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The following
information is provided for general information purposes
ONLY. |
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| What is Amifostine? |
| Amifostine is given by injection into a vein.
Amifostine is used to protect the kidneys against
the harmful effects of the cancer-fighting drug
cisplatin in patients with ovarian cancer or lung
cancer. Also, amifostine reduce the severe dry
mouth caused by radiation treatment after surgery
for head and neck cancer. Amifostine is in a class
of drugs known as chemoprotectants; it protects
against the harmful effects of cisplatin and
radiation treatment. The length of treatment depends
on the types of drugs you are taking, how well your
body responds to them, and the type of cancer you
have. |
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| How is Amifostine used? |
| Amifostine is used to help prevent or lessen some
side effects caused by other medicines or radiation
therapy that are used to treat cancer. Pretreatment
with Ethyol significantly reduced the cumulative
renal toxicity associated with multiple cycles of
chemotherapy. |
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| Amifostine General Information |
| Amifostine has been approved to reduce the renal
toxicity associated with repeated administration of
chemotherapy in subjects with advanced ovarian
cancer. Currently, there are only limited data on
the effects of Amifostine on the efficacy of
chemotherapy in other settings. Amifostine should
not be administered to patients receiving
chemotherapy for malignancies that are commonly
curable, except in the context of a clinical study. |
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| The mechanism of action of Amifostine |
| Amifostine is a pro-drug which is activated to the
free thiol metabolite at the tissue site. The thiol
metabolite is responsible for most of the
cytoprotective and radioprotective properties of
amifostine. It is readily taken up by cells where it
binds to and detoxifies reactive metabolites of
platinum and alkylating agents as well as scavenges
free radicals. Other possible effects include
inhibition of apoptosis, alteration of gene
expression and modification of enzyme activity.
Healthy cells are preferentially protected because
amifostine and metabolites are present in healthy
cells at 100-fold greater concentrations than in
tumour cells. |
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| What is Amifostine side effect? |
| The side effects of Amifostine were vomiting, low
blood pressure, somnolence, and sneezing. Vomiting,
hypotension, and somnolence were more common with
higher drug doses. In a phase I trial, vomiting and
somnolence were experienced significantly more
frequently by women than men. |
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| Precautions before taking Amifostine |
| tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic
to amifostine or any other drugs. |
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| tell your doctor and pharmacist what prescription
and nonprescription medications, vitamins,
nutritional supplements, and herbal products you are
taking. Be sure to mention medications for high
blood pressure. Your doctor may need to change the
doses of your medications or monitor you carefully
for side effects. |
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| tell your doctor if you have or have ever had kidney
disease, chest pain (angina), irregular heartbeats,
heart failure, a stroke, or a mini-stroke. |
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| women who are pregnant or breast-feeding should tell
their doctors before they begin taking this drug.
You should not plan to have children while receiving
chemotherapy or for a while after treatments. (Talk
to your doctor for further details.) Use a reliable
method of birth control to prevent pregnancy. |
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| you should know that the most common side effect of
amifostine is a decrease in blood pressure, which
may start while the drug is being given and lasts
about 6 minutes. You will be told to lie on your
back and your blood pressure will be checked
regularly during your treatment. Your doctor may
order fluids to be given by injection into a vein to
help improve your blood pressure. |
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| In case of Amifostine overdose |
| In case of Amifostine overdose, call your local
poison control center. If the victim has collapsed
or is not breathing, call local emergency services
at 911. Symptoms of overdose may include:
dizziness, lightheadedness, and fainting. |
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| Special instructions for Amifostine |
| You will probably be given anti-nausea medication
before and during amifostine administration. |
| Keep all appointments with your doctor and the
laboratory. Your doctor may order certain lab tests
to check your body's response to amifostine. |
| Contraindicated in patients with hypersensitivity
reaction to aminothiols. Due to its potential to
cause nausea, vomiting and hypotension, amifostine
should be used cautiously in patients with
cardiovascular conditions, cerebrovascular disease,
dehydration, preexisting hypotension or
predisposition to hypocalcemia. |
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Amifostine Clinical Trials 1
Amifostine Clinical Trials 2 |
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Amifostine Patents 1
Amifostine Patents 2
Amifostine Patents 3 |
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Amifostine Patents 4
Amifostine Patents 5 |
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| Disclaimer: |
| Information on this page is provided for general
information purposes. You should not make a clinical
treatment decision based on information contained in
this page without consulting other references
including the package insert of the drug, textbooks
and where relevant, expert opinion. We cannot be
held responsible for any errors you make in
administering drugs mentioned on this page, nor for
use of any erroneous information contained on this
page. |
