Rs 2 pill helps cancer patients gain weight

PUDUCHERRY: Cancer patients suffering from severe appetite loss while undergoing chemotherapy can improve appetite if they take a pill, costing less than Rs 2, once a day.

A recent trial at Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (Jipmer) in cancer patients suffering from severe appetite loss showed improvement after they took psychiatric drug olanzapine in low doses, as per research published in the scientific journal, Journal of Clinical Oncology. The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) has prescribed changes in the recommendations for management of eating disorders, anorexia, in patients receiving chemotherapy.

“Anorexia occurs in 30%-80% of patients with advanced cancer, which may worsen with chemotherapy. This trial assessed the efficacy of olanzapine in stimulating appetite and improving weight gain in patients recovering from chemotherapy. We enrolled 124 patients with untreated and locally advanced cancer with an average age of 55 years and administered half of them with olanzapine (2.5mg once a day for 12 weeks) along with chemotherapy,” said Jipmer professor (medical oncology) Dr Prasanth Ganesan.

Patients who took gained weight and their nutritional parameters enhanced. “We concluded that a low dose, daily olanzapine is a simple, inexpensive, well-tolerated intervention that significantly improves appetite and weight gain in newly diagnosed patients on chemotherapy.”

Dr Charles L Loprinzi of Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, said, “We now have convincing evidence that olanzapine is helpful for treating cancer anorexia.”

The trial at Jipmer is part of the Biotechnology Research Assistance and Development Council’s National Biopharma Mission for collaborative research to develop new drugs, and surgical and radiation techniques to treat cancer. Jipmer took the lead in the field of oncology, and based on the institute's request, Birac funded a network of oncology hospitals (Network of Oncology Clinical Trials India, NOCI) with support of 9.6 crore in 2020.

The network has created a registry for six common cancers with detailed data on their presentation and outcomes. “It has initiated clinical trials to answer relevant questions to our country and help Indian pharma conduct clinical trials with indigenously developed medicines. This will not only help reduce cost but also speed up access to newer agents, especially biological molecules,” said a statement from the institute.


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