Lapatinib

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Medication side effect

Can Lapatinib cause nausea?

Yes — nausea has been reported as a side effect of Lapatinib in FDA adverse-event reports (FAERS) and product labeling. It is among the more frequently reported events for this medication. These are voluntary reports, so they show what's been reported, not how often it happens.

Boxed warning

WARNING: HEPATOTOXICITY Hepatotoxicity has been observed in clinical trials and postmarketing experience. The hepatotoxicity may be severe and deaths have been reported. Causality of the deaths is uncertain [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.2 )] . WARNING: HEPATOTOXICITY See full prescribing information for complete boxed warning. Hepatotoxicity has been observed in clinical trials and postmarketing experience. The hepatotoxicity may be severe and deaths have been reported. Causality of the deaths is uncertain. ( 5.2 )

Reported adverse reactions

ADVERSE REACTIONS The most common (greater than 20%) adverse reactions during treatment with lapatinib plus capecitabine were diarrhea, palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia, nausea, rash, vomiting, and fatigue. The most common (greater than or equal to 20%) adverse reactions during treatment with lapatinib plus letrozole were diarrhea, rash, nausea, and fatigue. ( 6.1 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact AvKARE at 1-855-361-3993 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch. 6.1 Clinical Trials Experience Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. HER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer : The safety of lapatinib has been evaluated in more than 12,000 patients in clinical trials. The efficacy and safety of lapatinib in combination with capecitabine in breast cancer was evaluated in 198 patients in a randomized, Phase 3 trial [see Clinical Studies ( 14.1 )] . Adverse reactions, which occurred in at least 10% of patients in either treatment arm and were higher in the combination arm, are shown in Table 1. The most common adverse reactions (greater than 20%) during therapy with lapatinib plus capecitabine were gastrointestinal (diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting), dermatologic (palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia and rash), and fatigue. Diarrhea was the most common adverse reaction resulting in discontinuation of study medication. The most common Grades 3 and 4 adverse reactions (NCI CTCAE v3.0) were diarrhea and palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia. Selected laboratory abnormalities are shown in Table 2. Table 1. Adverse Reactions Occurring in Greater Than or Equal to 10% of Patients a NCI CTCAE v3.0. b Grade 3 dermatitis acneiform was reported in less than 1% of patients in the group receiving lapatinib plus capecitabine. Lapatinib 1,250 mg/day + Capecitabine 2,000 mg/m 2 /day Capecitabine 2,500 mg/m 2 /day (N = 198) (N = 191) All Grades a Grade 3 Grade 4 All Grades a Grade 3 Grade 4 Reactions % % % % % % Gastrointestinal disorders Diarrhea 65 13 1 40 10 0 Nausea 44 2 0 43 2 0 Vomiting 26 2 0 21 2 0 Stomatitis 14 0 0 11 < 1 0 Dyspepsia 11 < 1 0 3 0 0 Skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders Palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia 53 12 0 51 14 0 Rash b 28 2 0 14 1 0 Dry skin 10 0 0 6 0 0 General disorders and administration site conditions Mucosal inflammation 15 0 0 12 2 0 Musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders Pain in extremity 12 1 0 7 < 1 0 Back pain 11 1 0 6 < 1 0 Respiratory, thoracic, and mediastinal disorders Dyspnea 12 3 0 8 2 0 Psychiatric disorders Insomnia 10 < 1 0 6 0 0 Table 2. Selected Laboratory Abnormalities Abbreviations: ALT, alanine aminotransferase; AST, aspartate aminotransferase. a NCI CTCAE v3.0. Lapatinib 1,250 mg/day + Capecitabine 2,000 mg/m 2 /day Capecitabine 2,500 mg/m 2 /day All Grades a Grade 3 Grade 4 All Grades a Grade 3 Grade 4 Parameters % % % % % % Hematologic Hemoglobin 56 < 1 0 53 1 0 Platelets 18 < 1 0 17 < 1 < 1 Neutrophils 22 3 < 1 31 2 1 Hepatic Total Bilirubin 45 4 0 30 3 0 AST 49 2 < 1 43 2 0 ALT 37 2 0 33 1 0 Hormone