Drug dramatically reduces nausea and vomiting in bone marrow transplant patients.

Bone marrow transplant patients say two of the most debilitating side effects of the treatment are nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy and radiation. But a Loyola University Health System (Loyola) study has found the drug aprepitant can dramatically reduce both nausea and vomiting when combined with other anti-nausea drugs. Seventy-three percent of patients receiving aprepitant experienced no vomiting during the study period, compared with 23% of patients who received a placebo. Forty-nine percent of aprepitant patients experienced no vomiting and little or no nausea, compared with 15% of the placebo group. Dr Patrick Stiff presenting findings at the 2010 BMT Tandem Meetings in …