Pegylated Liposomal Doxorubicin

Description

This page contains brief details about the drug pegylated liposomal doxorubicin, it’s indication, dosage & administaration, mechanism of action, related brands with strength, warnings and common side effects.

Date of Approval

Pegylated liposomal doxorubicin is an anticancer drug that belongs to anthracycline antibiotics. The FDA approved it in 1995 for treating certain cancers and other diseases.

Mechanism of Action of Pegylated Liposomal Doxorubicin

Pegylated liposomal doxorubicin is a new class of drug formulations delivered in vesicles called liposomes. The mechanism of action of doxorubicin HCl is related to its ability to bind DNA and inhibit nucleic acid synthesis. Studies have demonstrated that the drug penetrates rapidly into the cell, binds to certain proteins in DNA, and thereby inhibits cell division and nucleic acid synthesis.

Uses of Pegylated Liposomal Doxorubicin

Pegylated liposomal doxorubicin is used as a monotherapy for patients with metastatic breast cancer, with an increased cardiac risk associated with conventional doxorubicin. It is also indicated for advanced ovarian carcinoma in women who have failed standard first-line therapy (Platinum-and paclitaxel- based chemotherapy is the current standard first-line treatment regimen). It is also used to treat AIDS-related Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS) in patients with low CD4 counts (<200 CD4 lymphocytes/mm3 ) and to treat extensive mucocutaneous or visceral disease in patients who have not responded to previous cancer therapy with other medicines or whose disease has worsened despite the therapy. Other uses include combining bortezomib to treat patients with multiple myeloma who have not previously received bortezomib and have received at least one prior therapy.

Pegylated Liposomal Doxorubicin Dosage available

The drug should be administered only by physicians experienced with cancer chemotherapy. Your physician will determine the dose and frequency of administration based on the type of cancer and severity of the disease. Generally, for breast and ovarian cancer, the medicine is administered intravenously at a dose of 50 mg/m2 body surface once every 4 weeks for at least 4 courses. For treating AIDS-Kaposi Sarcoma, the drug is administered intravenously at a dose of 20 mg/m2 body surface once every two- to- three weeks only after the failure of prior systemic chemotherapy or intolerance to such therapy. For treating multiple myeloma, first bortezomib is administered at a dose of 1.3 mg/m2 as intravenous bolus on days 1, 4 , 8 and 11, every three weeks, then pegylated liposomal doxorubicin 30 mg/m2 should be administered as a 1-hr intravenous infusion on day 4 following bortezomib.