Is Nilotinib a chemotherapy drug?

Nilotinib (Nilotinib) is an oral targeted drug therapy classified as a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI). It is not considered a traditional chemotherapy ("chemo") treatment, but it is used to kill cancer. Targeted drug therapies find and attack specific types of cancer cells and may cause less damage to healthy cells. The FDA approved nilotinib to treat Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myelogenous leukemia (Ph+ CML) in adults and children at least 1 year old. Chronic myeloid leukemia is a cancer of the blood and bone marrow. Chemotherapy was once the main treatment for leukemia, with other treatments such as TKI inhibitors being more effective. Chemotherapy may still be used if nilotinib is no longer effective or as part of a stem cell transplant.