Fludarabine Phosphate (3 brand names, 2 dosage forms, 2 routes)
Available dosage forms: INJECTABLE, TABLET.
Routes of administration: INJECTION, ORAL.
Brand Names
- FLUDARA
- FLUDARABINE PHOSPHATE
- OFORTA
Boxed Warning
WARNING Fludarabine should be administered under the supervision of a qualified physician experienced in the use of antineoplastic therapy. 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. This severe central nervous system toxicity occurred in 36% of patients treated with doses approximately four times greater (96 mg/m 2/day for 5 to 7 days) than the recommended dose. Similar severe central nervous system toxicity has been rarely (0.2%) reported in patients treated at doses in the range of the dose recommended for chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Instances of life-threatening and sometimes fatal autoimmune hemolytic anemia have been reported to occur after one or more cycles of treatment with fludarabine. Patients undergoing treatment with fludarabine should be evaluated and closely monitored for hemolysis. In a clinical investigation using fludarabine in combination with pentostatin (deoxycoformycin) for the treatment of refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), there was an unacceptably high incidence of fatal pulmonary toxicity. Therefore, the use of fludarabine in combination with pentostatin is not recommended.
Indications and Usage
Fludarabine Phosphate Injection, USP is indicated for the treatment of patients with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) who have not responded to or whose disease has progressed during treatment with at least one standard alkylating-agent containing regimen. The safety and effectiveness of Fludarabine Phosphate Injection, USP in previously untreated or non-refractory patients with CLL have not been established.
Dosage and Administration
The recommended adult dose of Fludarabine Phosphate Injection, USP is 25 mg/m 2 administered intravenously over a period of approximately 30 minutes daily for five consecutive days. Each 5 day course of treatment should commence every 28 days. Dosage may be decreased or delayed based on evidence of hematologic or nonhematologic toxicity. Physicians should consider delaying or discontinuing the drug if neurotoxicity occurs. A number of clinical settings may predispose to increased toxicity from Fludarabine Phosphate Injection, USP. These include advanced age, renal insufficiency, and bone marrow impairment. Such patients should be monitored closely for excessive toxicity and the dose modified accordingly. The optimal duration of treatment has not been clearly established. It is recommended that three additional cycles of Fludarabine Phosphate Injection, USP be administered following the achievement of a maximal response and then the drug should be discontinued.
Contraindications
Fludarabine Phosphate Injection, USP is contraindicated in those patients who are hypersensitive to this drug or its components.
Adverse Reactions
The most common adverse events include myelosuppression (neutropenia, thrombocytopenia and anemia), fever and chills, infection, and nausea and vomiting. Other commonly reported events include malaise, fatigue, anorexia, and weakness. Serious opportunistic infections have occurred in CLL patients treated with fludarabine. The most frequently reported adverse events and those reactions which are more clearly related to the drug are arranged below according to body system.
Overdosage
High doses of Fludarabine Phosphate Injection, USP (see WARNINGS section) have been associated with an irreversible central nervous system toxicity characterized by delayed blindness, coma, and death. High doses are also associated with severe thrombocytopenia and neutropenia due to bone marrow suppression. There is no known specific antidote for Fludarabine Phosphate Injection, USP overdosage. Treatment consists of drug discontinuation and supportive therapy.