The drug "Vitrakvi" .. Is the time of cancer?

Osama Abu Rab

These are some of the claims and headlines that have been circulating over the past few days about the new Vitrakvi drug. Are these allegations accurate? How valid are they?

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the end of last November for the drug "Vitrakvi" (Vitrakvi), which is aimed primarily at genetic mutations of tumors, regardless of the type of disease or place of origin.

New Family
The director of the King Hussein Cancer Center in Jordan, Dr. Assem Mansour, said that the drug "larotrectinib" belongs to a new family of anti-cancer drugs, which are directed to cancer-causing mutations rather than traditional treatment methods that usually target cancer cell division or You can cut them off, inhibit certain enzymes, or other traditional cancer medicines.

"We know that cancer is caused by uncontrolled cell division caused by genetic mutations, most of which are acquired due to certain risk factors such as smoking, radiation, viruses, etc. The inherited mutations are responsible for between 5 and 20 percent," Dr. Mansour told Al Jazeera Net.

These mutations cause the production of abnormal proteins or inhibit the production of natural proteins responsible for preventing random splits in the cell, which begin with uncontrolled division and thus the formation of cancerous tumors.

Dr. Assem Mansour Director General of King Hussein Cancer Center Jordan (Al Jazeera)

Genetic mutations
He added that the new drug was intended to target these genetic mutations instead of targeting the anatomical site of cancer. If we classify different types of cancer and treat them according to the affected member such as colon cancer, breast cancer or others, the new trend in treatment will be according to the type of cancer-causing mutation Consider the anatomical location of the tumor.

On the basis of the results of this study, the study found that there was a partial response lasting at least six months in three quarters of patients, while this effect lasted for one year at about 39% who are they.

He added that the drug has been shown to be effective in the treatment of solid tumors of children and adults, such as cancer of the salivary glands, thyroid gland, lung and certain types of sarcoma provided that there is a certain mutation in patients called "NTRK", and this mutation is found in less than 1% of patients, These patients worldwide do not exceed a few thousand out of about 14 million new cases recorded annually.

Dr. Vittraki said, based on the limited studies conducted, is not a radical treatment, but a promising treatment that gives patients new hope in the event of development or even discovery of new types of drugs targeting the same mutation or other genetic mutations, which is very predictable.

Mansur said that patients who suffer from a "NTRK" tumor benefit from this treatment provided that the disease can not be surgically removed for technical reasons or in phase IV (ie, it has moved from its original appearance to other organs).

He added that the drug will be introduced in the United States very soon, and usually do not delay the arrival of such drugs to the Arab markets, as the period required for registration by the competent authorities are relatively few weeks to a few months.

"But I expect that the manufacturer will face marketing problems in light of the high price of this drug, especially as the company is new in this field, and I think it has made a partnership with the pharmaceutical giant Bayer to take advantage of its long experience."

Dr. Bassil Al-Atassi: The dissemination of information arbitrarily and without the certainty of specialists hurt people more than to benefit them and accuses them and their families illusions (Al Jazeera)

the cost
On the cost, Dr. Mansour said he expected the annual cost of adult treatment to reach about 390 thousand dollars, and for children about 132 thousand dollars.

"Finally, I would like to put things straight when we deal with inventions of new medicines, and not to exaggerate optimism. There is no magic medicine for cancer today, but they are building blocks in a large building that complement each other. Let's look at the future with hope. But it is the hope based on facts and reality away from marketing delusions. "

For his part, said oncologist in Chicago, Dr. Basil Atassi that Vitrakvi is an oral medicine works 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 this drug is linked to this distinctive tumor of cancer cells and inhibits its work. By doing this, cancer cells stop growing and thus their proliferation diminishes and diminishes its function and effectiveness. This translates to improved tumor growth, small size, improved symptoms and prolonged survival.

The oncologist stressed that what was reported by some media that "Viagracafe is a radical treatment of cancer, which treats all kinds" is inaccurate speech, which is a scientific and medical inaccuracies, and always published such information arbitrarily and without the certainty of specialists harming people more than to benefit them And accuses them and their families of illusions.

"It is important to note that this drug and similar drug types used in the advanced stages of cancer (stage IV) are usually treatments that do not cure the whole disease, but delay the development of the disease and increase the duration of survival on the disease," said Atassi - who holds the American Board of Internal Medicine, in addition to a specialist in blood and tumors. Alive.