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Filgrastim

Details of the Drug
Generic Name:
Filgrastim
Pronunciation:
fil-GRAS-tim
Drug Type:
Growth factor
How the Drug is Given:

Subcutaneous (SC) injection or intravenously (IV)

Names:
Neupogen®
Filgrastim
G-CSF
Zarxio™ *
Filgrastim-sndz*
Nivestym™ *
Filgrastim-aafi*
Releuko*
Filgrastim-ayow*

Indications and Usage

Filgrastim is FDA approved to 

  • Decrease the incidence of infection‚ as manifested by febrile neutropenia‚ in patients with nonmyeloid malignancies receiving myelosuppressive anti-cancer drugs associated with a significant incidence of severe neutropenia with fever
  • Reduce the time to neutrophil recovery and the duration of fever, following induction or consolidation chemotherapy treatment of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML)
  • Reduce the duration of neutropenia and neutropenia-related clinical sequelae‚ e.g.‚ febrile neutropenia, in patients with nonmyeloid malignancies undergoing myeloablative chemotherapy followed by bone marrow transplantation (BMT)
  • Mobilize autologous hematopoietic progenitor cells into the peripheral blood for collection by leukapheresis
  • Reduce the incidence and duration of sequelae of severe neutropenia (e.g.‚ fever‚ infections‚ oropharyngeal ulcers) in symptomatic patients with congenital neutropenia‚ cyclic neutropenia‚ or idiopathic neutropenia
  • Increase survival in patients acutely exposed to myelosuppressive doses of radiation (Hematopoietic Syndrome of Acute Radiation Syndrome)


 

Side effects needing medical attention

Aching in the bones and muscles; spleen rupture; acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS); serious allergic reactions; sickle cell crisis; kidney injury; Capillary Leak Syndrome; decreased platelet count (thrombocytopenia); increased white blood cell count (leukocytosis); inflammation of your blood vessels (cutaneous vasculitis).


*A biosimilar is a biological product that is highly similar to and has no clinically meaningful differences from an existing FDA-approved reference product. Click here for more information. 

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