Is venetoclax/venetoclax a targeted drug or a chemotherapy drug?

Technically, Venetoclax is a targeted therapy, not chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is defined as a drug treatment that kills fast-growing cells in the body, which means it usually kills other fast-growing normal cells in the body, such as red blood cells and cells in hair. Venexaclavworks by binding to a specific protein calledBCL-2, which is overexpressed in the cancer cells of patients with cancers such as acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

By binding to this protein, venetoclax kills cancerous CLL and AML lymphocytes but not other cell types. Veneclaseis approved to treat adults with acute myeloid leukemia who are 75 years of age or older or who have other conditions that preclude intensive induction chemotherapy. Take once daily in combination with azacitidine, decitabine, or low-dose cytarabine. Tablets should be swallowed whole and not crushed, chewed or broken before swallowing.

The original drug of Venekra has been launched in China and has been included in Class B medical insurance. The price of 100mg*14 tablets per box may be around 2,000 RMB, while the Turkish version of the original drug sold overseas, with the specification of 100mg*112 tablets, costs more than 10,000 RMB per box (the price may fluctuate due to the exchange rate). There are also cheaper generic drugs of Venacla sold overseas. Their pharmaceutical ingredients are basically the same as those of the original drugs sold domestically and abroad. For example, the price of 100mg*120 tablets produced by a Bangladesh pharmaceutical factory is more than 4,000 yuan per box (the price may fluctuate due to the exchange rate).