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FDA Approves Anti-Nausea Patch For Chemo Patients
Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar / AP
September 15, 2008
WASHINGTON – Cancer patients will soon be able to use a medication patch to ease the debilitating nausea that often accompanies chemotherapy.
The Food and Drug Administration said Monday it has approved the first anti-nausea patch for chemotherapy patients, intended to provide relief for up to five days. The patch, called Sancuso, is worn on the arm and delivers a widely used anti-nausea medicine, known as granisetron, through the skin. It is expected to be available by the end of the year.
“It will be another way that we can address nausea and vomiting, coming from a route that we haven’t had before,” said nurse practitioner Barbara Rogers, who specializes in cancer treatment. “The patch is a nice option.”
Rogers, who works at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, is also a consultant to ProStrakan, the Scottish company that developed the patch.
About a million people undergo chemotherapy every year and as many as 70 percent develop nausea. If the problem occurs at the hospital, it can be dealt with immediately. But many patients suffer from nausea after being sent home. Anti-nausea pills are available, but some cancer patients have difficulty swallowing.
“The main benefit will be for people who have difficulty taking oral medications,” Rogers said. But other patients could also benefit, she added, since a single patch is designed to maintain a steady level of the anti-nausea medicine in the body for several days. These days, medical professionals treating cancer patients are trying to eliminate nausea as a side effect of chemotherapy, believing that will help the patients maintain physical strength and emotional energy.
Melvin Hren, 59, a retired elementary school teacher from New Philadelphia, Ohio, said the patch helped him battle a rare cancer of the thymus gland, now in remission.
“I couldn’t leave the house for very much because of the fact that I was so sick,” Hren said. “As a result of the patch, I was able to leave the house and be with the family. I was able to enjoy life a little bit. Without it, life would have been a lot more difficult.”
Hren took part in a clinical trial in which the patch was shown to be just as effective as anti-nausea pills. A spokeswoman for the company said no information on pricing is available.
Sancuso’s main side effect is constipation. In some cases the drug can mask a bowel obstruction, which is a dangerous condition requiring prompt treatment.
(c) YellowBrix 2008
Lireland
about 1 month ago
24 comments
This is wonderful! If we can at least help with the side effects of Chemo, it's a start. Someday we will find a cure, I hold out hope for that!
kstiltner1
about 1 month ago
1286 comments
This great. I hope this will help al those poor pt that need it. Nausea is an aweful way to live
Kittyrn
about 1 month ago
32 comments
Irishgirl, sorry but smoking pot, is not beneficial to your lungs. Because Marijuana is held long longer in the lungs it is highly carcinogenic. Additionally, it makes pt's more prone to pneumonia and bronchitis. I think you need to rethink you statement.
Shan4691
about 1 month ago
1568 comments
I hope this works for most patients. Chemo can be awful!
sap
2 months ago
674 comments
I hope the patients find some relief from this.......that is the main thing.
coop79
2 months ago
26 comments
i worked on a chemo floor for three years and the pts that i had all had nasua sometime extreamly bad, it was offten a discomfort for me that i had nothing to give them or could do for them to comfort or help them in their time of need. i hope that this becomes a wide spead approved medication for the pts that it could help.
irishgyrl
2 months ago
76 comments
Okay, so I had to check out the side effects before I gave a thumbs up or down. I believe that if it works for some, then great! But here are the side effects: headache,
weakness,
stomach pain,
heartburn,
constipation,
diarrhea,
pain,
dizziness,
drowsiness,
difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep,
nervousness,
cough,
fever,
hives,
skin rash,
itching,
difficulty breathing or swallowing,
fainting,
blurred vision.
With all this I think the govt' really needs to reconsider the scheduling for marijuana because of it's benefits to chemo pt's for nausea, vomiting, and lack of appetite. The only side effects marijuana has in common with this drug are: drowsiness and cough.
msjacalyn
2 months ago
36 comments
This is good to hear, and yet it makes me wonder why it took so long. These people are already so weak, the least they should be able to get is an appetite so they can work toward rebuilding their strength.
emtpixie
2 months ago
198 comments
This is a great idea.I wish it had been available when my grandma went through chemo.
Kristinaveale
2 months ago
44 comments
This seems like a great option for people who do in fact get nausea several days after their chemo. It is also great because the cancer patient will be able to go out and depending on their strength and how they are feeling live somewhat of a normal life. I will be interested to see how hospitals will effectively utalize this new patch.