Lipegfilgrastim, sold under the brand name Lonquex, is a medication used to reduce the duration of neutropenia and the incidence of febrile neutropenia in adults.[1] It is given by injection under the skin in the abdomen, upper arm or thigh.[1]

Lipegfilgrastim
Clinical data
Trade namesLonquex
Other namesXM-22
AHFS/Drugs.comUK Drug Information
Routes of
administration
Subcutaneous injection
Drug classImmunostimulants, colony-stimulating factors[1]
ATC code
Legal status
Legal status
  • AU: S4 (Prescription only)[2]
  • UK: POM (Prescription only)[3]
  • EU: Rx-only
Pharmacokinetic data
MetabolismSaturable proteolytic enzymes (not cytochrome P450 system mediated)[4]
Elimination half-life32–62 hours[4]
Identifiers
CAS Number
PubChem CID
DrugBank
UNII
KEGG
ChEMBL
Chemical and physical data
FormulaC866H1372N226O258S9 + PEG
Molar mass39000 g·mol−1

The most common side effects include nausea as well as bone and muscle pain.[1]

Lipegfilgrastim is similar to granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G‑CSF), a naturally occurring protein in the body that stimulates the production of white blood cells including neutrophils in the bone marrow.[1] Lipegfilgrastim acts in the same way as G‑CSF, increasing the production of neutrophils and thereby helping to reduce the duration of neutropenia and the occurrence of febrile neutropenia (a sign of infection) in people receiving chemotherapy.[1]

Lipegfilgrastim is a filgrastim biosimilar.[1] In lipegfilgrastim, the filgrastim has been 'pegylated' (attached to polyethylene glycol).[1] This slows down the medicine's removal from the body and allows the medicine to be given less often.[1]

Lipegfilgrastim was authorized for medical use in the European Union in July 2013.[1]

Medical uses edit

Lipegfilgrastim is indicated for the reduction in the duration of neutropenia and the incidence of febrile neutropenia in adults treated with cytotoxic chemotherapy for malignancy (with the exception of chronic myeloid leukaemia and myelodysplastic syndromes).[1]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Lonquex EPAR". European Medicines Agency. 17 September 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2020. Text was copied from this source which is © European Medicines Agency. Reproduction is authorized provided the source is acknowledged.
  2. ^ "Prescription medicines: registration of new chemical entities in Australia, 2015". Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). 21 June 2022. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  3. ^ "Lonquex - Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC)". (emc). 3 September 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  4. ^ a b Hoggatt, J; Tate, TA; Pelus, LM (2015). "Role of lipegfilgrastim in the management of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia". International Journal of Nanomedicine. 10: 2647–52. doi:10.2147/IJN.S55796. PMC 4388090. PMID 25878498.

Further reading edit