are:

• Stomach upset, including nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. You can obtain medicines to help control some of these symptoms. Call your doctor if you get any of these symptoms.


• Low blood cell counts:


• Low red blood cells. Low red blood cells may make you feel tired, get tired easily, appear pale, and become short of breath.


• Low white blood cells. Low white blood cells may give you a greater chance for infection. If you have a fever (temperature above 100.4°F) or other signs of infection, call your doctor right away.


• Low platelets. Low platelets give you a greater chance for bleeding. Your doctor will do blood tests to check your blood counts before and during treatment with Alimta.



• Tiredness. You may feel tired or weak for a few days after your Alimta treatments. If you have severe weakness or tiredness, call your doctor.


• Mouth, throat, or lip sores (stomatitis, pharyngitis). You may get redness or sores in your mouth, throat, or on your lips. These symptoms may happen a few days after Alimta treatment. Talk with your doctor about proper mouth and throat care.


• Loss of appetite. You may lose your appetite and lose weight during your treatment. Talk to your doctor if this is a problem for you.


• Rash. You may get a rash or itching during treatment. These usually appear between treatments with Alimta and usually go away before the next treatment. Call your doctor if you get a severe rash or itching.

Alimta's approved label and patient information

Australia: Alimta listed on PBS

Sufferers of the asbestos-linked disease mesothelioma will have access to cheap treatment from today, after a long campaign to secure federal government subsidy paid off.

The government says the chemotherapy agent Alimta - the only treatment available specifically for the killer cancer of the lung or stomach lining - will be listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) from today.

Health Minister Nicola Roxon said the listing of Alimta was an important announcement that followed the "tireless campaigning" of Bernie Banton, who died, aged 61, in November from the disease.

"Bernie was a great Australian hero and it is due to his efforts that many people will understand the significance of this decision," she said.

About 600 Australians are diagnosed annually with mesothelioma, but the long lag time between exposure to asbestos and the onset of symptoms means its prevalence is tipped to rise in the future.

Medical studies have estimated 18,000 people will have become victims of the disease by 2020.
Alimta, which can increase survival time and improve a sufferer's quality of life, has been out of reach for many patients at $20,000 or more for six treatments.

From today, sufferers will pay a maximum of $31.30 for each prescription. Eligible concession-patients will pay $5 for each prescription.

The subsidy will cost the government about $26 million annually and is expected to benefit about 300 people a year.

The listing of the drug became an election issue after Mr Banton criticised then health minister Tony Abbott for failing to personally receive a 17,000-signature petition brought to his Sydney electoral office in October.

Mr Abbott was forced into an embarrassing apology after questioning whether the dying campaigner's motives for speaking out were "pure of heart".

A week later, a government-appointed board recommended the drug be added to the PBS after three times rejecting its listing since 2004.

Mr Abbott bypassed the normal process of cabinet approval by immediately announcing the drug's listing.

Until now, only about half of Australians suffering mesothelioma were getting easy access to the palliative care drug through state government subsidy and workplace compensation schemes

Source news.com.au 1/1/2008

Mesothelioma Images

Mesothelioma Defined

Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is almost always caused by previous exposure to asbestos. Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles, or have been exposed to asbestos dust and fibre in other ways, such as by washing the clothes of a family member who worked with asbestos, or by home renovation using asbestos cement products. Unlike lung cancer, there is no association between mesothelioma and smoking