Cytorox® 500mg/5ml Injection (Cytarabine) – Chemotherapy (Rx)

Quick answer: Cytorox 500mg (cytarabine) is a chemotherapy injection used mainly for acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) and other acute leukaemias in adults and children. A nurse gives it into a vein, or sometimes under the skin, in hospital. MedHub supplies it on prescription and delivers it to hospitals and homes across Pakistan.

For patients and families

What is Cytorox 500mg?

Cytorox 500mg is a 5ml vial holding 500mg of cytarabine, made in Pakistan by Pharmasol. Cytarabine is an antimetabolite. It looks like one of the building blocks cells use to copy their DNA, so fast-dividing leukaemia cells take it up and then cannot finish copying themselves. Without that copying step, the cells die.

What is it used for?

Blood cancer teams use cytarabine as a core part of leukaemia treatment:

• Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML): to bring the disease into remission, usually combined with an anthracycline such as idarubicin, and later to keep it there.
• Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL): within multi-drug treatment plans for adults and children.
• Chronic myeloid leukaemia in blast crisis: when the disease turns into an acute form.

Your haematologist chooses the treatment plan after looking at your bone marrow results, blood tests and overall health.

How is it given?

Cytarabine is a hospital medicine. A nurse gives it as a drip into a vein, as an injection, or as a small injection under the skin, depending on your treatment plan. Treatment often runs over several days in a row, and you may stay on the ward during that time. Your doctor decides the dose, which depends on your body size, your blood counts and the stage of treatment.

Common side effects

• Very low blood counts, which bring a high risk of infection, bleeding and anaemia
• Nausea, vomiting and loss of appetite
• Mouth ulcers and a sore throat
• Fever, aching muscles, bone pain or a rash in the first day or two
• Diarrhoea or belly pain

Tell the ward staff straight away about any fever, shivering, bleeding from the gums or nose, black stools, or trouble walking or speaking clearly.

Storage

Store Cytorox 500mg below 25°C in its carton. The hospital pharmacy normally keeps the vials and prepares each dose for you.

How to order from MedHub

1. Send a photo of your prescription on WhatsApp.
2. Our pharmacist confirms the price and stock with you.
3. We pack the vials with care and deliver them to your hospital or home.

Families in the UAE, UK and Saudi Arabia often arrange Cytorox 500mg for a parent’s leukaemia treatment in Pakistan through us. For larger doses, the hospital may also use Cytorox 1000mg. We also stock Idarubicin AHP 10mg, which doctors often pair with cytarabine, and you can browse all our oncology medicines.

For healthcare professionals

• Composition: cytarabine 500 mg/5 ml (100 mg/ml) solution for injection
• Drug class: antimetabolite, pyrimidine nucleoside analogue
• Indications: induction and maintenance of remission in acute myeloid leukaemia in adults and children; other acute leukaemias, including acute lymphoblastic leukaemia; blast phase of chronic myeloid leukaemia
• Mechanism: converted intracellularly to cytarabine triphosphate (ara-CTP), which inhibits DNA polymerase and is incorporated into DNA, acting in the S phase of the cell cycle
• Label dose: AML induction: 100–200 mg/m² daily by continuous IV infusion, or 100 mg/m² IV every 12 hours, for 7 days, usually with an anthracycline; maintenance by IV or subcutaneous injection at intervals per protocol; high-dose regimens of 1–3 g/m² every 12 hours by 1 to 3 hour infusion for consolidation or refractory disease per protocol
• Monitoring / key precautions: daily blood counts during induction; liver and renal function; uric acid and tumour lysis prophylaxis; cytarabine syndrome (fever, myalgia, bone pain, rash, conjunctivitis); with high doses, neurological checks for cerebellar toxicity before each dose and prophylactic corticosteroid eye drops; avoid in pregnancy
• Storage: below 25°C
• Manufactured and marketed in Pakistan by: Pharmasol (Pvt) Ltd
• Pack: 1 vial

Frequently asked questions

What is Cytorox 500mg used for?

Cytorox 500mg treats acute myeloid leukaemia, acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and chronic myeloid leukaemia in blast crisis. Doctors usually give it with other chemotherapy medicines.

What is the Cytorox 500mg price in Pakistan?

Cytorox 500mg costs Rs 880 per vial. Prices can change with supply, so message us on WhatsApp for today’s price before you order.

Can I get Cytorox 500mg in Lahore, Karachi or Peshawar?

Yes. MedHub delivers across Pakistan, including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Multan and Faisalabad.

Do I need a prescription to buy Cytorox 500mg?

Yes. Cytarabine is a prescription-only chemotherapy medicine. Send a clear photo of your haematologist’s prescription on WhatsApp, and our pharmacist checks it before confirming the order.

How is Cytorox 500mg given?

A nurse gives it in hospital, either as a drip or injection into a vein or as a small injection under the skin. Courses often last several days in a row.

Why does the hospital ask for several Cytorox 500mg vials?

One leukaemia course usually runs over several days, and each day’s dose depends on body size. The pharmacy adds up the full course and asks you to arrange enough vials for all of it.

How should Cytorox 500mg be stored?

Keep the vials below 25°C in their carton until the hospital pharmacy prepares them.

Can I order Cytorox 500mg for my parents in Pakistan from abroad?

Yes. Many families in the UAE, UK and Saudi Arabia order through MedHub for parents in Pakistan. Share the prescription on WhatsApp, and our team guides you through payment and delivery to the hospital.

Last updated: 3 October 2026

This information is for general awareness only and is not medical advice. Always consult your doctor before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.