Abstract
Intravenous fosaprepitant dimeglumine (Emend® for injection, IVEmend®; henceforth referred to as fosaprepitant) is a prodrug of and is rapidly converted to the antiemetic aprepitant, and is approved in several countries worldwide (as part of an antiemetic regimen) for the prevention of nausea and vomiting associated with highly and moderately emetogenic chemotherapy (HEC and MEC). This narrative review discusses the pharmacological properties of intravenous fosaprepitant and its clinical efficacy and tolerability in the prevention of nausea and vomiting associated with HEC and MEC. In large, randomized phase III clinical trials, a single intravenous dose of fosaprepitant 150 mg was an effective and generally well tolerated addition to an antiemetic regimen that included dexamethasone and a serotonin 5-HT3 receptor antagonist in adult cancer patients undergoing treatment with HEC or MEC. It was also noninferior to an oral aprepitant-based regimen in adult cancer patients undergoing HEC treatment. The tolerability profile of a fosaprepitant-based regimen was typical of that in patients receiving emetogenic chemotherapy, and adverse events were generally consistent with those observed with an aprepitant-based regimen. Fosaprepitant provides a useful addition to antiemetic therapy regimens.
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During the peer review process, the manufacturer of fosaprepitant was also offered an opportunity to review this article. Any changes resulting from comments received were made on the basis of scientific and editorial merit.
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The preparation of this review was not supported by any external funding.
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Karly P. Garnock-Jones is a salaried employee of Adis/Springer, is responsible for the article content and declares no relevant conflicts of interest.
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The manuscript was reviewed by: P. De Negri, Department of Surgical Oncology and Pain Medicine, IRCCS Centro di Riferimento Oncologico della Basillicata, OECI Clinical Cancer Center, Rionero in Vulture, Italy; M. Markman, Eastern Regional Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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Garnock-Jones, K.P. Fosaprepitant Dimeglumine: A Review in the Prevention of Nausea and Vomiting Associated with Chemotherapy. Drugs 76, 1365–1372 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40265-016-0627-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40265-016-0627-7