ARIMIDEX is the only drug of its kind with 5 years of clinical data that proves efficacy and safety in reducing the risk of
recurrence
in post menopausal women with hormone receptor-positive early breast cancer.
Learn about ARIMIDEX
If you have been newly diagnosed with breast cancer or are new to hormonal
treatment, it’s time to learn how ARIMIDEX may help reduce your risk of breast
cancer recurrence.
ARIMIDEX is a prescription medicine approved for
postmenopausal
women with
hormone receptor-positive
early breast cancer. ARIMIDEX is a
hormonal treatment
that helps fight breast cancer by lowering the amount of the hormone estrogen
in the body.
Ask your doctor about ARIMIDEX, the most prescribed aromatase inhibitor.*
*IMS National Prescription Audit Plus: Therapeutic Category Report. April 2007.
back to top
The science of ARIMIDEX
Click to enlarge
In a complex series of reactions, the adrenal gland makes certain hormones,
including androgens (male hormones) and estrogens (female hormones)
Click to enlarge
When women have gone through menopause, their ovaries no longer make estrogen.
Most of their estrogen is created by changing the androgens to estrogens. An
enzyme called aromatase helps in this process. Androgens change to estrogens in
various places in the body, such as in muscle, fat, and the liver, and also in
breast tumors
Click to enlarge
Some breast cancer tumors grow when the hormone estrogen is present. ARIMIDEX
binds to aromatase, stopping — or inhibiting —
aromatase activity and the production of estrogen. For this reason, ARIMIDEX is
called an aromatase inhibitor
-
ARIMIDEX significantly lowers the concentration of certain estrogens in your
body.
back to top
Side effect profile
ARIMIDEX offers women who’ve had breast cancer proven, powerful protection
against recurrence, while being less likely to cause certain side effects than tamoxifen.
Patients taking ARIMIDEX were less likely than those taking tamoxifen to stop treatment because of side effects. See Important
Safety Information below, and talk to your doctor to see if ARIMIDEX is right
for you.
In the early breast cancer
clinical trial,
the most common side effects seen with ARIMIDEX include hot flashes, joint
symptoms, weakness, mood changes, pain, sore throat, nausea and vomiting,
depression, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, swelling of arms/legs and
headache. Fractures (including fractures of the spine, hip, and wrist) occurred
more frequently with ARIMIDEX than with tamoxifen (10% vs 7%).
-
Prescription ARIMIDEX is only for postmenopausal women. ARIMIDEX should not be
taken if you are pregnant because it may harm your unborn child
-
ARIMIDEX should not be taken with tamoxifen or estrogen-containing therapies
Please see
full Prescribing Information. For more information, see your doctor.
back to top