IRESSA is a brand name for Gefitinib, supplied as a tablet. The medicine, its uses, side effects and dosage are the same regardless of brand.
Used for: IRESSA (gefitinib) is indicated for: the first line treatment of patients with locally advanced (not amenable to curative therapy) or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have activating mutations of the EGFR-TK (see 7 WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS – Monitoring and Laboratory Tests). This indication was…
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2 Recommended Dose and Dosage Adjustment The recommended daily dose of IRESSA (gefitinib) is one 250 mg tablet with or without food. Higher doses do not produce a better response and lead to increased toxicity. No dosage adjustment is required on the basis of patient age, body weight, gender, ethnicity or renal function.
3 Pharmacokinetics – Special Populations and Conditions) and caution is advised in these patients. For patients unable to tolerate treatment after a therapy interruption for toxicity, IRESSA should be discontinued and another treatment option should be considered.
Dosage Adjustment due to Toxicity Poorly tolerated diarrhea Patients with poorly tolerated diarrhea (sometimes associated with dehydration) may be successfully managed by providing a brief (up to 14 days) therapy interruption followed by reinstatement of the 250 mg daily dose once toxicity has resolved.
Skin adverse drug reactions Patients with skin adverse drug reactions may be successfully managed by providing a brief (up to 14 days) therapy interruption followed by reinstatement of the 250 mg daily dose once toxicity has resolved.
Eye symptoms Patients who develop eye symptoms should be evaluated and managed, including interruption of therapy with IRESSA. Reinstatement of the 250 mg/day IRESSA dose should be considered when symptoms and eye changes have resolved.
Respiratory symptoms If patients present with acute onset or worsening of respiratory symptoms such as dyspnea, cough and fever, IRESSA should be interrupted and prompt investigation initiated. If Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) is confirmed, IRESSA should be discontinued and the patient treated appropriately (see 7 WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS - Respiratory and 8 ADVERSE REACTIONS sections).
1-fold increase in exposure to gefitinib in patients with moderate and severe hepatic impairment due to cirrhosis was observed in a phase I hepatic impairment study ( see 7 WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS – Hepatic/Biliary/Pancreatic and 10 CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY sections).
This increase in exposure may be of clinical relevance since adverse experiences are related to dose and exposure to gefitinib. No dose adjustments are recommended for patients with moderate to severe hepatic impairment (Child Pugh B or C) however, these patients should be closely monitored.
sections). 1-fold increase in exposure to gefitinib in patients with moderate and severe hepatic impairment due to cirrhosis was observed in a phase I hepatic impairment study ( see 7 WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS – Hepatic/Biliary/Pancreatic and 10 CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY sections).
This increase in exposure may be of clinical relevance since adverse experiences are related to dose and exposure to gefitinib. No dose adjustments are recommended for patients with moderate to severe hepatic impairment (Child Pugh B or C) however, these patients should be closely monitored.
No dose adjustments are recommended for patients with elevated aspartate transaminase (AST), alkaline phosphatase or bilirubin due to liver metastases. These patients should be closely monitored for adverse events. In patients with impaired liver function secondary to liver metastases, gefitinib exposure was IRESSA® Product Monograph.
COPY RIGHT 2003 – 2021, ASTRAZ ENECA CA NADA INC. Page 5 of 38 similar for patients with moderate hepatic dysfunction compared to normal hepatic function. Data from four patients with severe hepatic dysfunction due to liver metastases suggested that steady state exposures in these patients are also similar to those in patients with normal hepatic function.
5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) with no demonstrable liver metastases or greater than 5 times ULN in the presence of liver metastases were excluded due to potential hepatic concerns associated with the carboplatin/paclitaxel doublet.
Consequently, the IPASS study does not contribute any data in this patient population. 1 Special Populations). 4 Administration IRESSA is for oral use only. 5 Missed Dose If a dose of IRESSA is missed, it should be taken as soon as the patient remembers, as long as it is at least 12 hours before the next dose is due.
