About Evista(Raloxifene)

Raloxifene is an oral selective estrogen receptor modulator which is used in the prevention of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. It was announced on April 17, 2006, that raloxifene is as effective as tamoxifen in reducing the incidence of breast cancer in certain high risk groups of females, though with a reduced risk of thromboembolic events and cataracts in patients taking raloxifene versus those taking tamoxifen. It has not been approved by the FDA for this use, and there has been criticism in the mainstream oncology press of the way that the information was released. There has been some confusion in the lay media about the meaning of the trial results. There is no specific clinical evidence for the use of raloxifene in the adjuvant treatment of breast cancer over established drugs such as tamoxifen or anastrozole.

Raloxifene is produced by Eli Lilly Pharmaceuticals and is sold under the brand name Evista®.

SERMs mimic estrogen in some tissues and have anti-estrogen activity in others. Other SERMs, such as Pfizer's lasofoxifene and Wyeth's bazedoxifene are in the late stages of clinical development.

Description

Raloxifene hydrochloride (HCl) has the empirical formula C28H27NO4S•HCl, which corresponds to a molecular weight of 510.05 g/mol. Raloxifene HCl is an off-white to pale-yellow solid that is very slightly soluble in water.

Indication

Raloxifene is indicated for the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.

For either osteoporosis treatment or prevention, supplemental calcium and/or vitamin D should be added to the diet if daily intake is inadequate.

More about Evista(Raloxifene)