Eribulin

Eribulin is a prescription medication used to treat the symptoms of metastatic breast cancer in patients who have had at least two chemotherapy treatments.

• Eribulin is available under the following different brand names: Halaven

Adult dosage

Intravenous solution

• 1mg/2mL (0.5mg/mL)

Breast Cancer, Metastatic

Adult dosage

• 1.4 mg/m² Intravenous infused over 2-5 min on days 1 and 8 of the 21-day cycle

Liposarcoma

Adult dosage

• 1.4 mg/m² Intravenous infused over 2-5 min on days 1 and 8 of the 21-day cycle

Dosage Considerations – Should be Given as Follows: 

• See “Dosages”

Common side effects of Eribulin include:

• low white blood cell count,
• low levels of iron in the blood (anemia),
• weakness,
• fatigue,
• tired feeling,
• hair loss from head or body,
• nerve damage,
• nausea,
• constipation,
• loss of appetite,
• headache, or
• muscle or joint pain

Serious side effects of Eribulin include:

• high blood sugar levels
• difficulty sleeping
• low mood (depression)
• taste changes
• vertigo
• nerve problems that can cause loss of sensation
• problems with your eyes such as watery eyes and inflammation (conjunctivitis)
• ringing or buzzing in the ears
• high blood pressure
• hot flushes
• a blood clot in the lungs (pulmonary embolism)
• a drop in the levels of platelets which can cause bruising and bleeding
• mouth ulcers and a dry mouth
• indigestion or heartburn

Rare side effects of Eribulin include:

• a severe infection called sepsis
• a blood clot in one or more of the deep veins in the body
• inflammation of the pancreas
• blood and protein in the urine
• damage to the liver

This is not a complete list of side effects and other serious side effects or health problems that may occur as a result of the use of this drug. Call your doctor for medical advice about serious side effects or adverse reactions. You may report side effects or health problems to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

If your medical doctor is using this medicine to treat your pain, your doctor or pharmacist may already be aware of any possible drug interactions and may be monitoring you for them. Do not start, stop, or change the dosage of any medicine before checking with your doctor, health care provider, or pharmacist first.

• Eribulin has severe interactions with no other drugs.
• Eribulin has serious interactions with at least 131 other drugs.
• Eribulin has moderate interactions with at least 43 other drugs.
• Eribulin has serious interactions with the following drugs:
  • azithromycin
  • chloroquine

This information does not contain all possible interactions or adverse effects. Visit the RxList Drug Interaction Checker for any drug interactions. Therefore, before using this product, tell your doctor or pharmacist about all your products. Keep a list of all your medications with you and share this information with your doctor and pharmacist. Check with your health care professional or doctor for additional medical advice, or if you have health questions or concerns.

Contraindications

• None known

Effects of drug abuse

• None

Short-Term Effects

• See “What Are Side Effects Associated with Using Eribulin?”

Long-Term Effects

• See “What Are Side Effects Associated with Using Eribulin?”

Cautions

• Monitor for peripheral neuropathy before each dose (see Dosage Modifications)
• Severe neutropenia reported; monitor complete blood counts before each dose (see Dosage Modifications); increase frequency of monitoring in patients who develop Grade 3 or 4 cytopenias; delay therapy and reduce subsequent doses in patients who experience febrile neutropenia or Grade 4 neutropenia lasting longer than 7 days
• Delay administration and/or reduce dose if ANC is below 1,000/m³, platelets below 75,000/m³, or for grade 3-4 nonhematological toxicities (see Dosage Modifications)
• Caution with CHF, bradyarrhythmias, and congenital long QT syndrome (monitor for QT prolongation); correct hypokalemia or hypomagnesemia before administering the drug
• May cause additive effects when coadministration with other drugs that prolong QT interval (e.g., class Ia or III antiarrhythmics, thioridazine, erythromycin)
• Based on animal studies and its mechanism of action, can cause fetal harm when administered to pregnant women or males with female partners of reproductive potential

Pregnancy & Lactation

• Based on findings from an animal reproduction study and its mechanism of action, can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman
• There are no available data on the use during pregnancy
• Contraception
  • Females: Advise females of reproductive potential to use effective contraception during treatment and for at least 2 weeks following the final dose
  • Males: Advise males with female partners of reproductive potential to use effective contraception during treatment and for 3.5 months following the final dose
• Infertility
  • Based on animal data, may result in damage to male reproductive tissues leading to impaired fertility of unknown duration
• Lactation
  • Unknown whether distributed in breast milk, caution advised; because of the potential for serious adverse reactions in human milk-fed infants, a decision should be made whether to discontinue nursing or to discontinue eribulin, taking into account the importance of the drug to the mother