Busulfan

Busulfan (Myleran, GlaxoSmithKline, Busulfex IV, Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc.) is a cancer drug, in use since 1959. Busulfan (Myleran, GlaxoSmithKline, Busulfex IV, Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc.) is a cancer drug, in use since 1959. Busulfan is a cell cycle non-specific alkylating antineoplastic agent, in the class of alkyl sulfonates. Its chemical designation is 1,4-butanediol dimethanesulfonate. Busulfan was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in 1999. Busulfan was the mainstay of the chemotherapeutic treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) until it was displaced by the new gold standard, imatinib, though it is still in use to a degree as a result of the drug's relative low cost. Busulfan is used in pediatrics and adults in combination with cyclophosphamide or fludarabine/clofarabine as a conditioning agent prior to bone marrow transplantation, especially in chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) and other leukemias, lymphomas, and myeloproliferative disorders. Busulfan can control tumor burden but cannot prevent transformation or correct cytogenic abnormalities. The drug was recently used in a study to examine the role of platelet-transported serotonin in liver regeneration.