Information for healthcare professionals only:

Kepivance® (palifermin)
Kepivance® is a recombinant protein that is indicated to decrease the incidence and duration of severe oral mucositis in patients with hematologic malignancies receiving myelotoxic therapy requiring hematopoietic stem cell support.
 
In patients with oral mucositis, the cells in the mouth and throat are damaged by chemotherapy and/or radiation during cancer treatment. This can be extremely painful and trying for the patients. Oral mucositis has also been classified as one of the most debilitating side effects for patients with hematological malignancy that undergoes a bone marrow transplant. This damage to the mucous membrane leads to problems such as longer hospital stays, higher doses of drugs (such as morphine) and the need for an IV for food and liquid intake.
 
Kepivance is produced in laboratory processes that attempt to mimic the activity of the endogenous keratinocyte growth factor (KGF). Growth factors are natural substances that the body produces to stimulate activity in certain cells. KGF is a type of growth factor specific to epithelial cells, which make up a large percentage of the cells that surround and protect the mucous membranes of the mouth. Stimulation and growth of epithelial cells through KGF is therefore an appropriate goal for the treatment of oral mucositis. 

Links
www.kepivance.com

Stemgen® (ancestim)
Stemgen® is indicated for use in combination with Neupogen® (filgrastim) in the setting of autologous peripheral blood progenitor cell (PBPC) transplantation for patients at risk of poor PBPC mobilisation to increase the number of PBPC collected in the apheresis harvest, thereby increasing the proportion of patients reaching a PBPC target for transplantation.
Stemgen is a 166 amino acid protein produced by Escherichia coli (E coli) bacteria into which a gene has been inserted for soluble human stem cell factor. Stemgen is an analogue endogenous human stem cell factor (SCF), also called c-kit ligand, steel factor and mast-cell growth factor. In combinations with other cytokines, SCF induces proliferation and increases receptiveness to lineage commitment of primitive and mature hematopoietic progenitors. Stemgen alone is not sufficient to increase peripheral blood progenitor cells (PBPC) but when administered in combination with filgrastim, it synergistically increases the number of PBPC’s in the peripheral blood.

Aloxi® (palonosetron)
Aloxi®, a 5-HT3 receptor antagonist approved for the prevention of nausea and vomiting associated with emetogenic cancer chemotherapy, is marketed in the Nordic region pursuant to an exclusive distribution agreement with Helsinn Healthcare SA.  Aloxi®
 
Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) represents a frequent complication occurring in patients receiving chemotherapy to treat cancer.  Several of the most commonly used chemotherapeutic agents stimulate the release of serotonin by cells located in the gastrointestinal tract.  Activated serotonin subtype 3 (5-HT3) receptors stimulate the emetic centre located in the medulla thus inducing nausea and vomiting, which are ranked by patients to be among the most severe side effects of chemotherapy. 5-HT3 receptor antagonist products are the mainstay of the anti-emetic treatment for patients receiving highly and moderately emetogenic chemotherapy and their administration is generally guaranteed to all patients at risk of CINV.
 
Aloxi® offers the clinical advantage of a stronger protection in the first day of CINV, as well as an effect that lasts for up to five days following a single dose administration.