Sprycel 70mg

Sprycel 70 mg belongs to the group of drugs called “tyrosine kinase inhibitors”. Tyrosine kinases are responsible for the division and replication of cells. These enzymes are particularly active in tumor cells. By affecting these enzymes, Sprycel is able to prevent the growth and resilience of different kinds of cancer.

Sprycel 70 mg is intended for the treatment adult patients suffering from chronic or advanced stages of chronic myeloid leukemia, intolerant or resistant to the previous treatment that included Imatinib. In addition, it is indicated for the therapy of Ph-positive ALL in the patients, intolerant or resistant to the previous treatment.

In 2006, the Food and Drug Administration approved Sprycel for the treatment of adult patients with all stages of CML (chronic, advanced and myeloid/lymphoid blast phase) and Ph-positive ALL, intolerant or resistant to the previous treatment that included Gleevec, Sprycel 70 mg became the first oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor approved by FDA that impedes the activity of BCR-ABL, SRC family (SRC, LCK, YES, FYN) and PDGFRß kinases. The main active component of this drug is called dasatinib. Dasatinib prevents the activity of the proteins stimulating the growth of the cancer cells in patients suffering from chronic myeloid leukaemia.

How does this drug act?

Sprycel 70 mg is an anti-cancer drug that belongs to the group of protein tyrosine kinase inhibitors. It acts by preventing the work of enzymes, responsible for the growth of tumor cells.

Leukemia is a kind of cancer, caused by an overproduction of damaged white blood cells. CML impacts the white blood cells known as granulocytes. ALL impacts the white blood cells known as lymphocytes. In these kinds of leukaemia, the malignant transformation usually implies an abnormal restructuring of the chromosomes (genetic material) in leukocytes. Leukemic blood cells frequently have an abnormal chromosome known as Philadelphia chromosome (called after the place where it was found) and other pathological chromosomal arrangements.

The abnormal chromosomes negatively affect the division and replication of blood cells, stimulating the production of abnormal protein known as Bcr-Abl tyrosine kinase. This substance leads to the abnormal replication of white blood cells and greatly enhances the number of leukocytes released by the bone marrow.