[News Terms] US FDA Allows Import of 'Cisplatin' from China

'Cisplatin' is one of the widely used anticancer drugs in cancer treatment.

In 1965, Rosenberg, a biophysicist at Michigan State University, USA, and his research team discovered that a platinum-containing substance stopped bacterial cell division while experimenting on the effects of electric fields on bacterial growth. Cisplatin was synthesized as the most effective platinum compound to inhibit cell division.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Treatments with names ending in 'platin,' such as cisplatin, oxaliplatin, and carboplatin, are platinum-based anticancer drugs. Platinum-based anticancer drugs bind to the DNA links of cancer cells, blocking DNA synthesis and thereby inhibiting cancer cell growth. In some cases, cisplatin not only halts the proliferation of cancer cells but also reduces the size of existing cancer cells.

Cisplatin is used in combination with vinblastine, doxorubicin, and others, and is known to be highly effective against prostate cancer, ovarian cancer, bladder cancer, and ureteral tumors. However, due to its strong efficacy, it also has high toxicity and resistance, causing nephrotoxicity that damages the kidneys, as well as side effects such as nausea and vomiting, gastrointestinal symptoms, bone marrow suppression, and hearing impairment. For this reason, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies cisplatin as a Group 2A carcinogen, meaning it is a 'probable human carcinogen.'

On the 13th (local time), major foreign media including Bloomberg reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the import of cisplatin, which is widely used for cancer treatment in China. This is a temporary measure to alleviate the ongoing supply shortage of cisplatin that has lasted for several months.

The FDA authorized the import and distribution of cisplatin from China’s Chiru Pharmaceutical, and Apotex, which imports Chinese-made pharmaceuticals into the U.S., also announced that 10 lots of cisplatin distributed in China are expected to arrive within this week.