Effect of rifampicin on the pharmacokinetics of imatinib mesylate (Gleevec, STI571) in healthy subjects.

Objective: This study was carried out to investigate the influence of CYP3A induction with rifampicin on imatinib (Gleevec) exposure.

Methods: The study employed a single center, single-sequence design. A group of 14 healthy male and female subjects received imatinib as a single 400 mg oral dose on two occasions: on study day 1 and on study day 15.

Frequency of major molecular responses to imatinib or interferon alfa plus cytarabine in newly diagnosed chronic myeloid leukemia.

Background: In a randomized trial, 1106 patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in chronic phase were assigned to imatinib or interferon alfa plus cytarabine as initial therapy. We measured levels of BCR-ABL transcripts in the blood of all patients in this trial who had a complete cytogenetic remission.

Methods: Levels of BCR-ABL transcripts were measured by a quantitative real-time polymerase-chain-reaction assay.

Imatinib compared with interferon and low-dose cytarabine for newly diagnosed chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia.

Background: Imatinib, a selective inhibitor of the BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase, produces high response rates in patients with chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) who have had no response to interferon alfa. We compared the efficacy of imatinib with that of interferon alfa combined with low-dose cytarabine in newly diagnosed chronic-phase CML.

Methods: We randomly assigned 1106 patients to receive imatinib (553 patients) or interferon alfa plus low-dose cytarabine (553 patients).