What medicine is Temsirolimus?

Temsirolimus, sold under the brand name Torisel, is an intravenous drug that is a derivative and prodrug of sirolimus and is used to treat renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). Temsirolimus is a specific inhibitor of mTOR and interferes with the synthesis of proteins that regulate tumor cell proliferation, growth and survival.

Although temsirolimus itself exhibits activity, it is also known to be converted to sirolimus (rapamycin) in the body; therefore, its activity may be due more to its metabolite than to the prodrug itself. Treatment with temsirolimus causes cell cycle arrest in theG1 phase and also inhibits tumor angiogenesis by reducing VEGF synthesis. Temsirolimus is clinically well tolerated by patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma. In patients with renal cell carcinoma, the side effects of temsirolimus are primarily metabolic and have minimal impact on quality of life compared with the side effects common with oral multikinase inhibitors. The high specificity of temsirolimus for mTOR may contribute to temsirolimus tolerability. However, temsirolimus increases mortality in cancer patients.

The original drug temsirolimus has not yet been marketed in China, and therefore cannot be included in domestic medical insurance. The original temsirolimus drug marketed overseas has a Turkish version and a European version. The ingredients of the two are basically the same. The price of each box of 30mg/1.2mL may be more than 10,000 yuan, and the price of 25mg/mL may be around 3,000 yuan per box (the price may fluctuate due to exchange rates). There is currently no generic version of temsirolimus available on the market. For more drug information and specific prices, please consult a medical consultant.