[Hydrea, an effective drug for chronic myelogenous leukemia]

Hydroxycarbamide (the brand name: Hydrea) was found effective to chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) in Japan. In the preclinical study, this compound was active against mouse leukemia L 1210 and inhibited DNA synthesis. Clinically, Hydrea was given orally at the daily dose of 500-2,000 mg, dividing 1-3 times. For the maintenance therapy after remission induction, daily dose of 500-1,000 mg was given, dividing 1-2 times. As for the side effects, myelosuppression, disturbance of the gastro-intestinal tract and temporal liver and renal dysfunctions were observed. The response rate in the remission-induction therapy was as high as 92.1%.