L-Asparaginase 5000 / 10000 IU Suppliers & Bulk Manufacturers

Available Forms: Injection

Available Strengths: 5000 / 10000 IU

Reference Brands:

Category: Oncology Cancer Care

L-asparaginase is an enzyme used in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and lymphoblastic lymphoma. E. coli-derived and Erwinia-derived asparaginase are separate products and are not interchangeable: patients who react to one are switched to the other, at different doses and schedules. Buyers must specify which is required.

Product Description:

Asparaginase exploits a metabolic gap rather than attacking DNA. Normal cells synthesise the amino acid asparagine for themselves; lymphoblastic leukaemia cells largely cannot, and depend on what circulates in plasma. The enzyme breaks down that circulating supply, starving the leukaemic cells of a building block they cannot replace while normal tissues continue unaffected. It is one of the most selective agents in cancer medicine and a reason childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is now usually curable.

It is a core component of paediatric and adult ALL protocols and is used in lymphoblastic lymphoma. Because it is a foreign protein, hypersensitivity and anaphylaxis are common and may occur without warning, and silent inactivation by antibodies can occur without any clinical reaction — which is why activity monitoring is used where available. Pancreatitis, hyperglycaemia, hepatotoxicity, and both thrombosis and bleeding from disrupted clotting protein synthesis are recognised.

Sourcing notes. Several distinct products exist — native E. coli, Erwinia chrysanthemi and pegylated forms — and they are not interchangeable: patients who react to one are switched to another, and doses and schedules differ. Buyers should state which source organism and which formulation is required. Cold chain throughout; supply has been repeatedly disrupted worldwide.