Toxicity assessment of imatinib mesylate and a related impurity: in vitro and in vivo approaches.

Imatinib mesylate (IM) is a widely used anticancer drug, mainly for treating chronic myeloid leukemia. However, pharmaceutical formulations may contain impurities, which in some cases can be more toxic than the parent compounds. This study aimed to compare the toxicity of IM and one of its impurities (IMP), N-(2-methyl-5-aminophenyl)-4-(3-pyridyl)-2-pyrimidine amine, using progressively complex models.