Gourt > Health > Pharmacy > Drugs and Medications > M > Methotrexate
Methotrexate (rINN) (IPA: ), abbreviated MTX and formerly known as amethopterin, is an antimetabolite drug used in treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases. It acts by inhibiting the metabolism of folic acid.
History
Methotrexate originated in the 1940s when Sidney Farber at Children's Hospital Boston was testing the effects of folic acid on cancer. That inspired chemists at the drug company Lederle to start looking for antimetabolites resembling folate. The result was methotrexate, which was developed in 1948. Methotrexate gained Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval as an oncology drug in 1953.
Uses
Methotrexate was originally used, as part of combination chemotherapy regimens, to treat many kinds of cancers. It is still the mainstay for the treatment of many neoplastic disorders including acute lymphoblastic leukemia. More on [ Methotrexate ]
Methotrexate - Used alone or in combination with chemotherapies, surgery or radiation for treatment of cancers, lymphomas, leukemias, rheumatoid arthritis, and severe psoriasis. (Amethopetrin, Folex, Folex PFS)
Methotrexate - Familydoctor.org - Information for patients in English and Spanish.
| Mix-up Prompts Azathioprine Recall (Oct. 2006) | |
| Next Video | |
