Temozolomide is used to treat certain types of brain tumors. Temozolomide is in a class of medications called alkylating agents. It works by slowing or stopping the growth of cancer cells in your body. Technically, temozolomide is an oral prodrug that undergoes spontaneous hydrolysis at physiological pH to the active methylating species MTIC. It readily crosses the blood brain barrier, producing methyl adducts primarily at the O6 and N7 positions of guanine in DNA, which triggers mismatch repair mediated cytotoxicity and apoptosis in rapidly dividing tumor cells. Pharmacokinetic features include rapid oral absorption, a short plasma half life, minimal plasma protein binding, and renal excretion of metabolites. Clinically it is administered as single-agent maintenance therapy or concomitantly with radiotherapy in high grade gliomas according to established dosing schedules.
Parent: Dacarbazine / Temozolomide
Parent: Temozolomide
Parent: Temozolomide / Dacarbazine
Parent: Temozolomide
Parent: Temozolomide
Parent: Temozolomide
Commercial temozolomide API and finished products are controlled to pharmacopeial and regulatory impurity limits and characterized by validated analytical methods such as HPLC, LC-MS and NMR. Typical quality specifications for batches commonly include assay purity at or above 98 percent, individual specified related compounds limited typically to 0.1 to 0.5 percent depending on identification and toxicology, and total impurities commonly limited to 1.0 to 2.0 percent. Genotoxic or potentially mutagenic impurities are controlled to very low levels, often parts-per-million or reporting thresholds in line with ICH M7 guidance. Common related materials monitored include MTIC and other methylated or hydrolytic degradation products, desmethyl analogs and ring-opened hydrolysis products, along with limits for residual solvents, water content and heavy metals as per compendial criteria.
Temozolomide is a prodrug that converts nonenzymatically to the reactive methylating species MTIC. MTIC transfers methyl groups to DNA bases, most importantly at O6-guanine and N7-guanine. O6-methylguanine mispairs with thymine during replication, provoking the mismatch repair system to attempt futile repair cycles that lead to DNA strand breaks and apoptosis. Tumor cell expression of the DNA repair enzyme MGMT can remove O6-methylguanine and reduce temozolomide effectiveness, and deficiencies in mismatch repair also alter response.
Temozolomide is primarily used for the treatment of high grade gliomas, including newly diagnosed glioblastoma in combination with radiotherapy and as maintenance therapy, and for recurrent anaplastic astrocytoma. It is prescribed according to oncology guidelines and individualized by tumor type, molecular markers and patient factors.
Prices in India vary by brand, capsule strength and procurement channel. Generic temozolomide capsules commonly fall in an approximate retail range of INR 50 to INR 600 per capsule depending on strength and manufacturer. A complete treatment cycle or an extended course therefore typically ranges from several thousand to tens of thousands of rupees. For current pricing and insurance coverage consult a licensed pharmacy or treating oncology center.
There is no single miracle drug for brain cancer. Temozolomide is an important and evidence based standard therapy that can improve survival and delay progression in certain brain tumors, particularly glioblastoma, but outcomes depend on tumor biology, molecular markers and patient factors. Research into targeted therapies, immunotherapies and novel combinations is ongoing, and treatment decisions should be made with a multidisciplinary oncology team.
