Cancidas: profile and news

Merck Announces Strong Full-Year and Fourth-Quarter 2005 Earnings ...  Jan 31, 2006
Other reported products comprise: AGGRASTAT, ARCOXIA, CANCIDAS, COSOPT, CRIXIVAN, EMEND, INVANZ, MAXALT, PRIMAXIN, PROPECIA, PROSCAR, STOCRIN, TIMOPTIC ... - TMCnet

Read the factors that are changing the Antifungals Market today ...  Jan 25, 2006
Overall, the antifungal therapeutic market has been stagnating since the introduction of caspofungin (Mercks Cancidas) and voriconazole (Pfizers Vfend), both ... - Business Wire (press release),

Merck Announces Initial Steps In Global Restructuring Program  Nov 28, 2005
...$2.9 to $3.2 billion Other reported products* $5.9 to $6.2 billion * Other reported products comprise: AGGRASTAT, ARCOXIA, CANCIDAS, COSOPT, CRIXIVAN, EMEND ... - Business Wire (press release),

Merck Announces New Unisured Discount Program Targeted to More ...  Oct 7, 2005
Patient Assistance Programs -- There are separate patient assistance programs for a number of other prescription medicines, including CANCIDAS(R) (caspofungin ... - Hispanic PR Wire (press release),

Merck to invest $15 mn to beef up marketing  Sep 27, 2005
The new products of MSD Pharma to be introduced in the country include Invanz, an anti-biotic, Cancidas, an anti-fungal and two vaccines, Pneumovax anti ... - Business Standard,

KAI Pharmaceuticals Announces Appointment of Chief Medical Officer ...  Aug 31, 2005
Dr. Bell began his career at Merck as Program Manager in Merck Research Laboratories supporting the Cancidas(R) and Arcoxia(R) programs. ... - Business Wire (press release),

Merck re-enters India; product launches in pipeline  Jul 22, 2005
The products include Invanz, a second generation beta-lactam anti-biotic, Cancidas, an anti-fungal and two vaccines, Pneumovax (anti-pneumonia) and Varivax ... - Hindu

Merck re-enters Indian market  Jul 22, 2005
This will be followed by the launch of Invanz (a second generation beta-lactam anti-biotic) and Cancidas (an anti-fungal) and two vaccines — Pneumovax (anti ... - Hindu

Merck re-enters India with $15 mn investment:-  Jul 22, 2005
The four drugs are: Invanz (an antibiotic used to treat gram positive and negative bacteria), Cancidas (anti-fungal drug), Pneumovax (pneumonia vaccine) and ... - Webindia123

Merck Announces Second-Quarter 2005 Earnings Per Share (EPS) of 33 ...  Jul 21, 2005
...$2.9 to $3.2 billion Other reported products* $5.9 to $6.2 billion *Other reported products comprise: AGGRASTAT, ARCOXIA, CANCIDAS, COSOPT, CRIXIVAN, EMEND ... - Business Wire (press release)

Merck Announces First-Quarter 2005 Earnings Per Share -EPS- of 62 ...  Apr 21, 2005
An important contributor to the growth of sales of Merck's other promoted medicines was CANCIDAS, with worldwide sales of $130 million for the first quarter ... - Business Wire

Merck Announces New Unisured Discount Program Targeted to More ...  Apr 19, 2005
Patient Assistance Programs -- There are separate patient assistance programs for a number of other prescription medicines, including CANCIDAS(R) (caspofungin ... - Hispanic PR Wire,

14-month-old baby Massimo needs help to stay alive waiting for a ...  Mar 5, 2005
Bs.500,000.00 (about US$300). The name of the medication in Spanish is Caspofungina or Cancidas. Massimo has already received a ... - VHeadline.com,

Studies in vitro show that caspofungin acetate is not an inhibitor of any enzyme in the cytochrome P450 (CYP) system. In clinical studies, caspofungin did not induce the CYP3A4 metabolism of other drugs. Caspofungin is not a substrate for P-glycoprotein and is a poor substrate for cytochrome P450 enzymes.

Clinical studies in healthy volunteers show that the pharmacokinetics of CANCIDAS are not altered by itraconazole, amphotericin B, mycophenolate, nelfinavir, or tacrolimus. CANCIDAS has no effect on the pharmacokinetics of itraconazole, amphotericin B, or the active metabolite of mycophenolate.

CANCIDAS reduced the blood AUC_0-12 of tacrolimus (FK-506, PrografÒ³) by approximately 20%, peak blood concentration (C_max) by 16%, and 12-hour blood concentration (C_12hr) by 26% in healthy subjects when tacrolimus (2 doses of 0.1 mg/kg 12 hours apart) was administered on the 10th day of CANCIDAS 70 mg daily, as compared to results from a control period in which tacrolimus was administered alone. For patients receiving both therapies, standard monitoring of tacrolimus blood concentrations and appropriate tacrolimus dosage adjustments are recommended.

In two clinical studies, cyclosporine (one 4 mg/kg dose or two 3 mg/kg doses) increased the AUC of caspofungin by approximately 35%. CANCIDAS did not increase the plasma levels of cyclosporine. There were transient increases in liver ALT and AST when CANCIDAS and cyclosporine were co-administered.

A drug-drug interaction study with rifampin in healthy volunteers has shown a 30% decrease in caspofungin trough concentrations. Patients on rifampin should receive 70 mg of CANCIDAS daily. In addition, results from regression analyses of patient pharmacokinetic data suggest that co-administration of other inducers of drug clearance (efavirenz, nevirapine, phenytoin, dexamethasone, or carbamazepine) with CANCIDAS may result in clinically meaningful reductions in caspofungin concentrations. It is not known which drug clearance mechanism involved in caspofungin disposition may be inducible. When CANCIDAS is co-administered with inducers of drug clearance, such as efavirenz, nevirapine, phenytoin, dexamethasone, or carbamazepine, use of a daily dose of 70 mg of CANCIDAS should be considered.

 


Chemical IUPAC Name
1-[(4R,5S)-5-[(2-aminoethyl)amino] -N2-(10,12-dimethyl-1-oxotetradecyl)-4-hydroxy-L-ornithine]-5-[(3R) -3-hydroxy-L-ornithine] pneumocandin B0

Chemical Formula
C52H88N10O15

Half Life
9-11 hours

Drug Type
Approved Drug

# Accession No
APRD00199

CAS Registry Number
179463-17-3