Italy, US, Switzerland, and Costa Rica to Witness High Demand for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Therapeutics

 

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a very rare (0.1 in 10,000) cancer condition that results from the invasion of immature lymphocytes or leukocytes into the bone marrow during childhood. According to Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s 2018-2019 facts, the incidence of acute lymphoblastic leukemia was 7.8 (per 100,000) in children aged 1-4 years during 2011-2015. Italy, the U.S. Switzerland, and Costa Rica are the countries with the highest incidence of ALL.

ALL most commonly occurs in young children and adolescents who have one unaffected parent who has an inherited thalassemia or anemia. Studies indicate that many of these children will develop an illness characterized by fever, generalized fatigue, or swollen lymph nodes and may even suffer from lymphedema. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia therapeutics generally begin with a combination treatment approach. This treatment usually involves combinations of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgery, and targeted drug therapy. A combination treatment approach can be used to treat either childhood cancers or adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. These strategies often include combinations of drugs to target leukemic cells. The intent of this treatment strategy is to shrink the size of the affected organs (heart, lungs, and lymph nodes) while killing leukemic cells with drugs and also killing cancer cells with radiation therapy.

Chemotherapy drugs are used to treat all parts of the disease; however, some drugs are particularly effective in reducing or shrinking the largest cells. These drugs are also effective in preventing or reducing further spread of the disease to other parts of the body. Some of these drugs are also used to treat patients whose symptoms do not abate despite adequate medication. When a combination of drugs is used for ALL it has been shown to be more successful and have fewer side effects than when using individual drugs.

A newer combination chemotherapy approach in acute lymphoblastic leukemia therapeutics involves the use of a combination of four antineoplastic drugs, namely, doxorubicin, cisplatin, zoxamide, and cotrimoxazole. These four drugs are administered intravenously, intramuscularly, or intravenously and orally, on an ongoing basis. Although this approach has produced excellent responses in a number of patients, it is not a cure for acute lymphoblastic leukemia and should only be used as a step in the treatment process. The treatment for relapsed or refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia includes a second initial treatment option to extend the period of survival of the patient. This second treatment option generally involves the use of an antineoplastic drug, such as a biologic agent, to enhance the growth of cancer-free cells. Recently, in December 2020, BeiGene, a biopharmaceutical company, announced that its BLINCYTO (blinatumomab) for injection was approved in China for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory (R/R) B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and bone marrow cancer.