chemo for her2+ just got cheaper

[Lani]

since many regimens include docetaxel, I thought you might find this interesting-- would be fascinated to find out if the amounts billed for the chemo go down (silly me, for thinking so)


Generic Taxotere Gets FDA Marketing Okay



WASHINGTON -- The FDA has approved marketing of generic docetaxel -- previously under patent and sold as Taxotere by sanofi-aventis.

Generic drugmaker Hospira will distribute docetaxel in a single-vial formulation -- a change from the two-step process required for the original drug, a company statement said.

Docetaxel is indicated for the treatment of a number of cancers including breast, non-small cell lung, prostate, gastric, and head and neck cancers.

The drug can be used as a stand-alone treatment or in tandem with other drugs.

Generic docetaxel will be sold in 20-, 80-, and 160-mg vials in 10 mg/mL concentration, the statement said.

Adverse events reported with docetaxel include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, exhaustion, muscle, joint, and bone pain, hair loss, nail changes, tearing, sores in the mouth or throat, injection-site redness or swelling, and changes in taste.

Serious adverse events include blistering skin, numbness of the hands or feet, weakness in the hands or feet, nosebleeds, unusual bleeding or bruising, and potentially fatal fluid retention after the fifth dosing cycle.

Clinicians should monitor white blood cell counts and temperature regularly.

Drug sales of the branded product -- which came off patent in November -- were $1.2 billion in 2010, the Hospira statement said.