Filgrastim and sargramostim are synthetic - man-made versions of substances naturally produced in your body. These substances, called colony stimulating factors, help the bone marrow to make new white blood cells.
When certain cancer medication fight your cancer cells, they also effect those white blood cells that fight infection. To help prevent infections when these cancer medication are using, colony stimulating factors may be given. Colony stimulating factors also may be using to help the bone marrow recover after bone marrow transplantation and stem cell transplantation.
Colony stimulating factors are available only with your family doctor's prescription, in the following dosage form:
Some commonly using brand names are:
In the USA
In Canada
Other commonly using names are:
For quick reference, the following colony stimulating factors are numbered to match the corresponding brand names.