Etoposide 50 mg Suppliers & Bulk Manufacturers

Available Forms: Capsules

Available Strengths: 50 mg

Reference Brands: Vepesid (US)

Category: Oncology Cancer Care

Etoposide is used to treat different cancers of blood, lung, and testicles. It is also sometimes used to treat some other kinds of cancer in both men and women. It can be used on its own, or sometimes given together with certain other medicines as part of combination chemotherapy.

Product Description:

Etoposide inhibits topoisomerase II, the enzyme that resolves tangles in DNA by cutting both strands and resealing them. The drug does not prevent the cut; it prevents the repair, leaving permanent double-strand breaks that trigger cell death. The oral capsule exists because prolonged low-level exposure suits some tumours better than intermittent high peaks, and because it lets patients continue treatment at home.

Oral etoposide is used in small cell lung cancer, testicular cancer, lymphoma and, in metronomic low-dose schedules, in relapsed paediatric solid tumours. Bioavailability averages about half that of the injection and varies considerably between patients and between doses, so oral and intravenous doses are not interchangeable and substitution requires recalculation. Myelosuppression, alopecia, nausea and mucositis are expected. The class carries a small but real risk of secondary acute myeloid leukaemia with a characteristic chromosomal translocation.

Sourcing notes. Off patent, but the soft gelatin capsule is made by far fewer manufacturers than the injection, and supply has been interrupted more than once. Capsules require refrigeration at 2–8 degrees in most approved labelling, which is a genuine distribution constraint. Cytotoxic handling despite the oral route.