Drugs / Medications I Alimta I Trial Details I Alimta vs. Taxotere I Side Effects

Alimta is Now Available for Mesothelioma Patients

Eli Lilly & Co.'s new cancer drug ALIMTA, also called Pemetrexed, is available on an expanded access use for patients diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma. Pleural mesothelioma is a cancer associated with exposure to asbestos fibers or dust.

Positive Results Seen

Eli Lilly company reported that the results of a Phase III trial indicated that cancer patients treated with Alimta and cisplatin combined lived longer, and experienced less pain and shortness of breath, than other patients treated with cisplatin alone. In fact, according to Eli Lilly, the mesothelioma tumors shrunk in 41% of patients that were given Alimta.

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Medication Given Free of Charge

Under the new expanded access program, Alimta will be provided free of charge to mesotheliom patients who meet medical eligibility requirements. For more information on this expanded access program, physicians may call 1-866-347-9503 (patients are asked to work through their physicians). Patients may call 1-800-362-1479 for more information about Alimta.

Clinical Trial Locations and Information

Various hospitals around the country are taking patients to participate in Alimta clinical trials. For clinical trial locations and additional information, please contact us by completing the form below.

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How does Alimta work?

The drug Alimta is an antifolate. Cancer doctors who studied the spread of cancers noted that folic acid seemed to increase the spread of cancer cells and tumor growth. The doctors theorized that drugs that would interfere with folic acid production in the body would also reduce the spread of the cancer and could result in tumor shrinkage. Lily Alimta is a drug that interferes with and inhibits the creation of folic acid which stops the patient's body from using folic acid to make more of the cancerous cells.

Alimta is targeting the folic acid metabolic pathway and effects availability of certain B complex vitamins.What this means is that Alimta prevents the body from making any folic acid, which in turn greatly reduces the spread of mesothelioma cancer and the growth of lung tumors.