Oral Fludarabine

Excerpt

Fludarabine is a purine nucleoside analogue with anti-tumour activity against a wide range of chronic lymphoproliferative disorders and against acute myeloid leukaemia. Its main clinical use is in the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) either as initial therapy or in patients who are resistant to or who have relapsed after an alkylating agent regimen. Although initially licensed for intravenous use only, it has been known for many years that fludarabine is active when given orally. Recent pharmacokinetic studies have shown that an oral dose of 40 mg/m²/day is comparable to an intravenous dose of 25 mg/m²/day. Oral fludarabine can be administered before or after meals. …