pomalidomide
Meaning of pomalidomide: Pomalidomide is an approved oral treatment for multiple myeloma that alters immune activity and blood vessel formation around tumor cells.
Definition of pomalidomide
Pomalidomide is an oral medication belonging to a class of drugs called immunomodulatory agents, chemically related to thalidomide, and marketed under the brand name Pomalyst. It is an approved treatment for multiple myeloma, a cancer of plasma cells within the bone marrow, generally used after other treatments have already been tried.
Pomalidomide works through several mechanisms, including altering the activity of immune cells such as T cells and natural killer cells, limiting the formation of new blood vessels that tumors rely on for growth, and directly interfering with the survival of susceptible cancer cells. It is taken as a capsule on a defined dosing schedule.
Because pomalidomide is related to thalidomide, a drug associated with severe birth defects, it is prescribed under a restricted distribution program intended to prevent exposure during pregnancy.
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Used in a sentence
Pomalidomide was added to the treatment regimen after the patient's multiple myeloma progressed on earlier therapy.
Good to know
Pomalidomide's relationship to thalidomide means it carries the same class wide risk of severe birth defects if used during pregnancy, a risk managed through a restricted prescribing and distribution program.