ALIMTA SUMMARY
ALIMTA® , pemetrexed for injection, is an antifolate antineoplastic agent that exerts its action by disrupting folate-dependent metabolic processes essential for cell replication. Pemetrexed disodium heptahydrate has the chemical name L-Glutamic acid,
N
-[4-[2-(2-amino-4,7-dihydro-4-oxo-1
H
-pyrrolo[2,3-
d
]pyrimidin-5-yl)ethyl]benzoyl]-, disodium salt, heptahydrate.
Mesothelioma: ALIMTA in combination with cisplatin is indicated for the treatment of patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma whose disease is unresectable or who are otherwise not candidates for curative surgery.
Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: ALIMTA as a single-agent is indicated for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer after prior chemotherapy.
The effectiveness of ALIMTA in second-line NSCLC was based on the surrogate endpoint, response rate. There are no controlled trials demonstrating a clinical benefit, such as a favorable survival effect or improvement of disease-related symptoms.
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