Indications
L-Asparginase injection is used to treat acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). It is not given on its own but as one part of a multi-agent chemotherapy regimen.
⚠️ Always consult a registered physician before taking any medicine.
Pharmacology
L-Asparginase is thought to work by selectively killing leukemic cells through the depletion of plasma asparagine. Some leukemic cells can't make their own asparagine because they lack asparagine synthetase, so they depend on asparagine from outside to survive. When treatment with the enzyme L-asparaginase removes that asparagine, these cells die. Normal cells are less affected, because they can synthesize asparagine themselves.
L-Asparginase for Injection contains the enzyme L-Asparagine Amidohydrolase, type EC-2. Asparginase is not absorbed from the GI tract, so it must be given IM or IV. The IM route maintains efficacy and has not been shown to be less immunogenic. When it is given IM, no more than 2 ml of the solution should go into one injection site.
L-Asparginase activity is expressed in International Units, following the recommendation of the International Union of Biochemistry. One International Unit of Asparaginase is the amount of enzyme needed to generate 1 µmol of ammonia per minute at pH 7.3 and 37°C. The specific activity of Asparginase is at least 225 International Units per milligram of protein.
L-Asparginase for Injection comes as a sterile, white lyophilized plug or powder. Each vial contains 10,000 International Units or 5,000 International Units of lyophilized L-Asparginase for Injection.
Pregnancy & Breastfeeding
L-Asparginase is Pregnancy Category C. In mice and rats, doses of more than 1000 International Units/kg slowed the weight gain of both the mothers and the fetuses. This dose is approximately equivalent to the recommended human dose when adjusted for total body surface area. Resorptions, gross abnormalities and skeletal abnormalities were also seen. In pregnant rabbits, 50 or 100 International Units/kg was given intravenously on days 8 and 9 of gestation (approximately equivalent to 10 to 20% of the recommended human dose, adjusted for total body surface area). This led to dose-dependent embryotoxicity and gross abnormalities.
There are no adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women. So L-Asparginase should be given to a pregnant woman only if clearly needed.
Nursing Mothers
It is not known whether L-Asparginase is excreted in human milk. Many drugs are excreted in human milk, and L-Asparginase could cause serious adverse reactions in nursing infants. For this reason, a decision should be made either to stop nursing or to stop the drug, taking into account how important the drug is to the mother.
⚠️ Talk to your doctor before taking any medicine during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.
Dosage Reference
⚠️ Reference ranges from official sources only. Consult your doctor for personalized dosing.
Side Effects & Interactions
Side Effects
No side-effect data recorded yet.