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Imatinib (Oral Route)
Drug Information provided by: MicromedexUS Brand Names
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Description
Imatinib is a new type of medication that prevents and stops the growth of cancer cells. It helps your body fight against a type of cancer called Philadelphia chromosome positive chronic myeloid leukemia (Ph+ CML) or gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST). CML is a disease in which your body makes too many abnormal white blood cells, which can cause you to become sick more often and to feel weak or tired. Imatinib helps your body stop making these abnormal white blood cells. GIST is a group of cancer cells that start growing in the wall of the stomach, intestines, or rectum. Imatinib helps your body stop making these abnormal cells. Imatinib is also used as an additional treatment in adult patients that have their GIST tumors completely removed.
Imatinib is also used to treat other conditions such as Philadelphia chromosome positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph+ ALL), myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) or myeloproliferative diseases (MPD), aggressive systemic mastocytosis (ASM), hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES), chronic eosinophilic leukemia (CEL), and dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP).
Before you begin treatment with imatinib, you and your doctor should talk about the good this medicine will do as well as the possible risks of using it.
This medicine is available only with your doctor's prescription.
Once a medicine has been approved for marketing for a certain use, experience may show that it is also useful for other medical problems. Although this use is not included in product labeling, imatinib is used in certain patients with the following medical condition:
- Acute lymphoblastic leukemia, Philadelphia chromosome-positive, newly diagnosed, as part of combination chemotherapy.
Grapefruits and grapefruit juice may increase the effects of imatinib by increasing the amount of this medicine in your body. You should not eat grapefruit or drink grapefruit juice while you are taking this medicine.
This product is available in the following dosage forms:
- Tablet
- Capsule
