Azacitidine

Vidaza® (Azacitidine) was approved by the FDA in 2004. It is an orphan product, which means it was developed to treat rare diseases and conditions that affect less than 200,000 people in the United States. Azacitidine is used to treat patients with the following FAB myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) subtypes: refractory anemia (RA), refractory anemia with ringed sideroblasts (RARS), refractory anemia with excess blasts (RAEB), refractory anemia with excess blasts in transformationThe process by which a normal cell is converted to a cell that has the characteristics of cancer cells. The event causing the change can be an alteration in an oncogene or infection with an oncogenic virus. Transformed cells demonstrate several characteristic differences from normal cells including: density independent growth, anchorage independent growth, lack of dependence on growth factors. (RAEB-T), and chronic myelomonocytic leukemiaA cancer affecting the cells that develop into white or red blood cells. Both of these cell types originate from stem cells in bone marrow. Red blood cells function to carry oxygen to our tissues and the white cells (leukocytes) are part of our immune system. The cancerous cells often accumulate in the blood. (CMMoL). It is injected intravenously (IV), often 7 days in a row, every 4 weeks, for 4 treatment cycles or more.