Xaluprine (previously Mercaptopurine Nova Laboratories)

Product Overview

About Xaluprine (previously Mercaptopurine Nova Laboratories)

Xaluprine is a medicine that contains the active substance mercaptopurine. It is available as an oral suspension.

What it is used for

Xaluprine is used to treat children, adolescents and adults who have acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), a cancer of the lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). Because the number of patients with ALL is low, the disease is considered ‘rare’, and Xaluprine was designated an ‘orphan medicine’ (a medicine used in rare diseases) on 30 April 2009. The medicine can only be obtained with a prescription.

How it is used

Treatment with this medicine should be supervised by a healthcare professional experienced in treating patients with ALL. The medicine is taken by mouth, using the syringe provided in the pack, once per day in the evening. The dose is determined for each patient mainly by body surface area and may be adjusted according to its effects in the blood. It can be taken with food (except dairy products) or on an empty stomach but this should be consistent from day to day.

How it works

The active substance in this medicine, mercaptopurine has a similar chemical structure to purine, which is one of the fundamental chemicals that make up DNA. In the body, 6–mercaptopurine is converted within cells into a substance that interferes with the production of new DNA. This prevents the cells from dividing. In ALL, the lymphocytes multiply too quickly and live for too long. 6–Mercaptopurine prevents them from dividing and they eventually die, thereby slowing down the progression of the leukaemia.

Active substance: mercaptopurine

Source: EMA EPAR