– Monitoring and Laboratory Tests). This indication was based on progression-free survival (PFS). After 78% of trial patients had died, no statistically significant difference in overall survival (OS) was demonstrated with first line IRESSA compared to the first line chemotherapy doublet in patients with EGFR mutation positive tumours in the IPASS study (see 14 CLINICAL TRIALS).
1 Special Populations). 1 Special Populations). 2 CONTRAINDICATIONS Gefitinib is contraindicated in patients who are hypersensitive to this drug or to any ingredient in the formulation, including any non-medicinal ingredient, or component of the container.
For a complete listing, see 6 DOSAGE FORMS, STRENGTHS, COMPOSITION AND PACKAGING. 3 SERIOUS WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS BOX Serious Warnings and Precautions IRESSA (gefitinib) should be administered under the supervision of a qualified health professional who is experienced in the treatment and management of patients with cancer.
IRESSA should not be used in patients with EGFR mutation negative tumours (see 7 WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS – Monitoring and Laboratory Tests and 14 CLINICAL TRIALS sections). 3 Pharmacokinetics – Special Populations and Conditions).
Isolated cases of hepatic failure and fulminant hepatitis, including fatalities, have been reported with IRESSA use (see 7 WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS – Hepatotoxicity). Gastrointestinal perforation (including cases with a fatal outcome) was observed in patients treated with IRESSA (see 7 WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS – Gastrointestinal) IRESSA® Product Monograph.
COPY RIGHT 2003 – 2021, ASTRAZ ENECA CA NADA INC. 2 Recommended Dose and Dosage Adjustment The recommended daily dose of IRESSA (gefitinib) is one 250 mg tablet with or without food. Higher doses do not produce a better response and lead to increased toxicity.
No dosage adjustment is required on the basis of patient age, body weight, gender, ethnicity or renal function. 3 Pharmacokinetics – Special Populations and Conditions) and caution is advised in these patients. For patients unable to tolerate treatment after a therapy interruption for toxicity, IRESSA should be discontinued and another treatment option should be considered.
Gefitinib is contraindicated in patients who are hypersensitive to this drug or to any ingredient in the formulation, including any non-medicinal ingredient, or component of the container. For a complete listing, see 6 DOSAGE FORMS, STRENGTHS, COMPOSITION AND PACKAGING.
Not medical advice. Always read the patient information leaflet and follow your prescriber or pharmacist.
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No dose adjustments are recommended for patients with elevated aspartate transaminase (AST), alkaline phosphatase or bilirubin due to liver metastases. These patients should be closely monitored for adverse events. In patients with impaired liver function secondary to liver metastases, gefitinib exposure was IRESSA® Product Monograph.
COPY RIGHT 2003 – 2021, ASTRAZ ENECA CA NADA INC. Page 5 of 38 similar for patients with moderate hepatic dysfunction compared to normal hepatic function. Data from four patients with severe hepatic dysfunction due to liver metastases suggested that steady state exposures in these patients are also similar to those in patients with normal hepatic function.
5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) with no demonstrable liver metastases or greater than 5 times ULN in the presence of liver metastases were excluded due to potential hepatic concerns associated with the carboplatin/paclitaxel doublet.
Consequently, the IPASS study does not contribute any data in this patient population. 1 Special Populations). 4 Administration IRESSA is for oral use only. 5 Missed Dose If a dose of IRESSA is missed, it should be taken as soon as the patient remembers, as long as it is at least 12 hours before the next dose is due.
If it is less than 12 hours to the next dose, the patient should not take the missed dose. Patients should not take a double dose (two doses at the same time) to make up for a forgotten dose.
If it is less than 12 hours to the next dose, the patient should not take the missed dose. Patients should not take a double dose (two doses at the same time) to make up for a forgotten dose. 5 OVERDOSAGE A limited number of patients were treated with daily doses of up to 1000 mg in phase I clinical trials.
