Vyxeos (Daunorubicin/Cytarabine) for Leukemia

Overview
Vyxeos is a prescription drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat adults with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) that developed after treatment for another type of cancer, known as therapy-related AML (t-AML). Vyxeos is also indicated to treat AML with myelodysplasia-related changes (AML-MRC). Vyxeos is a combination drug composed of daunorubicin and cytarabine.

Daunorubicin is a member of a drug class called anthracycline antibiotics. Daunorubicin is also a topoisomerase inhibitor. Daunorubicin is believed to work by damaging DNA and blocking cell division in several different ways. Cytarabine is a member of a class of drugs called antimetabolites. Cytarabine is believed to work by interfering with the DNA synthesis in replicating cells. Vyxeos carries both drugs directly to the bone marrow to attack leukemia cells.

How do I take it?
Vyxeos is administered as an intravenous injection.

Side effects
The FDA-approved label for Vyxeos lists common side effects including fatigue, headache, chills, trouble sleeping, swelling, abnormal bleeding, pneumonia, bacterial infections, rash, cough, muscle and bone pain, loss of appetite, nausea, diarrhea, constipation, abdominal pain, and abnormal heart rhythm.

Rare but serious side effects listed for Vyxeos can include heart damage, life-threatening allergic reactions, severe tissue damage at injection site, fetal harm in pregnant women, and potentially fatal hemorrhage (bleeding).

For more details about this treatment, visit:

Vyxeos — Jazz Pharmaceuticals
https://vyxeos.com