Streptozocin: Uses, Side Effects, Dosage - Drugvu

ℹ️ Compiled from public regulatory records · Last regulator revision: May 15, 2026🚩 Report this page

Streptozocin

Nitrosoureas

GB MHRA

Drug class: Nitrosoureas
Availability: See label
Markets covered: 1
Products on record: 1

Overview

Streptozocin is an active pharmaceutical ingredient in the Nitrosoureas group (L01AD). The information below is compiled per regulator from the product labels on record, with direct links to the original documents.

Regulatory status by market

Market	Regulator	Products	Last revision
GB United Kingdom	MHRA	1	May 15, 2026

GBUnited Kingdom· MHRA

1 product

Uses

GBOfficial regulatory label· revised May 15, 2026[1]

1).

How to take

GBOfficial regulatory label· revised May 15, 2026

Drug interactions

Known interactions involving Streptozocin. Select one for details. This list is informational and not a complete interaction checker.

Adalimumab Baricitinib Certolizumab Pegol Cidofovir Cladribine Clozapine Deferiprone Diatrizoate Etanercept Fingolimod Golimumab Infliximab Inotersen Iodipamide Iodixanol Iohexol Iopamidol Iopromide Iothalamic Acid Ioversol Ioxilan Leflunomide Natalizumab Ozanimod Siponimod Teriflunomide Thalidomide Thiotepa Tofacitinib Upadacitinib Aldesleukin Alefacept Alemtuzumab Anakinra Azathioprine Bendamustine Bleomycin Busulfan Canakinumab Candida Albicans Capecitabine Carboplatin Carmustine Chlorambucil Chloramphenicol Cisplatin Clofarabine Coccidioides Immitis Spherule Cyclophosphamide Cytarabine Dacarbazine Dactinomycin Daunorubicin Decitabine Denosumab Dimethyl Fumarate Diroximel Fumarate Docetaxel Doxorubicin Efalizumab Epirubicin Etoposide Filgrastim Floxuridine Fludarabine Fluorouracil Ganciclovir Gemcitabine Hydroxyurea Idarubicin Ifosfamide Imatinib Interferon Alfa-2b Isatuximab Lactobacillus Acidophilus Lomustine Lurbinectedin Mechlorethamine Melphalan Mercaptopurine Methotrexate Mitomycin Mitoxantrone Monomethyl Fumarate Naxitamab Nelarabine Niraparib Ocrelizumab Olaparib Omacetaxine Mepesuccinate Oxaliplatin Palifermin Pegfilgrastim Pemetrexed Pentostatin Remdesivir Rilonacept Roflumilast Ruxolitinib Sargramostim Sipuleucel-T Temozolomide Thioguanine Topotecan Ustekinumab Valganciclovir Vibrio Cholerae CVD 103-HGR Strain Live Antigen Vinblastine Vinorelbine Vitamin E Zidovudine Cinoxacin Ciprofloxacin Delafloxacin Enoxacin Gatifloxacin Gemifloxacin Grepafloxacin Levofloxacin Lomefloxacin Moxifloxacin Norfloxacin Ofloxacin Sparfloxacin Trovafloxacin

Interaction data compiled from DDInter (academic, CC-BY). Severity classification only - this is not a complete interaction checker and not medical advice.

Sources & citations

[1]MHRA (UK) · PL403080001 · revised May 15, 2026

Information on this page is compiled from public regulatory records. Drugvu is not affiliated with any regulator or pharmaceutical manufacturer. This is not medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.

