What diseases does dasatinib treat?

Dasatinib, which contains the active substance Dasatinib, is a cancer drug that belongs to a group of drugs that block enzymes called protein kinases. Dasatinib works primarily by blocking the BCR-ABL protein kinase. This enzyme is produced by leukemia cells and causes them to multiply uncontrollably. By blocking BCR-ABL kinase as well as other kinases, dasatinib helps reduce the number of leukemia cells.

Dasatinib is used to treat adult patients with the following types of leukemia (cancer):

1. Newly diagnosed "Philadelphia chromosome positive" (Ph+) patients are in the "chronic" stage of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). In CML, granulocytes (a type of white blood cell) begin to grow out of control. Ph+ means that some of the patient's genes have been rearranged to form a special chromosome, called the Philadelphia chromosome, which produces an enzyme, Bcr-Abl kinase, that leads to the development of leukemia. Chronic myelogenous leukemia is in "chronic", "accelerated" and "blast" stages. Dasatinib is used to treat when other treatments, including imatinib (another cancer drug), don't work or cause troublesome side effects;

2. Ph+ acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), lymphocytes (another type of white blood cell) multiply too quickly, or "lymphoblastic" chronic myelogenous leukemia. Dasatinib is mainly used when other treatments have failed or caused troublesome side effects.

Dasatinib is also used in children to treat:

1. Newly diagnosedPh+CML is in the "chronic" stage, or Ph+CML, when other treatments including imatinib cannot be given or are ineffective;

2. Newly diagnosedPh+ALL combined with chemotherapy (cancer drugs).

Dasatinib is available as an oral tablet that can be taken once daily in the morning or evening with or without food. The starting dose depends on the condition being treated and, in children, their weight. Treatment is stopped if the medication no longer controls the condition or if the patient is unable to take the medication due to side effects.