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Here are some of the claims and headlines that have circulated over the past few days regarding the new Vitrakvi drug. Are these allegations accurate? What is their validity?
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the drug "Vitrakvi" (Vitrakvi) at the end of November, which mainly targets genetic mutations of tumors, whatever the type of disease or the place of origin.
New family
Dr. Assem Mansour, director of the King Hussein Cancer Center in Jordan, said the drug "larotrectinib" belongs to a new family of anticancer drugs, which target cancer mutations rather than traditional treatment methods that typically target cell division cancerous. You can cut them, inhibit certain enzymes or other traditional cancer drugs.
"We know that cancer is caused by uncontrolled cell division caused by genetic mutations, mostly acquired because of certain risk factors such as smoking, radiation, viruses, etc. Hereditary mutations are responsible for 5 at 20%, "said Dr. Mansour at Al Jazeera Net.
These mutations cause the production of abnormal proteins or inhibit the production of natural proteins responsible for the prevention of random scissions in the cell, which begin with an uncontrolled division and thus the formation of cancerous tumors.
Genetic mutations
He added that the new drug aimed to target these genetic mutations instead of targeting the anatomical site of cancer. If we classify the different types of cancer and treatments according to the affected limb, such as colon cancer, breast cancer or other, the new trend in treatment will depend on the type of mutation causing the cancer. Consider the anatomical location of the tumor.
Based on the results of this study, the study showed that there was a partial response of at least six months in three quarters of patients, while this effect lasted for about a year for about a year. Of these.
He added that the drug has been shown to be effective in treating solid tumors in children and adults, such as cancer of the salivary glands, thyroid, lung and certain types of sarcomas, provided that 39, there is some mutation in patients called "NTRK", and that this mutation is found in less than 1% of patients, These patients in the world do not exceed a few thousand cases out of about 14 million new cases recorded each year.
According to the limited studies conducted, Dr. Vittraki is not a radical treatment, but a promising treatment that gives new hope to patients in case of development or even discovery of new types of drugs targeting the same mutation or other mutations genetic, which is very predictable.
Mansur said that patients suffering from a tumor "NTRK" were benefiting from this treatment, provided that the disease can not be removed surgically for technical reasons or in phase IV (that is to say that it has gone from its original appearance to other organs).
He added that the drug would be introduced in the United States very soon and that it would usually not delay the arrival of such drugs in the Arab markets, the time required for registration by the competent authorities being from a few weeks to a few months.
"But I'm expecting the manufacturer to experience marketing problems because of the high price of this drug, especially since the company is new to this field and I think it has entered into a partnership with pharmaceutical giant Bayer to build on its long experience. "
Dr. Bassil Al-Atassi: The dissemination of information in an arbitrary manner and without the certainty of specialists is more detrimental to people than to their benefit, they accuse them and their families of illusions (Al Jazeera )
Cost
On the cost, Dr. Mansour said he expects that the annual cost of treatment for an adult will reach about 390,000 dollars and that of children, about 132,000 dollars.
"Finally, I would like to clarify things when we are dealing with inventions about new drugs, without exaggerating optimism.There is no magic drug for cancer today, but they are building blocks of a great building that complement each other Let's look at the future with hope, but it's hope based on facts and reality, far from marketing illusions. "
For his part, says Dr. Basil Atassi, an oncologist in Chicago, Vitrakvi is an oral drug that comes in the form of drugs directed against certain genetic mutations "Targeted Therapy", and this drug works against a mutation called "NTRK".
Al-Atassi said in a special statement to Al-Jazeera Net that the drug was linked to this tumor and inhibited its action, which had the effect of stopping the growth of cancer cells and thus their proliferation. which would result in increased growth, small size, symptoms and prolonged survival.
The oncologist pointed out that what some media have reported as "Viagracafe is a radical treatment of cancer, which deals with all types" is an inaccurate speech, which is a scientific and medical inaccuracy, and has always published such information arbitrarily and without the certainty that specialists are harming people And accuses them and their families of illusions.
"It is important to note that this drug and similar types of drugs used in late-stage (stage IV) cancer are generally treatments that do not cure the disease as a whole, but delay the development of the disease and increase the duration of the disease. survival of the disease, "said Atassi, who owns the American Board of Internal Medicine, in addition to a specialist in blood and tumors. Living.
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