Zanosar should only be administered under the supervision of a physician experienced in the use of anti-cancer chemotherapeutic agents. The patient should have access to a facility with a laboratory and supportive resources sufficient to monitor drug tolerance and to protect and maintain a patient compromised by drug toxicity.
Posology The dose is based on the body surface area (m2).
Two different dosage schedules can be used:
Six-weekly regimen - 500 mg/m2/day, intravenously for 5 consecutive days every 6 weeks until maximum benefit is obtained or until treatment-limiting toxicity is observed. Dose escalation on this schedule is not recommended. Three-weekly regimen – 500 mg/m2/day, intravenously for 5 consecutive days during cycle 1, followed by 1000 mg/m2 every 3rd week during the subsequent cycles.
Other dosing regimens, with similar dose intensity, have been used in clinical studies with comparable efficacy and safety results. However, a single dose of 1500 mg/m2 of body surface area should not be exceeded (renal toxicity). The optimal duration of maintenance therapy with Zanosar has not been established.
For patients with functional tumours, serial monitoring of biological markers allows a determination of biochemical response to therapy. For patients with either functional or nonfunctional tumours, response to therapy can be determined by measurable reductions of tumour size on imaging.
4). Dose adjustment or discontinuation of the drug may be indicated, depending upon the degree of toxicity noted. Antiemetic premedication is recommended to prevent nausea and vomiting. 6). The duration of infusion should be between 30 minutes and 4 hours.
4). This medicinal product is vesicant in nature and as such should be administered with caution through a free-flowing line. In the event of extravasation, the administration should be discontinued immediately.
Special populations:
Patients with renal impairment: Based on clinical practice, the dose of Zanosar should be adapted according to renal function: dose reduction or treatment discontinuation is mandatory in the presence of significant renal toxicity. 4) If GFR is comprised between 30 and 45 ml/min, the benefit/risk ratio should be thoroughly evaluated in a multidisciplinary approach, which includes soliciting a nephrologist’s opinion and balancing the potential benefit against the known risk of serious renal damage.
4).
Elderly population:
The safety and efficacy of Zanosar in patients aged ≥ 65 years have not been established . Regimen selection for elderly patients should be cautious, usually starting at the low end of the dosing range, reflecting the greater frequency of decreased hepatic, renal or cardiac function, and of concomitant disease or other drug therapies.
6.

Side effects & warnings

GBOfficial regulatory label· Adverse reactions· revised May 15, 2026[1]

The most common adverse reactions reported with Zanosar are gastrointestinal and renal disorders. The former are not life threatening but can be disturbing for the patient and may result in treatment discontinuation if very severe; the latter are indolent but potentially serious.
The frequency and intensity of nausea and vomiting has decreased over time, due to the utilization of efficacious antiemetic drugs. Renal toxicity can be avoided or reduced with careful assessment of renal function before and during treatment, patient hydration during streptozocin administration, and dose adjustment in case of renal function impairment.
Streptozocin has the potential to cause hyperglycaemia due to its mechanism of action; however, glucose intolerance or diabetes have been rarely reported in clinical practice. Myelotoxicity is usually mild and transient. Hepatic toxicity has been described, but not reported as a major issue during treatment.
Tabulated list of adverse reactions (from published data and post-marketing experience): Adverse reactions are listed below by MedDRA system organ class and frequency using the following convention: very common (≥1/10), common (≥ 1/100 to < 1/10), uncommon (≥1/1,000 to < 1/100) and not known (cannot be estimated from the available data).
MedDRA system organ class Very common adverse reactions Common adverse reactions Frequency not known Blood and lymphatic system disorders Decreased haematocrit, leukocytes and platelet counts Metabolism and nutrition disorders glucose intolerance Nervous system disorders Confusion, lethargy, depression Gastrointestinaldisorders Severe nausea and vomiting, Diarrhoea Nephrogenic diabetes insipidus Hepatobiliary disorders Elevated liver enzymes (SGOT and LDH) Hepatotoxicity Hypoalbuminemia Renal and urinary disorders Renal toxicity – proteinuria, proximal tubular injury, phosphaturia, acute renal failure Urinary disorders General disorders and administration site conditions Fever, Injection site reactions Gastrointestinal disorders: Patients treated with Zanosar have experienced nausea and vomiting.
In the earliest studies, up to 80-90% of patients reported nausea and vomiting, while in the most recent ones, this percentage ranges from 23 to 37%. In the earliest studies, severe nausea and vomiting was reported in 20 to 41% of patients.
6% of patients. Severe nausea and vomiting occasionally required discontinuation of drug therapy. Some patients experienced diarrhoea.
Renal and urinary disorders:
Literature data suggest that renal and urinary disorders are frequent. Renal toxicity is dose-related and cumulative in most cases and may be severe or fatal. However, an accurate incidence cannot be provided in the absence of recent prospective studies, using comprehensive toxicity reporting.
4).
Hepatobiliary disorders:
Serum aminotransferase elevations can occur in up to two-thirds of patients treated with streptozocin, but the abnormalities are generally mild, transient and not associated with symptoms or jaundice. 4).
Blood and lymphatic system disorders:
Acute haematological toxicity is rare, consisting most often of mild decreases in haematocrit values, leukocytes and platelets counts. However, fatal haematological toxicity with substantial reductions in leukocyte and platelet count has been observed.
Haematological toxicity may increase the sensitivity to infections. Rare cases of late haematological toxicity (myelodysplatic syndrome or acute myeloid leukemia) have been reported in patients previously treated by a streptozocin-based chemotherapy, who received subsequent peptide receptor radionuclide therapy.
1): Mild to moderate glucose intolerance has been noted in patients treated with Zanosar. These have generally been reversible. Due to the mechanism of action of streptozocin, diabetes cannot be excluded.
General disorders and administration site conditions:
Severe tissue necrosis has been described following extravasation. Burning sensation, extending from injection site to the arm has been reported in some patients following bolus administration. Reporting of suspected adverse reactions Reporting suspected adverse reactions after authorisation of the medicinal product is important.
It allows continued monitoring of the benefit/risk balance of the medicinal product. uk/yellowcard or search for MHRA Yellow Card in the Google Play or Apple App Store.

