Definition
Pemetrexed (brand name Alimta) is a drug that belongs to a class of chemotherapeutic drugs known as folate antimetabolites. The drug was approved by the US Food and Drug administration in February 2004 for the treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) in combination with cisplatin, a platinum-containing chemotherapeutic drug. Then, in July 2004, the drug was approved by the FDA as a second-line agent for the treatment of advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Currently, the drug is used as a single agent or in combination with other chemotherapeutic agents for the treatment of other types of cancer such as breast cancer, bladder cancer, colorectal carcinoma, and cervical cancer. It is developed and marketed by Eli Lilly and Company, an Indianapolis-based company.
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© 2015 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Schwab, M. (2015). Pemetrexed. In: Schwab, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Cancer. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27841-9_6823-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27841-9_6823-2
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Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27841-9
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