Netupitant, originally developed by Helsinn Healthcare and
later licensed to Eisai, Inc., was approved in the USA in October
2014 for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced nausea and emesis.
Akynzeo ® is a fixed-dose combination of the new drug
netupitant and the previously-approved 5-HT3 antagonist palonosetron.
While palonosetron obtained approval previously for treating
nausea and emesis occurring within the first 24 hours (acute
phase) after chemotherapy, netupitant provides a synergistic
effect with palonosetron, assisting in prevention of nausea
and emesis in later stages following chemotherapy (25–120 h after
chemotherapy treatment). Several clinical trials showed that
this combination of netupitant and palonosetron (Akynzeo ?), in
comparison to treatment with palonosetron treatment alone, led
to an improved percentage of patients in all phases who did not
experience any nausea and emesis after undergoing chemotherapy. Netupitant itself joins the class of selective Neurokinin-
1 (NK1) receptor antagonists which, in addition to their use for treating chemotherapy-induced nausea and emesis,
also play an important role as therapies for depression and
anxiety.
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