Dimethyl sulfoxide Intravesical and Zevalin

• Generic Name: dimethyl sulfoxide
• Dosage Forms: n.a.
• Other Brand Names: Cryoserv, Rimso-50

Dimethyl sulfoxide is a purified preparation used in the bladder to relieve the symptoms of the bladder condition called interstitial cystitis. A catheter (tube) or syringe is used to put the solution into the bladder where it is allowed to remain for about 15 minutes. Then, the solution is expelled by urinating.

Interstitial cystitis is the only human use for dimethyl sulfoxide that is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Claims that dimethyl sulfoxide is effective for treating various types of arthritis, ulcers in scleroderma, muscle sprains and strains, bruises, infections of the skin, burns, wounds, and mental conditions have not been proven.

Although other preparations of dimethyl sulfoxide are available for industrial and veterinary (animal) use, they must not be used by humans, because of their unknown purity. Impurities in these preparations may cause serious unwanted effects in humans. Even if dimethyl sulfoxide is applied to the skin, it is absorbed into the body through the skin and mucous membranes.

Dimethyl sulfoxide is available only with your doctor's prescription.

• Generic Name: ibritumomab
• Dosage Forms: injection
• Other Brand Names: Y-90 Zevalin, In-111 Zevalin

Part of a specific therapeutic regimen (ibritumomab tiuxetan therapeutic regimen) for treatment of relapsed or refractory low-grade or follicular B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) (designated an orphan drug by FDA for this use). Safety and efficacy not evaluated in patients with ≥25% involvement of bone marrow by lymphoma and/or impaired bone marrow reserve (e.g., prior myeloablative therapies, prior external beam radiation to >25% of active marrow, neutrophil count <1500/mm3).

Ibritumomab tiuxetan therapeutic regimen also used for consolidation treatment of newly diagnosed follicular NHL in patients who have achieved partial or complete response to first-line induction chemotherapy. Safety and efficacy not evaluated in patients with ≥25% involvement of bone marrow by lymphoma and/or impaired bone marrow reserve (e.g., prior myeloablative therapies, prior external beam radiation to >25% of active marrow, platelet count <150,000/mm3).