Swissmedic approves Helsinn's Akynzeo for CINV

Privately-held Swiss drugmaker Helsinn today announced today that Swissmedic, Switzerland’s Agency for Therapeutic Products, has approved Akynzeo (netupitant/palonosetron) for the prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) in adults.

CINV is one of the most common side effects of chemotherapy. Its Akynzeo, which is already approved from marketing in the European Union since May this year and the USA (October 2014), is a new oral fixed combination of netupitant, a highly-selective NK1 receptor antagonist, and palonosetron, a 5-HT3 receptor antagonist, for the prevention of acute and delayed nausea and vomiting associated with highly or moderately emetogenic cancer chemotherapy.

CINV is one of the most common side effects of chemotherapy. Its management has been refined over the past several decades, but despite the existence of effective treatments and clear antiemetic guidelines, many patients still suffer from CINV, particularly during the delayed phase after chemotherapy. Studies show that patients often receive antiemetic drug regimens that are inconsistent with CINV international antiemetic guideline recommendations, which call for multiple-pathway targeted antiemetic prophylaxis.