Campath (Alemtuzumab) Lawyer

Alemtuzumab, which is marketed as Campath, Campath-1H, and MabCampath, is used to treat chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) (also known as chronic lymphoid leukemia) and T-cell lymphoma. CLL is a cancer of the white blood cells (or lymphocytes). T-cell lymphoma is a disease in which T-cells in the lymphoid system become malignant.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) originally approved Alemtuzumab in 2001 under accelerated approval rules for second-line treatment for B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL). In September 2007, it received regular approval after further studies. Alemtuzumab, however, although sometimes used to treat Multiple Sclerosis (MS), was not approved for this purpose.

In November 2005, the FDA issued an alert warning that in a clinical study in which Campath was used to treat MS, three patients had developed severe idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), a bleeding disorder caused by an abnormally low level of platelets in the blood. One of the patients died.

ITP, however, is only one in a number of potential side effects. The more common adverse reactions of Campath include:

* Pyrexia (fever)
* Chills
* Hypotension (low blood pressure)
* Urticaria (hives)
* Nausea
* Rash
* Tachycardia (rapid heart rate)
* Dyspnea (shortness of breath)
* Neutropenia (abnormally low number of a type of white blood cells called neutrophils)
* Lymphopenia (abnormally low number of lymphocytes)
* Thrombocytopenia (abnormally low number of blood platelets)
* Anemia (abnormally low number of red blood cells or abnormally low quantity of hemoglobin in the blood)
* CMV viremia (passage of the cytomegalovirus into the blood)
* CMV infection (infection by the cytomegalovirus)
* Other infections
* Emesis (vomiting)
* Abdominal pain
* Insomnia (loss of sleep)
* Anxiety