What is Glivec tablet for?

What is Glivec tablet for?

Glivec is an anticancer medicine. It is used to treat the following diseases: chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), a cancer of the white blood cells in which granulocytes (a type of white blood cell) start growing out of control.

Is Gleevec a form of chemotherapy?

Chemo was once one of the main treatments for CML. It's seldom used now because TKIs like imatinib (Gleevec®) work much better. Today, chemo may be used to treat CML when the TKIs have stopped working. It's also used as part of a stem cell transplant.

What kind of drug is Gleevec?

Drug type: Gleevec is a targeted therapy. Gleevec is classified as a signal transduction inhibitor - protein-tyrosine kinase inhibitor.

Is Gleevec a cure?

Treatment for Life Gleevec quickly became the treatment of choice for CML after its approval five years ago, and it is now also approved for a specific gastrointestinal cancer and several other rare malignancies. It does not cure patients of their cancers; it keeps the cancers from growing.

How do you take Glivec?

Take this medication by mouth with a meal and a full glass of water (8 ounces/240 milliliters) as directed by your doctor, usually once or twice daily. Do not crush the tablets. If you have trouble swallowing the tablets whole, you may dissolve the tablets in a glass of water or apple juice.

When is the best time to take imatinib?

Imatinib comes as a tablet to take by mouth. It is usually taken with a meal and a large glass of water once or twice a day. Take imatinib at around the same time(s) every day. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand.

What are the side effects of taking Gleevec?

Upset stomach, nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, headache, muscle/joint pain, muscle cramps, dizziness, blurred vision, or drowsiness may occur. If any of these effects last or get worse, tell your doctor or pharmacist promptly. People using this medication may have serious side effects.

Does Gleevec cause hair loss?

Hair loss (alopecia) is a possible side effect of taking Gleevec. One study tested how Gleevec works in people with Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Seven percent of these people had hair loss after they took the drug.

What are side effects of Gleevec?

Upset stomach, nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, headache, muscle/joint pain, muscle cramps, dizziness, blurred vision, or drowsiness may occur. If any of these effects last or get worse, tell your doctor or pharmacist promptly. People using this medication may have serious side effects.

Why is Gleevec so significant?

In particular, the discovery and development of Gleevec taught scientists that by understanding the biology of a disease, it is possible to learn how to treat or cure that disease.

What is Glivec 400 mg?

• Glivec 400 mg Tablet is an anti-cancer medication. A protein enzyme, bcr-abl tyrosine kinase, responsible for the growth of abnormal proliferation of cancer cells. This medicine inhibits the proliferation and induces apoptosis (planned cell death) in bcr-abl positive cells (cancer cells).

Is Glivec the same as imatinib?

• Imatinib (Glivec) Imatinib is a targeted cancer drug (biological therapy) and is also known by its brand name Glivec (pronounced glee-vec). It is a treatment for many different types of cancer. Imatinib is a type of cancer growth blocker called a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI).

What is the active substance in Glivec?

• The active substance in Glivec, imatinib, is a protein-tyrosine kinase inhibitor. This means that it blocks some specific enzymes known as tyrosine kinases. These enzymes can be found in some receptors on the surface of cancer cells, including the receptors that are involved in stimulating the cells to divide uncontrollably.

What studies have been done on Glivec?

• For Ph+ ALL, Glivec has been examined in three studies involving 456 adults, including one study comparing Glivec with standard chemotherapy (medicines used to kill cancer cells) in 55 newly diagnosed patients. It has also been examined in a fourth main study involving 160 children and young people aged 1 to 22 years.