Chemotherapy drugs used to treat cancer are undergoing continuous review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. New medications are approved each year to battle various types of cancers. Chemo drugs were once exclusively injectable, but more oral medications are becoming available. These treatments expand the options cancer patients have when faced with what can be a life-threatening illness.
Tasigna
Tasigna is the brand name for the generic medication, nilotinib. It was originally approved by the FDA in 2007, but was approved for a new use on June 17, 2010. Tasigna is used for the treatment of patients who have been recently diagnosed with Philadelphia-chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia. This is an oral medication which patients take twice daily without food. Tasigna belongs to a class of drugs called kinase inhibitors which help to deactivate enzymes that lead to uncontrolled cancer growth.
Jevtana
Also approved by the FDA on June 17, 2010 is Jevtana for prostate cancer. It is also known by the generic name cabazitaxel. Jevtana is used along with the steroid, prednisone, to treat men with advanced prostate cancer that has spread and did not respond to previous treatment. It is an injectable medication known as a microtubule inhibitor that interrupts the function of cancer cells. Jevtana is a powerful chemo drug that can cause low white blood cell counts which means frequent monitoring of patients treated with this medication.
Tykerb
Tykerb received FDA approval in late January 2010. Also known by its generic name, lapatinib, Tykerb is used for treatment of patients with HER2-positive breast cancer that has spread. The initial approval is for women who have already experienced menopause. Tykerb is combined with letrozole or capecitabine to help women whose breast cancer responds to hormone-blocking treatment. It is an oral medication that has been associated with liver problems during treatment.
