Major treatment advance to improve the well being of Australian cancer patients

A medication that represents the first major advance in the treatment of nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy in nearly a decade – EMEND(aprepitant, MSD) – may improve the well being of thousands of Australian cancer patients having strong chemotherapy, according to Professor Ian Olver, Clinical Director, Royal Adelaide Hospital Cancer Centre, Adelaide.

“EMEND can have a significant impact on the nausea and vomiting caused by strong chemotherapy, greatly improving patients’ ability to tolerate their chemotherapy and get on with their lives,” Professor Olver said today.EMEND is available on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.A recent Australian study has shown that 75 percent of patients fail to get complete relief from nausea and vomiting in the five days following strong chemotherapy, despite relatively good control of nausea and vomiting in the first 24 hours after chemotherapy. Over half of patients (53%) experienced vomiting within five days of chemotherapy treatment.Professor Olver, who was involved in the Australian study, said that these findings were supported by the results of recently published international trials which reinforce that delayed nausea and vomiting was a problem area waiting to be solved.”Delayed nausea and vomiting is a real problem for many patients undergoing strong chemotherapy and they often have a really miserable time after they leave hospital,” Professor Olver said.”They often have to write off a whole week after a session of chemotherapy as they feel so run down, weak and nauseated and their appetite is severely impaired. This also means they can have a negative outlook on their next course of chemotherapy and approach it with dread.”In addition to the impact on well being, uncontrolled nausea and vomiting can cause medical problems leading to hospitalisation and, in severe cases, may affect a patient’s willingness to undergo further chemotherapy.”With current therapies we are able to control nausea and vomiting in the period immediately after strong chemotherapy reasonably well,” Professor Olver said.”Unfortunately, some people suffer delayed nausea and vomiting – more than 24 hours after receiving their chemotherapy – and these older treatments aren’t very effective in controlling it.” Adding one capsule of EMEND to current anti-nausea treatment each day for three days after chemotherapy can help prevent delayed nausea and vomiting.