ATC Group: L01BA04 Pemetrexed

The World Health Organization's ATC classification organizes medical drugs based on therapeutic properties, chemical composition, and anatomy. It helps make essential medicines readily available globally and is widely used in the pharmaceutical industry.

Position of L01BA04 in the ATC hierarchy

Level Code Title
1 L Antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents
2 L01 Antineoplastic agents
3 L01B Antimetabolites
4 L01BA Folic acid analogues
5 L01BA04 Pemetrexed

Active ingredients in L01BA04

Active Ingredient Description
Pemetrexed

Pemetrexed is a folate analog metabolic inhibitor that exerts its action by disrupting folate-dependent metabolic processes essential for cell replication. In vitro studies have shown that pemetrexed inhibits thymidylate synthase (TS), dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR), glycinamide ribonucleotide formyltransferase (GARFT) and and to a lesser extent aminoimidazole carboxamide ribonucleotide formyltransferase (AICARFT), which are folate-dependent enzymes involved in the de novo biosynthesis of thymidine and purine nucleotides. Pemetrexed is taken into cells by membrane carriers such as the reduced folate carrier and membrane folate binding protein transport systems. Once in the cell, pemetrexed is converted to polyglutamate forms by the enzyme folylpolyglutamate synthetase. The polyglutamate forms are retained in cells and are inhibitors of TS and GARFT. Polyglutamation is a time- and concentration-dependent process that occurs in tumor cells and, is thought to occur to a lesser extent, in normal tissues. Polyglutamated metabolites are thought to have an increased intracellular half-life resulting in prolonged drug action in malignant cells.

Related product monographs

Title Information Source Document Type  
ARMISARTE Concentrate for solution for infusion European Medicines Agency (EU) MPI, EU: SmPC
CIAMBRA Powder for concentrate for solution for infusion European Medicines Agency (EU) MPI, EU: SmPC

Medicines in this ATC group

United States (US)

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Estonia (EE)

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Israel (IL)

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Lithuania (LT)

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Romania (RO)

South Africa (ZA)

Tunisia (TN)

United Kingdom (UK)

Note the following: The list of brand names is continuously updated, and thus does not include the total of products circulating worldwide.