Products
Gemcivin
Pharmacotherapeutic group
Antineoplastic agents; antimetabolites; pyrimidine analogsInternational name
GemcitabineDosage form
Lyophilized for concentrate for solution for infusionAntineoplastic drug. Gemcitabine has a cytostatic effect associated with inhibition of DNA synthesis. It undergoes intracellular metabolism to form active diphosphate and triphosphate nucleosides. Diphosphate nucleoside inhibits ribonucleotide reductase, an enzyme involved in the synthesis of deoxynucleoside triphosphates required for DNA synthesis, which results in reducing their intracellular levels. Triphosphate nucleoside actively competes for incorporation into DNA and it can also incorporate into RNA. Following incorporation of gemcitabine intracellular metabolites into DNA, one additional nucleotide is added to the growing DNA strand, which leads to complete inhibition of further DNA synthesis and apoptotic cell death.