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Paclitaxel | Mitotic inhibitor |
Albumin | Delivery vehicle |
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Trade names | Abraxane, others |
AHFS/ Drugs.com | Monograph |
MedlinePlus | a619008 |
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Routes of administration | Intravenous |
ATC code | |
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Protein-bound paclitaxel, also known as nanoparticle albumin–bound paclitaxel or nab-paclitaxel, is an injectable formulation of paclitaxel used to treat breast cancer, lung cancer and pancreatic cancer, among others. Paclitaxel kills cancer cells by preventing the normal breakdown of microtubules during cell division. [2] [3] [4] In this formulation, paclitaxel is bonded to albumin as a delivery vehicle. [5] It is manufactured and sold in the United States by Celgene under the trade name Abraxane where it is designated as an orphan drug as first-line treatment, in combination with gemcitabine, for the orphan disease "metastatic adenocarcinoma of the pancreas". [6]
This treatment was approved in the United States in 2005, [7] and the European Union in 2008, for breast cancer cases where cancer did not respond to other chemotherapy or has relapsed. [8] [9] In 2012, the FDA widened the approved uses to include treatment for NSCLC. [3] [10] In 2013, the FDA approved protein-bound paclitaxel for use in treating advanced pancreatic cancer as a less toxic (although less effective) alternative to FOLFIRINOX. [4]
Abraxane is registered on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods for the treatment of metastatic carcinoma of the breast after failure of anthracycline therapy. [11] Abraxane is also included on the Schedule of the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme although [12] the manufacturer was unable to convince the independent Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee that the drug warranted a higher price than existing comparator drugs. [13] Protein-bound paclitaxel was developed by VivoRx which became Abraxis BioScience as the first in its class of drugs to use the nanoparticle albumin bound (nab) technology platform. [14]
In 2010, Abraxis was acquired by Celgene, which now markets Abraxane. [15] Total revenue from the sales of Abraxane for 2009 were $314.5 million. [16] In 2013, Abraxane was FDA approved for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. [17] In 2014, Abraxane's sales were $848 million, 31 percent year-over-year increase. [18]
The British National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) announced in 2015, that it would not support the routine use of protein-bound paclitaxel in advanced pancreatic cancer on the NHS. [19]