GP Pharm has started the commercialisation of Oxaliplatin and Irinotecan 300mg and 500mg, drugs to treat metastatic colorectal cancer.

Oxaliplatin 50mg and 100mg is a stereoisomer in injectable dosage form that, as happens with other derivatives of platinum, acts on the DNA causing alkyl links that inhibit its later synthesis and replication. Oxaliplatin neurological tolerance must be the object of special supervision, mainly in case of application with other medicines that represent high neurological toxicity.

Irinotecan is a specific inhibiting of DNA topoisomerase I, that leads injuries into the simple chains that block the DNA replication and are responsible for the toxicity. That drug is an intravenous antineoplastic, stemmed from the camptothecin, a cytotoxic alkaloid.

With Irinotecan 300mg and 500mg, the drug range has been expanded, as until now, only the 40mg and 100mg doses were available. These new forms improve its use and its hospital manipulation.

With these two launches, GP Pharm expands its generic hospital oncology products: Octreotide, Paclitaxel, Irinotecan and Oxaliplatin, to which during 2011 will be added two new drugs of the company’s own development: Somatostatin, recommended for oesophageal varices bleeding, and Gemcitabine for the treatment of pancreas and lung cancer.