Fludarabine

Generic Fludara

Used for Leukemia

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FLUDARABINE treats leukemia. It works by slowing down the growth of cancer cells.

What is Fludarabine?

Overview

Fludarabine injection belongs to the group of medicines called antimetabolites. It is used to treat a type of cancer of the white blood cells called B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). This medicine is used in patients with CLL who have already been treated with an alkylating agent (e.g., bendamustine) that did not work well.

Fludarabine injection interferes with the growth of cancer cells, which are eventually destroyed. Since the growth of normal body cells may also be affected by fludarabine injection, other effects may also occur. Some of these may be serious and must be reported to your doctor. Other effects may not be serious but may cause concern. Some effects may not occur for months or years after the medicine is used.

Before you begin treatment with fludarabine injection, you and your doctor should talk about the good this medicine will do as well as the risks of using it.

Fludarabine injection is to be administered only by or under the immediate supervision of your doctor.

Therapeutic Classifications

Antineoplastic Agent

Pharmacologic Classifications

Antimetabolite

Blackbox Warning

Intravenous route (Powder for Solution;Solution)

Fludarabine can severely suppress bone marrow function when used at high doses. In dose-ranging studies in patients with acute leukemia, fludarabine was associated with severe neurologic effects, including blindness, coma, and death. Life-threatening and sometimes fatal autoimmune hemolytic anemia, autoimmune thrombocytopenia/thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), Evan's syndrome, and acquired hemophilia has been reported to occur after one or more cycles of treatment. Closely monitor patients for hemolysis. In a clinical investigation using fludarabine for injection in combination with pentostatin (deoxycoformycin) for the treatment of refractory CLL, there was an unacceptably high incidence of fatal pulmonary toxicity. Therefore, the use of fludarabine for injection in combination with pentostatin is not recommended.

Proper Use

This medicine may cause nausea and vomiting. However, it is very important that you continue to receive the medicine even if you begin to feel ill. Ask your doctor for ways to lessen these effects.

You will receive this medicine while you are in a hospital or cancer treatment center. A nurse or other trained health professional will give you this medicine.

This medicine is given through a needle placed in one of your veins. It is usually given every day for 5 days. This 5-day treatment is given again every 28 days until your body responds to the medicine. Each treatment usually takes about 30 minutes.

Allergies

Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to this medicine or any other medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully.

Pediatric

Appropriate studies have not been performed on the relationship of age to the effects of fludarabine injection in the pediatric population. Safety and efficacy have not been established.

Geriatric

No information is available on the relationship of age to the effects of fludarabine injection in geriatric patients.

Breastfeeding

There are no adequate studies in women for determining infant risk when using this medication during breastfeeding. Weigh the potential benefits against the potential risks before taking this medication while breastfeeding.

Drug Interactions

Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are receiving this medicine, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.

Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is not recommended. Your doctor may decide not to treat you with this medication or change some of the other medicines you take.

Measles Virus Vaccine, Live
Mumps Virus Vaccine, Live
Rotavirus Vaccine, Live
Rubella Virus Vaccine, Live
Varicella Virus Vaccine, Live
Zoster Vaccine, Live

Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.

Adenovirus Vaccine
Bacillus of Calmette and Guerin Vaccine, Live
Cholera Vaccine, Live
Dengue Tetravalent Vaccine, Live
Influenza Virus Vaccine, Live
Pentostatin
Poliovirus Vaccine, Live
Smallpox Vaccine
Typhoid Vaccine, Live
Yellow Fever Vaccine

Other Interactions

Certain medicines should not be used at or around the time of eating food or eating certain types of food since interactions may occur. Using alcohol or tobacco with certain medicines may also cause interactions to occur. Discuss with your healthcare professional the use of your medicine with food, alcohol, or tobacco.

Precautions

It is very important that your doctor check your progress at regular visits to make sure that this medicine is working properly. Blood tests may be needed to check for unwanted effects.

While you are being treated with fludarabine injection, and after you stop treatment with it, do not have any immunizations (vaccinations) without your doctor's approval. Fludarabine injection may lower your body's resistance and there is a chance you might get the infection the immunization is meant to prevent. In addition, other persons living in your household should not take oral polio vaccine since there is a chance they could pass the polio virus on to you. Also, avoid persons who have recently taken oral polio vaccine. Do not get close to them and do not stay in the same room with them for very long. If you cannot take these precautions, you should consider wearing a protective face mask that covers the nose and mouth.

Fludarabine injection can temporarily lower the number of white blood cells in your blood, increasing the chance of getting an infection (e.g. pneumonia). It can also lower the number of platelets, which are necessary for proper blood clotting. If this occurs, there are certain precautions you can take, especially when your blood count is low, to reduce the risk of infection or bleeding:

If you can, avoid people with infections. Check with your doctor immediately if you think you are getting an infection or if you have fever or chills, cough or hoarseness, lower back or side pain, painful or difficult urination; shortness of breath; or unusual bleeding or bruising.
Check with your doctor immediately if you notice any unusual bleeding or bruising; black, tarry stools; blood in the urine or stools; or pinpoint red spots on your skin.
Be careful when using a regular toothbrush, dental floss, or toothpick. Your medical doctor, dentist, or nurse may recommend other ways to clean your teeth and gums. Check with your medical doctor before having any dental work done.
Do not touch your eyes or the inside of your nose unless you have just washed your hands and have not touched anything else in the meantime.
Be careful not to cut yourself when you are using sharp objects such as a safety razor or fingernail or toenail cutters.
Avoid contact sports or other situations where bruising or injury could occur.

You should not use this medicine if you are also taking pentostatin (Nipent®). Taking it together with this medicine may increase the chance of serious side effect.

This medicine may cause a serious type of reaction called tumor lysis syndrome. Your doctor may give you a medicine to help prevent this. Call your doctor right away if you have a decrease or change in urine amount; joint pain, stiffness, or swelling; lower back, side, or stomach pain; a rapid weight gain; swelling of the feet or lower legs; or unusual tiredness or weakness.

Using this medicine while you are pregnant can harm your unborn baby. Use an effective form of birth control to keep from getting pregnant. You should not become pregnant while you are taking this medicine and for 6 months after stopping it. If you think you have become pregnant while using the medicine, tell your doctor right away.

This medicine may cause unusual weakness, trouble in thinking, or trouble in seeing clearly. Make sure you know how you react to this medicine before you drive, use machines, or do other jobs that require you to be alert, well-coordinated, or able to think or see well.