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WeEverolimus (Afinitor, Afinitor Disperz, Zortress) belongs to a class of drugs called kinase inhibitors. It is used to prevent organ transplant rejection and treat certain benign (noncancerous) and cancerous tumors.

Different brandnames and tablet strengths of everolimus are used for different conditions:

• Afinitor (2.5 mg, 5 mg, 7.5 mg and 10 mg tablets), Afinitor Disperz (2 mg, 3 mg and 5 mg tablets for oral suspension) and generic versions of these are used to treat certain benign (noncancerous) and cancerous tumors.
• Zortress (0.25 mg, 0.5 mg, 0.75 mg and 1 mg tablets) and generic versions of it are used to prevent organ transplant rejection.

Everolimus is an inhibitor of a kinase called mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), which plays an important role in a pathway that regulates things such as how cells in your body multiply, form new blood vessels and use nutrients.

In people with tumors, everolimus works by reducing the blood flow to the tumor, which slows down the growth of tumors. Everolimus does this my binding to a protein called FKBP-12 and forming a complex, which blocks the activity of mTOR.

In people with a transplanted liver or kidney, everolimus acts as an immunosuppressant to prevent your body from attacking or rejecting the transplanted organ. Everolimus works by stopping a type of white blood cell called lymphocytes from activating and multiplying. These cells usually help our bodies fight off invading organisms, but after an organ transplant you don't want your immune system cells attacking or rejecting the new organ. Everolimus inhibits both antigenic and interleukin (IL-2 and IL-15) stimulation of lymphocytes.

Everolimus was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2009.

What is everolimus used for?

The Afinitor brand of everolimus is a prescription medicine used to treat:

• advanced hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer, along with the medicine exemestane, in postmenopausal women who have already received certain other medicines for their cancer.
• adults with a type of pancreatic cancer known as pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (PNET), that has progressed and cannot be treated with surgery.
• adults with a type of cancer known as neuroendocrine tumor (NET) of the stomach and intestine (gastrointestinal), or lung that has progressed and cannot be treated with surgery.
  It is not for use in people with carcinoid tumors that actively produce hormones.
• adults with advanced kidney cancer (renal cell carcinoma or RCC) when certain other medicines have not worked.
• people with the following types of tumors that are seen with a genetic condition called tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC):
  • adults with a kidney tumor called angiomyolipoma, when their kidney tumor does not require surgery right away.
  • adults and children 1 year of age and older with a brain tumor called subependymal giant cell astrocytoma (SEGA) when the tumor cannot be removed completely by surgery.