Alkeran: profile and news

Doxil® in the VAD Regimen for Myeloma Confirmed Less Toxic Than ... Feb 28, 2006
...transplantation. This is because this is a less marrow-toxic regimen than the more conventional Alkeran®-(melphalan) based regimens. ... - Cancer Consultants (press release),

Velcade® plus Melphalan Shows Encouraging Activity in Multiple ... Feb 23, 2006
...published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the treatment combination consisting of Velcade® (bortezomib) and melphalan (Alkeran®) provides encouraging ... - Cancer Consultants (press release),

Treanda TM (Bendamustine) Plus Prednisone Superior to Melphalan ... Jan 27, 2006
...improves the complete remission rate, prolongs time to treatment failure and improves quality of life compared to standard oral Alkeran® (melphalan) and ... - Cancer Consultants (press release),

Treanda™/Prednisone Superior to Melphalan/Prednisone for ... Jan 30, 2006
...prednisone appears to provide superior outcomes to a standard treatment regimen consisting of the chemotherapy agent melphalan (Alkeran®) plus prednisone when ... - Cancer Consultants (press release),

Celgene Corporation Reviews Recent Highlights and Outlines 2006 ... Jan 9, 2006
...performance was attributed to growing product revenue and profits supported by multiple product revenue streams including, THALOMID(R), ALKERAN(R), FOCALIN XR ... - MSN Money

Alkeran®/Prednisone Remains Standard Therapy for Elderly Patients ... Oct 4, 2005
Researchers affiliated with the Intergroupe Francophone du Myelome (IFM) have concluded that a regimen of Alkeran® (melphalan) and prednisone is preferred to ... - Cancer Consultants (press release),

Melphalan/Prednisone Favorable in Multiple Myeloma Patients ... Sep 30, 2005
...a recent article published ahead of print in the journal Blood, the treatment combination consisting of the chemotherapy agent melphalan (Alkeran®) plus the ... - Cancer Consultants (press release),

Celgene halted for FDA vote Sep 14, 2005
The company already markets a version of thalidomide called Thalomid, for the treatment of leprosy, and Alkeran, a treatment for the cancer multiple myeloma. ... - MarketWatch

FDA panel backs Celgene's cancer drug Sep 14, 2005
Celgene already has other drugs on the market, including a version of thalidomide called Thalomid, for the treatment of leprosy, and Alkeran, a treatment for ... - Investor's Business Daily (subscription)

Efficacy of High-Dose Chemotherapy with Autologous Stem Cell ... Aug 19, 2005
More recently, researchers in England performed a randomized trial evaluating high-dose Alkeran® (melphalan) in children with advanced neuroblastoma who ... - Cancer Consultants (press release),

Case Charging Nation's Largest Drug Companies of Defrauding ... Aug 18, 2005
...who have received these drugs stand up and be counted." The prescription drugs mentioned in the complaint include: -- Alkeran -- Blenoxane -- Cytoxan ... - PR Newswire (press release),

Spector, Roseman & Kodroff, PC Say Federal Judge Allows Consumers ... Aug 19, 2005
The prescription drugs mentioned in this complaint include: Alkeran, Blenoxane, Cytoxan, Etopophos, Kytril, Navelbine, Paraplatin, Procrit, Remicade, Rubex ... - Business Wire (press release),

Celgene: A Biotech With Profits And A Pipeline Jul 6, 2005
Through an agreement with GlaxoSmithKline (nyse: GSK - news - people ), Celgene also distributes Alkeran, a treatment for multiple myeloma and ovarian cancer. ... - Forbes

Desi 'chemists' flying in foreign drugs Jul 12, 2005
...given preference. Anti-cancer drugs like Leukeran and Alkeran are not manufactured here and import supply is usually short. "In ... - Times of India <**results**>

Garden State Business Briefs Jun 27, 2005
Their primary products are Thalomid and Alkeran, and the company receives royalties for sales of Focalin and the Ritalin family of drugs. ... - Newark Star Ledger

