Article: Vinorelbine

Vinorelbine
Systematic (IUPAC) name
4-(acetyloxy)-6,7-didehydro-15- ((2R,6R,8S)-4-ethyl-1,3,6,7,8,9-hexahydro- 8-(methoxycarbonyl)-2,6-methano- 2H-azecino(4,3-b)indol-8-yl)-3-hydroxy- 16-methoxy-1-methyl-,methyl ester, (2beta,3beta,4beta,5alpha,12R,19alpha)- aspidospermidine-3-carboxylic acid
Identifiers
CAS number	71486-22-1
ATC code	L01CA04
PubChem	60780
DrugBank	APRD00101
Chemical data
Formula	C45H54N4O8
Mol. weight	778.932 g/mol
Pharmacokinetic data
Bioavailability	?
Protein binding	~27%
Metabolism	?
Half life	27.7-43.6 hours
Excretion	?
Therapeutic considerations
Pregnancy cat.	?
Legal status
Routes	Intravenous

Vinorelbine (Navelbine®) is a chemotherapy drug that is given as a treatment for some types of cancer, including breast cancer and non-small-cell lung cancer.

Pharmacology

Vinorelbine is a vinca alkaloid. It is obtained by semi-synthesis from alkaloids extracted from the rosy periwinkle, Catharanthus roseus.

History

Vinorelbine was invented in the 1980s by scientists at the pharmaceutical arm of the Pierre Fabre Group. The drug was approved in France in 1989 under the brand name Navelbine for the treatment of bronchial cancer. It gained approval to treat non-small cell lung cancer in 1991. The drug is now primarily used to treat this cancer. Vinorelbine received FDA approval in December 1994 sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline. The drug went generic in the US in February 2003.

Side effects

Vinorelbine has a number of side-effects that can limit its use:

Lowered resistance to infection, bruising or bleeding, anaemia, constipation, diarrhoea, nausea, numbness or tingling in hands or feet (peripheral neuropathy), tiredness and a general feeling of weakness (asthenia), inflammation of the injected vein (phlebitis).

Less common effects are hair loss, allergic reaction.