Drug Detail

Information about Gleevec + Genasense

Generic Name	Imatinib + Oblimersen
IND	STI-571 + G3139
Brand Name (US)	Gleevec + Genasense
Manufacturer	Novartis + Genta
Drug Type	Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor + Antisense
Delivery	Oral + Intravenous
Approval Status	Gleevec is approved for GIST. This combination was evaluated in a phase 2 trial for GIST.
Indications
Overall Strategy	GIST cell based
Strategy	Block KIT + Unblock cell death genes
Drug Category	KIT/PDGFRA inhibitor + Bcl-2 inhibitor

Genasense is an drug that reduces the expression of the Bcl-2 protein using a technology known as Antisense. Bcl-2 is an "anti-apoptosis" protein; it prevents cells from dying. By blocking bcl-2, cancer therapies might kill more tumor cells.
Genasense is not an approved drug. In trials, it is typically combined with some other type of cancer therapy in an attempt to make the therapy more effective.
Gleevec is the approved first-line therapy for GIST.