Lesson plan
Lenalidomide
Lenalidomide, sold under the brand name Revlimid among others, is a medication used to treat multiple myeloma, smoldering myeloma, various indolent lymphomas, and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). For multiple myeloma, it is a first-line treatment, and is given with dexamethasone. It is taken by mouth. Common side effects include diarrhea, itchiness, joint pain, fever, headache, and trouble sleeping. Severe side effects include low blood platelets, low white blood cells, and blood clots. The dose may need to be adjusted in people with kidney problems. Lenalidomide is closely related to thalidomide, which is known to cause severe birth defects, so its use during pregnancy is very likely to harm the fetus. Lenalidomide belongs to a class of drugs known as immunomodulatory imide drugs (IMiDs) or Cereblon E3 ligase modulators, which includes thalidomide and its analogs. In lymphocytes, these drugs target an E3 ubiquitin ligase and change its specificity to include new targets. This results in the rapid degradation of several disease-related proteins including IKZF1, IKZF3, and CSNK1A1. Lenalidomide was approved for medical use in the United States in 2005. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.
Article summary
Lenalidomide, sold under the brand name Revlimid among others, is a medication used to treat multiple myeloma, smoldering myeloma, various indolent lymphomas, and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). For multiple myeloma, it is a first-line treatment, and is given with dexamethasone. It is taken by mouth. Common side effects include diarrhea, itchiness, joint pain, fever, headache, and trouble sleeping. Severe side effects include low blood platelets, low white blood cells, and blood clots. The dose may need to be adjusted in people with kidney problems. Lenalidomide is closely related to thalidomide, which is known to cause severe birth defects, so its use during pregnancy is very likely to harm the fetus. Lenalidomide belongs to a class of drugs known as immunomodulatory imide drugs (IMiDs) or Cereblon E3 ligase modulators, which includes thalidomide and its analogs. In lymphocytes, these drugs target an E3 ubiquitin ligase and change its specificity to include new targets. This results in the rapid degradation of several disease-related proteins including IKZF1, IKZF3, and CSNK1A1. Lenalidomide was approved for medical use in the United States in 2005. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.