How Do Antineoplastic Pan-Deacetylase Inhibitors Work

Antineoplastic pan-deacetylase inhibitors are a class of drugs used to treat patients with multiple myeloma (a type of cancer of the bone marrow) who have received at least two prior regimens, including bortezomib and an immunomodulatory agent.

The only drug that belongs to this class is “Panobinostat” which is an antineoplastic medication and acts as a nonselective histone deacetylase (an enzyme) inhibitor. Blocking this enzyme induces apoptosis (a genetically regulated form of cell death) of malignant (cancerous) cells.

Pan-deacetylase inhibitors are administered orally with or without food, typically once every other day for three doses per week in Weeks 1 and 2 of each 21-day cycle for up to eight cycles. 

Pan-deacetylase inhibitors work in the following ways:

• They are chemotherapy medications that work by slowing or stopping the growth of cancer cells.
• They work by inhibiting an enzyme “histone deacetylase” promoting apoptosis of malignant cells.

Antineoplastic pan-deacetylase inhibitors are indicated in combination with bortezomib and dexamethasone for multiple myeloma in patients who have received at least two prior regimens, including bortezomib and an immunomodulatory agent.

Some of the common side effects include:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Headache
• Tiredness/weakness
• Taste changes
• Loss of appetite
• Dryness of mouth

Other rare side effects include:

• Dizziness 
• Fatigue 
• Weight loss
• Hair loss
• Anemia (low red blood cell count)
• Insomnia 
• Chills, sore throat, fever, or cough
• Rash/hives/itching
• Yellowing of the skin or eyes
• Thrombocytopenia (low blood platelet count)
• Lymphopenia (a condition in which there is a lower-than-normal number of lymphocytes [a type of white blood cell] in the blood)
• Hypokalemia (low blood potassium level)
• Hypocalcemia (low blood calcium level)
• Hypophosphatemia (low blood phosphate level)
• Increased creatinine (a waste product formed by the normal breakdown of muscle cells)
• Swelling hands/ankles/feet
• Painful, frequent, burning, or difficult urination
• Peripheral edema (swelling of lower legs or hands)

Information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible side effects, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. Check with your doctor or pharmacist to make sure these drugs do not cause any harm when you take them along with other medicines. Never stop taking your medication and never change your dose or frequency without consulting your doctor.

Generic and brand names of antineoplastic pan-deacetylase inhibitors include:

• Farydak
• Panobinostat