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What is Gleevec?

April 26, 2017Gleevec

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What is Gleevec?

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Gleevec is a pill that is taken either once or twice daily, depending on the dose. A patient normally takes 4 to 8 pills (400-800 milligrams) daily. Gleevec is different from traditional chemotherapy in that it is very selective. Traditional chemotherapy kills all cells that are dividing quickly. This is what causes so many of the side effects of traditional chemotherapy. In addition to the cancer cells, this type of chemotherapy also kills many of the body’s normal cells. Gleevec is much more selective and as a result has fewer and less severe side effects. It was designed to block (inhibit) the activity of a mutant type of enzyme (an enzyme is a specific type of protein) that causes Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML). This enzyme is called Bcr/Abl. In addition to blocking Bcr/Abl, Gleevec also blocks several other enzymes.