Vidaza

Опис товару

About Vidaza

Vidaza is a medicine that contains the active substance azacitidine. It is available as a powder to be made up into a suspension for injection.

What it is used for

Vidaza is used for the treatment of adults with the following diseases, if they cannot have haematopoietic stem cell transplantation: myelodysplastic syndromes, a group of conditions where too few blood cells are produced by the bone marrow. In some cases, myelodysplastic syndromes can lead to acute myeloid leukaemia (AML, a cancer affecting white blood cells called myeloid cells). Vidaza is used in patients with an intermediate to high risk of progressing to AML or death; chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia (CMML, a cancer affecting white blood cells called monocytes). Vidaza is used when the bone marrow consists of 10 to 29% abnormal cells and the bone marrow is not producing large numbers of white blood cells; AML that has developed from a myelodysplastic syndrome and the bone marrow consists of 20 to 30% abnormal cells; AML, when the bone marrow has more than 30% abnormal cells.

How it is used

Vidaza treatment should be started and monitored under the supervision of a doctor experienced in the use of cancer medicines. Patients should receive medicines to prevent nausea (feeling sick) and vomiting before giving Vidaza. The recommended dose of Vidaza is 75 mg per square metre body surface area (calculated using the patient’s height and weight). It is given as an injection under the skin of the upper arm, thigh or abdomen (tummy) every day for one week, followed by three weeks with no treatment. This four-week period is one ‘cycle’. Treatment continues for at least six cycles and then for as long as it benefits the patient. The liver, kidneys and blood should be checked before each cycle. If the blood counts fall too low or if the patient develops kidney problems, the next treatment cycle should be delayed or a lower dose should be used.

How it works

The active substance in Vidaza, azacitidine, belongs to the group ‘anti?metabolites’. Azacitidine is an analogue of cytidine, which means that it is incorporated into the genetic material of cells (RNA and DNA). It is thought to work by altering the way the cell turns genes on and off and also by interfering with the production of new RNA and DNA. These actions are thought to correct the problems with the maturation and growth of young blood cells in the bone marrow that cause myelodysplastic disorders, and to kill cancerous cells in leukaemia.

Active substance: azacitidine

Source: EMA EPAR