Pemetrexed (also known as Alimta) specifically is a kind of injectable chemotherapy or anticancer medicinal product, that comes as a white to either light yellow or green-yellow lyophilized powder supplied in sterile single-use vials that contains pemetrexed 500 mg and 100 mg. Chemotherapy is treatment with single or multiple anticancer medicines that are intended to destroy cancer cells. Pemetrexed is widely used to treat a certain kind of lung cancer known as advanced non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Specifically, Pemetrexed is designed to work in order to interfere with the activity of 3 enzymes that are very crucial to help the cancer progress.
Prior to treatment with Pemetrexed and on specific days throughout therapy, patients must take folic acid orally (by mouth), and patients will usually receive vitamin B12 injections to help reduce the probability of harmful side effects. A health specialist will also prescribe a medicine named a corticosteroid, which they must take a couple of times daily for three days, beginning the day prior to each treatment with Pemetrexed.
Dosage and Administration
Combination Use of Pemetrexed with Cisplatin for Nonsquamous Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer or Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma: The proposed dose of Pemetrexed is 500 mg/m, which should be administered as an intravenous infusion over 10 minutes on Day 1'st of each 21-day cycle. The proposed dose of cisplatin is 75 mg/m infused over a couple of hours starting around 30 minutes after the end of Pemetrexed administration.
Single-Agent Use as Maintenance Following First-Line Therapy, or as a Second-Line Therapy: The proposed dose is pemetrexed injection of 500 mg/m, which should be administered as an intravenous infusion over ten minutes on a Day 1'st of each 21-day cycle.
Premedication Regimen and Concurrent Medicines
Vitamin Supplementation: Patients should initiate folic acid 400 mcg to 1000 mcg orally once a day beginning 7 days prior to the first dose of Pemetrexed. Continue folic acid throughout the complete therapy and for 21 days after the final dose of Pemetrexed.
Vitamin B12 1 mg should be administered intramuscularly 7 days prior to the initial dose of Pemetrexed and every three cycles thereafter. Subsequent injections of vitamin B12 may be administered the same day as therapy with Pemetrexed.
Corticosteroids: Dexamethasone 4 mg should be given or administered orally (by mouth) twice a day the day prior to, the day of, and the day after the administration of Pemetrexed.
Monitoring
Complete blood cell (CBCs) counts, including platelet counts, need to be performed on all patients taking treatment with pemetrexed. Patients should be assessed for nadir and recovery, which were evaluated in the clinical study prior to each dose and on days 8'th & 15'th of each cycle. Patients should not start a new cycle of treatment unless the platelet count is ≥ 100,000 cells per mm3, the ANC is ≥ 1500 cells per mm3, and creatinine clearance is ≥ 45 mL/min. Periodic chemistry tests need to be performed in order to evaluate renal and hepatic function.
Note: All information mentioned in this article is provided just for informational, educational, and referential purposes only.