An increase in frequency and severity of some adverse reactions was observed, mainly diarrhea and skin rash. In one study, a limited number of patients were treated weekly with doses from 1500 mg to 3500 mg (17 patients total / 3-4 patients per cohort) and twice weekly with doses from 1500 mg to 2000 mg (6 patients total / 3 patients per cohort).
e. 250 mg daily). The study was not designed as a ‘thorough QTc’ study and the QTc data should be approached with caution. No QTcB ≥ 500 msec was found during the study. Adverse events were mostly mild to moderate in severity, and were consistent with the known safety profile of IRESSA.
The frequency of some AEs, namely nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and fatigue appeared to have increased, however the patients enrolled in this study were end stage cancer patients with multiple confounding co-morbidities. Two out of the 6 patients in the twice weekly cohorts (one subject in Cohort 6 on 1500 mg twice weekly; the other in Cohort 7 on 2000 mg twice weekly) developed grade 3 total bilirubin increases however these were not reported as adverse events.
Both of these patients had pre-existing liver metastases before start of treatment with gefitinib. IRESSA® Product Monograph. COPY RIGHT 2003 – 2021, ASTRAZ ENECA CA NADA INC. Page 6 of 38 There is no specific treatment in the event of overdose of IRESSA.
Adverse reactions associated with overdose should be treated symptomatically; in particular, severe diarrhea should be managed as clinically indicated. In non-clinical studies, the median lethal oral dose in rats was 2000 mg/kg (approximately 400 times the clinically recommended daily dose in humans on a mg/kg basis).
The median lethal oral dose in mice was found to be in excess of 2000 mg/kg. For management of a suspected drug overdose, contact your regional poison control centre. 6 DOSAGE FORMS, STRENGTHS, COMPOSITION AND PACKAGING IRESSA (gefitinib) is a 250 mg brown, round, biconvex, film-coated tablet impressed with “IRESSA 250” on one side and plain on the other.
Available in blister packs of 30 tablets. 7 WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS Please see 3 SERIOUS WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS BOX. Carcinogenesis and Mutagenesis Pre-clinical studies have identified a statistically significant increase in hepatocellular adenomas in rats and mice and in mesenteric lymph node hemangiosarcomas in rats.
The clinical relevance of these findings is unknown (see 16 NON-CLINICAL TOXICOLOGY – Carcinogenicity). Cardiovascular No thorough QT/QTc study was performed to rule out the effect of IRESSA on QT prolongation. 2 Pharmacodynamics). Driving and Operating Machinery IRESSA is not expected to impair a patient’s ability to drive or use machines.
However, some patients may occasionally feel weak. If this happens, patients should not drive or operate machinery. Gastrointestinal Diarrhea, Dehydration and Renal Dysfunction IRESSA use is very commonly associated with diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, stomatitis, and anorexia.
Patients should be advised to seek medical advice promptly in the event of developing severe or persistent […]
Dosage Adjustment due to Toxicity Poorly tolerated diarrhea Patients with poorly tolerated diarrhea (sometimes associated with dehydration) may be successfully managed by providing a brief (up to 14 days) therapy interruption followed by reinstatement of the 250 mg daily dose once toxicity has resolved.
Skin adverse drug reactions Patients with skin adverse drug reactions may be successfully managed by providing a brief (up to 14 days) therapy interruption followed by reinstatement of the 250 mg daily dose once toxicity has resolved.
Eye symptoms Patients who develop eye symptoms should be evaluated and managed, including interruption of therapy with IRESSA. Reinstatement of the 250 mg/day IRESSA dose should be considered when symptoms and eye changes have resolved.
Respiratory symptoms If patients present with acute onset or worsening of respiratory symptoms such as dyspnea, cough and fever, IRESSA should be interrupted and prompt investigation initiated. If Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) is confirmed, IRESSA should be discontinued and the patient treated appropriately (see 7 WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS - Respiratory and