See Your Advanced Prostate Cancer Treatment
in a Different Light
About JEVTANA
JEVTANA is a prescription anti-cancer medicine used with the steroid medicine prednisone.
JEVTANA is used to treat men with advanced prostate cancer that has worsened (progressed)
after treatment with other anti-cancer medicines, including docetaxel.
JEVTANA may work in tumors that have become resistant to docetaxel. That means JEVTANA
may be an option for you even if docetaxel is no longer working.
Important Safety Information for JEVTANA®
- JEVTANA may cause serious side effects, including low white blood
cells. Low white blood cells can cause you to get serious infections, and may lead
to death. The earliest sign of infection may be fever, so tell your doctor right
away if you have a fever. People who are 65 years or older may be more likely to
have these problems. JEVTANA should not be given to patients with low white blood
cell counts.
- JEVTANA can also cause severe allergic reactions. Severe allergic
reactions can happen within a few minutes after your infusion of JEVTANA starts,
especially during the first and second infusions. Your doctor should prescribe medicines
before each infusion to help prevent severe allergic reactions.
- You should not take JEVTANA if you have had a severe allergic reaction to
JEVTANA or other medicines that contain polysorbate 80. Ask your doctor if you are
not sure.
JEVTANA can cause serious side effects. Your doctor
will speak to you about addressing certain side
effects appropriately.
If you have advanced prostate cancer and have already been treated with docetaxel,
you may have another option
with JEVTANA.
How does JEVTANA work?
There are many different ways to try to kill cancer cells.
JEVTANA works by making cancer cells unable to divide properly. It can also attack
other rapidly growing cells like those in your hair roots. Every cell in your body
contains supporting structures, like a miniature skeleton. JEVTANA makes the “skeleton”
in some cancer cells very stiff, so that the cells can no longer grow or divide.
How will I receive JEVTANA?
JEVTANA is a chemotherapy infusion.
This means it's a liquid medicine that is delivered into your body's bloodstream
by an IV (intravenously, meaning through the veins). Treatment takes about 1 hour,
and, generally, people receive JEVTANA every 3 weeks. The amount of JEVTANA and
the frequency of your infusions will be determined by your doctor.
JEVTANA infusions may be delivered by an oncology nurse, or someone trained
in giving chemotherapy treatments. The oncology nurse is just one part of your multidisciplinary
team, which should include your oncologist (a doctor who specializes
in fighting cancer), your urologist, your primary care physician, as well
as all the other healthcare professionals who may be helpful in coming up with a
comprehensive treatment plan.
As part of your treatment, your doctor will prescribe another medicine called
prednisone.
People taking JEVTANA also need to take prednisone. Prednisone is a steroid that
is sometimes used in the treatment of certain cancers.
Your doctor will tell you how and when to take this medicine. You will need to take
this by mouth, every day. It's important that you take the prednisone according
to the schedule set by your doctor. If you forget to take your medication, or do
not take it on schedule, make sure to tell your doctor or nurse.
Other medications.
Your doctor should prescribe medicines before each infusion to help prevent severe
allergic reactions. Your doctor will decide if other medications are necessary.
Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take.
This includes prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal
supplements. JEVTANA can interact with many other medicines. Do not take any new
medicines without asking your doctor first. Your doctor will tell you if it is safe
to take the new medicine with JEVTANA.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION FOR JEVTANA® (CABAZITAXEL) INJECTION
WARNING
JEVTANA may cause serious side effects, including low white blood cells. Low
white blood cells can cause you to get serious infections, and may lead to death.
The earliest sign of infection may be fever, so tell your doctor right away if you
have a fever. People who are 65 years or older may be more likely to have these
problems. JEVTANA should not be given to patients with low white blood cell counts.
Your doctor:
- Will do blood tests regularly to check your white blood cell counts during
your treatment with JEVTANA
- May lower your dose of JEVTANA, change how often you receive it, or stop
JEVTANA until you have enough white blood cells
- May prescribe a medicine for you to help prevent complications if your white
blood cell count is too low
JEVTANA can also cause severe allergic reactions. Severe allergic reactions
can happen within a few minutes after your infusion of JEVTANA starts, especially
during the first and second infusions. Your doctor should prescribe medicines before
each infusion to help prevent severe allergic reactions.
- Symptoms of severe allergic reactions may include rash or itching, skin
redness, feeling dizzy or faint, breathing problems, chest or throat tightness,
swelling of face. Tell your doctor right away if you have any of these symptoms.
Your doctor will stop your JEVTANA treatment right away and treat your allergic
reaction.
You should not take JEVTANA if you have had a severe allergic reaction to JEVTANA
or other medicines that contain polysorbate 80. Ask your doctor if you are not sure.
JEVTANA can also cause gastrointestinal symptoms.
Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea can happen when you take JEVTANA. Severe vomiting
and diarrhea with JEVTANA can lead to loss of too much body fluid (dehydration),
or too much of your body salts (electrolytes). Death has happened from having severe
diarrhea and losing too much body fluid or body salts with JEVTANA. Tell your doctor
if you have vomiting or diarrhea. Your doctor will prescribe medicines to prevent
or treat vomiting and diarrhea, as needed with JEVTANA. You may need to go to the
hospital for treatment.
Kidney failure may happen with JEVTANA.
Kidney failure may happen because of severe infection, loss of too much body fluid
(dehydration), or for other reasons, which may lead to death. Your doctor will check
you for this problem and treat you if needed. Tell your doctor if you develop:
- Swelling of your face or body
- Decrease in the amount of urine that your body makes each day
Before receiving JEVTANA, tell your doctor if you:
- had allergic reactions in the past
- have kidney or liver problems. JEVTANA should not be given to patients with liver
problems (hepatic impairment)
- are age 65 or older as these patients:
-
— may be more likely to experience certain adverse reactions, including low
white blood cell count
with or without fever, tiredness, weakness, fever,
dizziness, urinary tract infection and
dehydration
- have any other medical conditions
- if you are female and:
- — are pregnant or plan to become pregnant as JEVTANA can harm your unborn
baby
- — are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed
Serious side effects of JEVTANA include low white blood cell counts
that could lead to serious or life-threatening infections, severe allergic reactions,
gastrointestinal symptoms (nausea, severe vomiting and diarrhea) that could lead
to death, and kidney failure.
Common side effects of JEVTANA include:
- Low white blood cell count
- Low red blood cell count (anemia). Symptoms of anemia include shortness
of breath and tiredness
- Low blood platelet count. Tell your doctor if you have any unusual
bruising or bleeding
- Tiredness
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- Weakness
|
|
- Blood in the urine
- Back pain
- Decreased appetite
- Fever
- Shortness of breath
- Stomach (abdominal) pain
- Change in your sense of taste
- Cough
- Joint pain
- Hair loss
- Numbness, tingling, burning or decreased sensation in your hands or feet
|
Tell your doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go
away. These are not all the possible side effects of JEVTANA. For more information,
ask your doctor or pharmacist. You may report side effects to FDA at
1-800-FDA-1088.
Remember, your doctor is the single best source of information regarding your
health. Please consult your doctor if you have any questions about your health or
your medicine.
For more information, go to www.sanofi.us
or call 1-800-633-1610.
See
Full Prescribing Information including Boxed WARNING.