Panobinostat

Panobinostat (Farydak®), which received FDA approval on 23 February 2015, is used in patients who previously used Bortezomib and an immunomodulatory (immune system-regulating) drug, with multiple myeloma, together with the drugs called Bortezomib and Dexamethasone. All our vital information is contained in the DNA helix called a chromosome, and our chromosomes need to open for this information to become usable. Structures called histones are responsible for opening and closing.

When molecules called acetyl are added to amino acids on histones, the chromosome opens and vital elements are produced. Conversely, elements such as HDAC (histone deacetylase) remove acetyl structures from histones, closing the chromosomes and thus stopping production. Panobinostat inhibits the functioning of HDAC structures that carry out this removal process, so chromosomes remain open and pathways necessary for destroying cancer cells are opened up. Its most frequently reported side effects are diarrhea, fatigue, nausea, edema and increased appetite.