Porfimer sodium explained

Porfimer sodium, sold as Photofrin, is a photosensitizer used in photodynamic therapy and radiation therapy and for palliative treatment of obstructing endobronchial non-small cell lung carcinoma and obstructing esophageal cancer.

Porfimer is a mixture of oligomers formed by ether and ester linkages of up to eight porphyrin units.^[1] In practice, a red light source emitting at 630 nm is used to excite the Porfimer oligomers.^[2]

Porfimer is Haematoporphyrin Derivative (HpD) (See PDT).

Approvals and indications

It was approved in Canada in 1993 for the treatment of bladder cancer.^[2] It was approved in Japan in 1994 (for early stage lung cancer?).^[2] It was approved by the U.S. FDA in December 1995 for esophageal cancer, and in 1998, it was approved for the treatment of early non-small cell lung cancer.^[2]

In August 2003 the FDA approved its use for Barrett's esophagus.^[3]

External links

• Photofrin
• Photofrin marketing info
• Side effects of PDT with Photofrin
• History of Photofrin

Notes and References

1. Web site: Porfimer injection Prescribing information.
2. Usuda J, Kato H, Okunaka T, Furukawa K, Tsutsui H, Yamada K, Suga Y, Honda H, Nagatsuka Y, Ohira T, Tsuboi M, Hirano T . 6 . Photodynamic therapy (PDT) for lung cancers . Journal of Thoracic Oncology . 1 . 5 . 489–93 . June 2006 . 17409904 . 10.1016/S1556-0864(15)31616-6 . free .
3. Web site: FDA Patient Safety News: Show #20, October 2003 . October 2003 . 2009-08-17.