Drug Groups

approved; investigational

Description

The purified component of hematoporphyrin derivative, it consists of a mixture of oligomeric porphyrins. It is used in photodynamic therapy (hematoporphyrin photoradiation); to treat malignant lesions with visible light and experimentally as an antiviral agent. It is the first drug to be approved in the use of photodynamic therapy in the United States. [PubChem]

Indication

Indicated in the treatment of esophageal cancer.

Pharmacology

Porfimer is a photosensitizing agent used in the photodynamic therapy (PDT) of tumors. Porfimer is indicated for the palliation of patients with completely obstructing esophageal cancer, or of patients with partially obstructing esophageal cancer who cannot be satisfactorily treated with Nd:YAG laser therapy, reduction of obstruction and palliation of symptoms in patients with completely or partially obstructing endobronchial nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and the treatment of microinvasive endobronchial NSCLC in patients for whom surgery and radiotherapy are not indicated. The cytotoxic and antitumor actions of porfimer are light and oxygen dependent. Tumor selectivity in treatment occurs through a combination of selective retention of porfimer and selective delivery of light.

Affected Organisms

Half Life

10-452 hours

Protein Binding

~90%

Distribution

* 0.49 ± 0.28 L/kg [2 mg/kg dose of porfimer sodium to 4 male cancer patients]

Clearance

* Renal cl=199.7?+/- ?56.9 mL/min [Healthy subjects receiving a single 300-mg oral dose]

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