Efficacy of Temozolomide

The first of four major studies of temozolomide compared temozolomide and radiation with radiation alone in 573 patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme. Three other major studies involved patients with malignant glioma who had relapsed or worsened after previous treatment. One study looked at temozolomide in 138 patients, and another compared temozolomide with procarbazine in 225 patients. The final study looked at the safety and efficacy of temozolomide in 162 patients with first relapse of anaplastic astrocytoma.

In a study of newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme, patients who received temozolomide and radiation lived an average of 14.6 months, while those who received radiation alone lived an average of 12.1 months. In a comparative study of glioblastoma multiforme that recurred or worsened after prior treatment, patients taking temozolomide took an average of 2.9 months to progress compared with 1.9 months for those taking procarbazine. In anaplastic astrocytoma, it took an average of 5.4 months for the cancer to progress in patients taking temozolomide.

The original drug temozolomide has been launched in China and has entered the scope of Class B medical insurance. Common specificationsThe price of 100mg*1 tablet*5 bags per box may be around 2,000 yuan. The price of generic temozolomide drugs marketed overseas is relatively low, and its pharmaceutical ingredients are basically the same as those of the original temozolomide drug. For example, the price of a box of 100mg*5 produced by a Bangladeshi pharmaceutical factory may be around a few hundred yuan (the price may fluctuate due to exchange rates).