Drug Detail

Information about Gleevec + Afinitor

Generic Name	Imatinib + Everolimus
IND	STI571 + RAD001
Brand Name (US)	Gleevec + Afinitor
Manufacturer	Novartis, Novartis
Drug Type
Delivery	Oral
Approval Status	Both are approved. This combination is not approved for GIST. It was evaluated in phase 2 trials for GIST.
Indications
Overall Strategy	KIT Protein Based Oncogenic Signal Path Based
Strategy	Block KIT Block KIT Signal Path
Drug Category	KIT/PDGFRA inhibitor mTOR inhibitor

Imatinib is the first line treatment for GIST. In combination therapy, it is hoped that imatinib will continue to control sensitive "clones" and the addition of a second compound, such as RAD001, will provide additional anti-tumor effects.
RAD001 is an oral mTOR inhibitor.
Note: Prenen et al., have suggested that RAD001 (everolimus) alters the imatinib blood partition in favour of the erythrocyte. The result may be a reduction of imatinib plasma levels possibly making the imatinib ineffective. If this combination is tried outside of a clinical trial, then the treating physician should be familiar with the second link under links below. In addition, plasma testing for imatinib levels might be in order.