GBOfficial regulatory label· Warnings and precautions· revised May 15, 2026[1]

Renal Toxicity:
Many patients treated with Zanosar have experienced some degree of renal toxicity, as evidenced by an increase in plasma creatinine and proteinuria. The mechanisms of renal toxicity are still unclear but experimental and clinical data suggest tubular toxicity, such as tubular acidosis, low molecular weight proteinuria, hypokalemia and hypocalcaemia.
Such toxicity is dose-related and cumulative in most cases and may be severe or fatal. However, it can also appear after the first administration. Renal function must be monitored immediately before and two weeks after each course of therapy.
Routine surveillance consists of the measurement of plasma creatinine with the evaluation of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) by the Modification of Diet in Renal Diseases (MDRD) formula. e. before the first cycle of therapy) and two to four weeks after the end of the last cycle of therapy, proteinuria and serum electrolytes should also be measured, in addition to plasma creatinine.
2). 9% before the administration of Zanosar may help reduce the risk of toxicity to the renal tubular epithelium by decreasing renal and urinary concentration of the drug and its metabolites. Use of Zanosar in patients with preexisting renal disease requires a judgment by the physician of the potential benefit of treatment as opposed to the known risk of serious renal damage.
This drug should not be used concomitantly with other potential nephrotoxic drugs.
Hepatotoxicity:
Liver function tests should be done on a regular basis, to detect hepatic toxicity. Reduction of the dose or discontinuation should be considered in case of hepatic toxicity.
Haematologic toxicity:
Complete blood counts should be done on a regular basis, to detect haematologic toxicity. Reduction of the dose or discontinuation should be considered in case of haematologic toxicity (usually due to the association of Zanosar with another chemotherapy).
Haematological toxicity has been rare, most often involving mild decreases in haematocrit values. However, fatal haematological toxicity with substantial reductions in leukocyte and platelet count has been observed. Rare cases of myelodysplastic syndromes or acute myeloid leukemia have been reported in patients previously treated by a streptozocin-based chemotherapy, who received subsequent peptide receptor radionuclide therapy Immunosuppressive effects, increased sensitivity to infections: The administration of live or live-attenuated vaccines in patients with chemotherapy- related immunodeficiency, including streptozocin, may provoke severe or life- threatening infections.

This is not medical advice. Consult a qualified healthcare professional.

Overview

Regulatory status by market

GBUnited Kingdom· MHRA

Drug interactions

Drugs in the same class

Sources & citations