Enzyme Stopper Combats Cancers Jun 4, 2005
He and other Geron researchers tested the anticancer drug melphalan (marketed as Alkeran) and an anti-telomerase agent on mice with melanoma, a lethal skin ... - RedNova.com,

Celgene Corporation First Quarter Results Deliver Record Operating ... Apr 28, 2005
Revenue for the First Quarter Reached a Record $112.4 Million - 113 Abstracts on Clinical Data for THALOMID(R), REVLIMID, ACTIMID(TM) and ALKERAN(R) Presented ... - PR Newswire

Celgene Corporation First Quarter Results Deliver Record Operating ... 28 Apr 2005
Revenue for the First Quarter Reached a Record $112.4 Million - 113 Abstracts on Clinical Data for THALOMID(R), REVLIMID, ACTIMID(TM) and ALKERAN(R) Presented ... - PR Newswire

Anticancer combination shows promise in phase II Apr 12, 2005
Millennium Pharmaceutical's Velcade) therapy responded and ten out of 16 patients who had received prior melphalan (GlaxoSmithKline's Alkeran) therapy responded ... - Pharmaceutical Business Review

Other information

Indication
Used to treat cancer of the ovaries and a certain type of cancer in the bone marrow

Pharmacology
Melphalan is an antineoplastic in the class of alkylating agents and is used to treat various forms of cancer. Alkylating agents are so named because of their ability to add alkyl groups to many electronegative groups under conditions present in cells. They stop tumor growth by cross-linking guanine bases in DNA double-helix strands - directly attacking DNA. This makes the strands unable to uncoil and separate. As this is necessary in DNA replication, the cells can no longer divide. In addition, these drugs add methyl or other alkyl groups onto molecules where they do not belong which in turn inhibits their correct utilization by base pairing and causes a miscoding of DNA. Alkylating agents are cell cycle-nonspecific. Alkylating agents work by three different mechanisms all of which achieve the same end result - disruption of DNA function and cell death.

Mechanism Of Action
Alkylating agents work by three different mechanisms: 1) attachment of alkyl groups to DNA bases, resulting in the DNA being fragmented by repair enzymes in their attempts to replace the alkylated bases, preventing DNA synthesis and RNA transcription from the affected DNA, 2) DNA damage via the formation of cross-links (bonds between atoms in the DNA) which prevents DNA from being separated for synthesis or transcription, and 3) the induction of mispairing of the nucleotides leading to mutations.

Drug Category
Antineoplastic Agents; ATC:L01AA03

Brand Names/Synonyms
3025 C. B.; ALKERAN; AT-290; Alkeran; CB 3025; L-PAM; L-Phenylalanine Mustard; L-Sarcolysin; L-Sarcolysine; L-Sarkolysin; Levofalan; Melfalan; Melphalan; Mephalan; NSC 8806; NSC-8806; Phenylalanine Mustard; Phenylalanine Nitrogen Mustard; Sarcolysine; Sarkolysin

Dosage Forms
tablets, injection

Absorption
incomplete, variable, 25-89% post oral dose

Interactions
DRUG INTERACTIONS There are no known drug/drug interactions with oral ALKERAN Vaccinations with live organism vaccines are not recommended in immunocompromised individuals Nalidixic acid together with high-dose intravenous melphalan has caused deaths in children due to haemorrhagic enterocolitis. Impaired renal function has been described in bone marrow transplant patients who were conditioned with high-dose intravenous melphalan and who subsequently received cyclosporin to prevent graft-versus-host disease

Chemical IUPAC Name
2-amino-3-[4-[bis(2-chloroethyl)amino]phenyl]-propanoicacid

Chemical Formula
C13H18Cl2N2O2

Half Life
1.5 (+/-0.83) hours

Drug Type
Approved Drug

# Accession No
APRD00118

CAS Registry Number
148-82-3