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Mesothelioma Treatment - Alimta (pemetrexed) Drug Therapy

Pemetrexed: The New Standard Frontline Therapy?

Pemetrexed disodium (Eli Lilly brand name Alimta; www.lilly.com) is considered a potent new antifolate agent which targets several folate-dependent enzymes. By blocking at least three enzymes considered important in cell replication, the desired outcome is to disable any cancer cell's ability to replicate and spread. The intended target is an asbestos-related cancer of the lining of the lungs, malignant pleural mesothelioma. It is estimated that 10,000 to 15,000 people worldwide are annually diagnosed with this disease.

Pemetrexed + Cisplatin

Early in 2004, Eli Lilly received FDA approval for its Alimta drug treatment for malignant pleural mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lungs. The chemotherapy drug Alimta has shown positive results in clinical trials when used in combination with the commonly used chemotherapy drug cisplatin. Clinical trial results have shown overall survival was increased 30 percent using the Alimta/cisplatin combination vs treatment with cisplatin alone.

Study Title: Phase III single-blinded study of pemetrexed + cisplatin vs. cisplatin alone in chemonaive patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma; American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2002, Abstract #5. Author(s): N.J. Vogelzang, et al.

Pemetrexed + Carboplatin

In 2002 a study that involves Alimta used in combination with carboplatin was reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. The study is entitled "Phase I Clinical and Pharmacokinetic Study of Pemetrexed and Carboplatin in Patients With Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma," by A. Hughes, P. Calvert, et al., in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Vol. 20, Issue 16 (August), 2002: 3533-44. In a related news release, investigator Professor Calvert stated that, "The drug combination shows remarkable activity in mesothelioma...our study provided the first convincing demonstration that pemetrexed [and] carboplatin could be useful in the treatment of the disease." Of the 25 patients who completed the study, 8 showed a partial response, which 70% of patients reported an improvement in symptoms - often noticed after two courses of chemotherapy.