Cyramza as a single agent or in combination with Paclitaxel for the treatment of people with advanced or metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma
Cyramza ( Ramucirumab ) as a single agent, or in combination with Paclitaxel ( a type of chemotherapy ), is approved for the treatment of people with advanced or metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction ( GEJ ) adenocarcinoma whose cancer has progressed on or after prior fluoropyrimidine- or Platinum-containing chemotherapy.
Ramucirumab is an antiangiogenic therapy. It is a vascular endothelial growth factor ( VEGF ) Receptor 2 antagonist that specifically binds and blocks activation of VEGFR-2, by blocking the binding of VEGF receptor ligands VEGF-A, VEGF-C, and VEGF-D.
Some tumors create proteins called VEGF. These proteins attach to the VEGF receptors of blood vessel cells causing new blood vessels to form around the tumors, enabling growth.
Blocking the VEGF protein from linking to the blood vessels helps to inhibit tumor growth by slowing angiogenesis and the blood supply that feeds tumors.
Of the three known VEGF receptors, VEGF Receptor 2 is linked most closely to VEGF-induced tumor angiogenesis.
The labeling for Cyramza contains a Boxed Warning for hemorrhage and additional Warnings and Precautions for arterial thromboembolic events, hypertension, infusion-related reactions, gastrointestinal perforations, impaired wound healing, clinical deterioration in patients with Child-Pugh B or C cirrhosis, and reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy syndrome.
RAINBOW trial, the most common adverse reactions ( all grades ) observed in patients treated with Ramucirumab plus Paclitaxel at a rate of greater than or equal to 30% and greater than or equal to 2% higher than placebo plus Paclitaxel were fatigue ( 57% vs 44% ), neutropenia ( 54% vs 31% ), diarrhea ( 32% vs 23% ), and epistaxis ( 31% vs 7% ).
The most common serious adverse events with Ramucirumab plus Paclitaxel in the RAINBOW trial were neutropenia ( 3.7% ) and febrile neutropenia ( fever and potentially other infection signs along with low white blood cell count ) ( 2.4% ); 19% of patients treated with Ramucirumab plus Paclitaxel received granulocyte colony-stimulating factors.
Stomach cancer is the fifth most common cancer in the world and is the third-leading cause of cancer death. In the U.S., approximately 22,000 people will be diagnosed with stomach cancer in 2014. ( Xagena )
Source: Eli Lilly, 2014
XagenaMedicine_2014
