Chemo Prescription Medicines Also Treat Bone Marrow Patients
A line of prescription medicines used to prevent symptoms of nausea and vomiting experienced by chemotherapy patients may now also be used to treat those who undergo bone marrow transplants. Those who receive new bone marrow are treated with higher amounts of chemotherapy, and most patients consider the nausea and vomiting brought on by intense chemo and radiation therapies to be the two most difficult side effects to cope with and feel that prescription medicines currently used for treatment don’t suffice. In a recent study, it was found that that a particular drug prescription, aprepitant (AMEND®), can help to reduce these most undesirable symptoms dramatically.
Prior Drug Prescription Treatment
Bone marrow transplants are used to replace marrow damaged or destroyed by diseases and chemo and radiation therapies alike. Placebo prescription medicines have been used to prevent the ensuing nausea and vomiting side effects in the past, but they have not always been effective. In the aforementioned study, only 23% of the patients who received a placebo were spared from nausea.
Loyola Discovers New Use for Drug Prescription
Known for its prominent Illinois-based bone marrow transplant program, Loyola’s multidisciplinary transplant team claims to have treated more than 2,500 patients to date. Doctor Patrick Fahey, professor of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Loyola University, claims that up to 73% of those who had received bone marrow transplants and took the drug prescription, aprepitant, experienced no nausea or vomiting.
EMEND®
A line of prescription medicines originally approved by the FDA in 2003, aprepitant (EMEND®) has been used to treat nausea and vomiting in chemotherapy patients. EMEND® is used to prevent these symptoms before they start, and this drug prescription can be taken either orally or by injection; however, it should be stated that the latter is associated with notable side effects, including hives, rash, and/or breathing difficulty.