Cancer Drug Alimta Approved in Scotland For The Treatment of Asbestos Cancer Mesothelioma

Glasgow, Scotland has some of the highest rates of asbestos cancer because of the region's shipbuilding industry; Scotland's mesothelioma patients who haven't had any previous cancer treatment can now be treated with Alimta.

The cancer drug Alimta attacks cancer cells by preventing the production of 3 critical enzymes that the cancer cells need to survive. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently approved the use of Alimta in conjunction with the drug Cisplatin for the treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM.)

Between the years 1996 and 2000 mesothelioma claimed the lives of 411 men and 60 women in the city of Glasgow. In 1999, the United Kingdom banned the use of asbestos.

The Alimta treatment increases life expectancy by only 3 months, but this brief extension can mean a lot to some asbestos cancer patients, especially those who have been given 6 months to live.

Click here to read more...