Alimta – The Cancer Drug for Treating Mesothelioma
Alimta, also known as pemetrexed if given by injection, is the standard chemotherapy drug given to patients diagnosed with mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. Alimta was discovered by Edward Taylor, a chemist at Princeton University.
Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that begins in the mesothelium, which is the protective sac that covers the lungs, heart or abdomen. Pleural mesothelioma is the most common type of mesothelioma, originating in the lungs. All forms of mesothelioma are linked with prior exposure to asbestos. Symptoms of mesothelioma do not begin to appear until ten to forty years after exposure, and can be difficult to diagnose before the cancer has reached advanced stages.
In most cases, prognosis of mesothelioma is quite poor, usually less than a year from time of diagnosis. To date, there is no known cure and therefore the focus of treatments is to provide palliative relief and slow progression of the disease. Combining Alimta with cisplatin or carboplatin is the approved optimal first line chemotherapy regimen for treating mesothelioma. This combination has been approved by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), which is an organization widely recognized by physicians for setting the standard for clinical policy for oncology.
Alimta is marketed by the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, USA, LLC and was first approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2004 for treatment of mesothelioma. What few know, however, is that the chemist who discovered this drug is Edward Taylor, who now resides as professor emeritus in the chemistry department at Princeton University.
Taylor says that developing the right compound that would eventually lead to the development of Alimta took years and many failed clinical trials to discover a useful drug that did not have high toxicity to healthy cells. Taylor began to explore anti-cancer possibilities of synthetic compounds soon after entering the field. He later partnered with Eli Lilly in 1985 and, after much research and failed clinical trials, led to the successful development of Alimta. In February of 2004, Alimta was finally approved as an antitumor drug for treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM).
Many cancers quickly can build a resistance to chemotherapy drugs. However, Alimta works by simultaneously blocking three separate enzyme targets vital to the survival of cancer cells, and therefore cancers do not build up a resistance as quickly. Alimta is administered with a vitamin supplementation of folic acid and vitamin B12. Researchers discovered that this type of administration significantly reduced the drug’s side effects without interfering with its ability to kill cancer cells.
Some mesothelioma patients who have had their survival times and quality of life increased because of being treated with Alimta, discover that Taylor is behind the development of the drug that made this possible, and contact him to express their gratitude.
If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, and would like more information about treatment options and also about how to get compensation to pay for cancer treatments, contact the mesothelioma attorneys at our asbestos law firm to find out the fastest, easiest way to access resources.
