Erwinaze
(ER-wih-nayz)
A drug that contains the active ingredient asparaginase Erwinia chrysanthemi and is used with other drugs to treat acute lymphoblastic leukemia. It is used in people who cannot take the enzyme asparaginase that comes from the bacterium E. coli. It is also being studied in the treatment of other types of cancer. Erwinaze breaks down the amino acid asparagine and may stop the growth of cancer cells that need asparagine to grow. It may also kill cancer cells. Erwinaze is a type of protein synthesis inhibitor.