Neupogen
® (
filgrastim) is a prescription medication used to stimulate the production of neutrophils, which are a certain type of white blood cell important for preventing infections. Specifically, it is approved to be used in the following situations:
- To prevent infections in people undergoing chemotherapy
- To prevent infections in people receiving bone marrow transplants
- To aid in the collection of stem cells collected for use in stem cell transplantation
- To prevent infections and other problems in people with low neutrophils due to certain other causes.
Neupogen is made by Amgen, Inc.
Neupogen works by stimulating the production of a certain type of white blood cell called neutrophils. Neutrophils help protect the body from infection, and having a low neutrophil count (known medically as neutropenia) increases the risk of infection. Chemotherapy (including chemotherapy during bone marrow transplantation) often causes neutropenia and infections. Some people are born with a decreased ability to produce neutrophils or stop making neutrophils due to unknown reasons, and Neupogen is also useful for increasing neutrophils in such individuals. Lastly, Neupogen is useful for stimulating the production of stem cells in the blood that can be collected for stem cell transplantation.
Neupogen belongs to a group of medications called granulocyte colony-stimulating factors. Colony-stimulating factors bind to stem cells in the bone marrow, stimulating the production of blood cells. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) is a naturally occurring chemical in the body that stimulates the production of neutrophils. Neupogen is a synthetic version of G-CSF. Neupogen binds to stem cells and stimulates the production of neutrophils, helping to decrease the risk of infection.
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