Generic name: everolimus
Brand names: Afinitor, Afinitor Disperz, Zortress
Dosage form: oral tablet, tablet for oral suspension
Drug classes:MTOR inhibitors, Selective immunosuppressants
What is everolimus?
Everolimus belongs to a class of drugs called kinase inhibitors (Afinitor, Afinitor Disperz, Zortress). It is used to prevent organ transplant rejection and treat certain benign (noncancerous) and cancerous tumors.
Different brandnames and tablet strengths of everolimus are used for different conditions:
- Afinitor (2.5 mg, 5 mg, 7.5 mg and 10 mg tablets), Afinitor Disperz (2 mg, 3 mg and 5 mg tablets for oral suspension) and generic versions of these are used to treat certain benign (noncancerous) and cancerous tumors.
- Zortress (0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 0.75 mg and 1 mg tablets) and generic versions of it are used to prevent organ transplant rejection.
Everolimus is an inhibitor of a kinase called mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), which plays an important role in a pathway that regulates things such as how cells in your body multiply, form new blood vessels and use nutrients.
In people with tumors, everolimus works by reducing the blood flow to the tumor, which slows down the growth of tumors. Everolimus does this my binding to a protein called FKBP-12 and forming a complex, which blocks the activity of mTOR.
In people with a transplanted liver or kidney, everolimus acts as an immunosuppressant to prevent your body from attacking or rejecting the transplanted organ. Everolimus works by stopping a type of white blood cell called lymphocytes from activating and multiplying. These cells usually help our bodies fight off invading organisms, but after an organ transplant you don't want your immune system cells attacking or rejecting the new organ. Everolimus inhibits both antigenic and interleukin (IL-2 an...
