Capixet

Capixet is an oral fluoropyrimidine carbamate chemotherapy drug developed and marketed by Everest Pharmaceuticals. It is a prodrug of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), which is converted to its active form through a three-step enzymatic process. The final step is catalyzed by thymidine phosphorylase, an enzyme found at higher concentrations in tumor cells than in normal tissues, providing a degree of tumor-selective activation. Capixet is indicated for the treatment of adjuvant colon cancer (Dukes' C), metastatic colorectal cancer as first-line monotherapy, and metastatic breast cancer, either as monotherapy or in combination with docetaxel. Its mechanism of action involves the inhibition of thymidylate synthase and the incorporation of its metabolites into DNA and RNA, which disrupts nucleic acid synthesis and leads to cell death.

Brand names

Capixet

Other names

capecitabine