The FDA ( Food and Drug Administration ) has approved Alimta ( Pemetrexed ), the first drug available for maintenance therapy of advanced or metastatic lung cancer.

Patients with cancer often receive maintenance therapy to prevent the disease from progressing after their tumor has shrunk or the disease has stabilized in response to chemotherapy. Alimta disrupts metabolic processes that are dependent on the B-vitamin Folate, a necessary ingredient for cell replication.

Non-small cell lung cancer has several subtypes, including squamous cell, large cell, adenocarcinoma and mixed histology cancers. In a 600-patient clinical trial, people with predominantly squamous cell cancer did not benefit from Alimta. But those with other subtypes of non-small lung cancer survived an average 15.5 months following treatment compared with 10.3 months for patients who received placebo. All patients in the study received standard medical care.

Reported adverse events included damage to blood cells, fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite, tingling or numbness in the hands and feet, and skin rash.

Alimta initially was approved in 2004 for the treatment of patients with mesothelioma, a cancer frequently related to asbestos exposure. The drug was later approved for the treatment of patients with non-small cell lung cancer whose disease worsened on prior chemotherapy drugs and also as an initial therapy for advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Source: FDA, 2009

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