Receptor-Positive, Metastatic Breast Cancer : In a randomized, Phase 3 clinical trial of patients (N = 1,286) with hormone receptor-positive, metastatic breast cancer, who had not received chemotherapy for their metastatic disease, patients received letrozole with or without lapatinib. In this trial, the safety profile of lapatinib was consistent with previously reported results from trials of lapatinib in the advanced or metastatic breast cancer population. Adverse reactions, which occurred in at least 10% of patients in either treatment arm and were higher in the combination arm are shown in Table 3. Selected laboratory abnormalities are shown in Table 4. Table 3. Adverse Reactions Occurring in Greater Than or Equal to 10% of Patients a NCI CTCAE v3.0. b In addition to the rash reported under "Skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders", 3 additional subjects in each treatment arm had rash under "Infections and infestations"; none were Grade 3 or 4. Lapatinib 1,500 mg/day + Letrozole 2.5 mg/day Letrozole 2.5 mg/day (N = 654) (N = 624) All Grades a Grade 3 Grade 4 All Grades a Grade 3 Grade 4 Reactions % % % % % % Gastrointestinal disorders Diarrhea 64 9 < 1 20 < 1 0 Nausea 31 < 1 0 21 < 1 0 Vomiting 17 1 < 1 11 < 1 < 1 Anorexia 11 < 1 0 9 < 1 0 Skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders Rash b 44 1 0 13 0 0 Dry skin 13 < 1 0 4 0 0 Alopecia 13 < 1 0 7 0 0 Pruritus 12 < 1 0 9 < 1 0 Nail disorder 11 < 1 0 < 1 0 0 General disorders and administration site conditions Fatigue 20 2 0 17 < 1 0 Asthenia 12 < 1 0 11 < 1 0 Nervous system disorders Headache 14 < 1 0 13 < 1 0 Respiratory, thoracic, and mediastinal disorders Epistaxis 11 < 1 0 2 < 1 0 Table 4. Selected Laboratory Abnormalities Abbreviations: ALT, alanine aminotransferase; AST, aspartate aminotransferase. a NCI CTCAE v3.0. Lapatinib 1,500 mg/day + Letrozole 2.5 mg/day Letrozole 2.5 mg/day All Grades a Grade 3 Grade 4 All Grades a Grade 3 Grade 4 Hepatic Parameters % % % % % % AST 53 6 0 36 2 < 1 ALT 46 5 < 1 35 1 0 Total Bilirubin 22 < 1 < 1 11 1 < 1 Hormone Receptor-Positive, HER2+ Metastatic Breast Cancer : In another randomized, Phase 3 clinical trial of postmenopausal patients (N = 355) with hormone receptor positive (HR+), HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC) which had progressed after prior trastuzumab-containing chemotherapy and endocrine therapies, patients received lapatinib with trastuzumab and an aromatase inhibitor (AI) (letrozole, exemestane, or anastrozole), lapatinib with an AI, or trastuzumab with an AI. In this trial, the safety profile of the treatment groups was consistent with the known safety of these agents. The most frequent study treatment-related AEs (> 10%) in each of the lapatinib-containing treatment arms were diarrhea, rash, paronychia, nausea, stomatitis, dermatitis acneiform, and decreased appetite, which were infrequent to absent in the trastuzumab treatment arm. The frequency of cardiac AEs (mostly decrease in ejection fraction) was 7% in the lapatinib+trastuzumab+AI group, 2% in the lapatinib+AI group and 3% in the trastuzumab+AI group. Adverse reactions which occurred in at least 10% of patients in the treatment arms are shown in Table 5. Table 5. Adverse Reactions Occurring in Greater Than or Equal to 10% of Patients a NCI CTCAE v3.0. b Includes multiple adverse reaction terms for rash. Lapatinib (1,000 mg) + Trastuzumab + AI Lapatinib (1,500 mg) + AI Trastuzumab + AI (N = 118) (N = 119) (N = 116) All Grades a Grade 3 Grade 4 All Grades a Grade 3 Grade 4 All Grades a Grade 3 Grade 4 Reactions (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) Gastrointestinal disorders Diarrhea 69 13 0 51 6 0 9 0 0 Nausea 22 0 0 22 2 0 9 0 0 Stomatitis 17 0 0 13 < 1 0 3 0 0 Vomiting 10 0 0 14 0 0 < 1 < 1 0 Skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders Rash b 54 0 0 44 3 0 5 0 0 Palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia 10 0 0 8 < 1 0 < 1 0 0 Alopecia 10 0 0 7 0 0 2 0 0 General disorders and administration site conditions Fatigue 12 < 1 0 14 2 0 10 0 0 Musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders Arthralgia 13 < 1 0 14 0 0 12 0 0 Pain in extremity 7 < 1 0 10 0 0 3 0 0 Respiratory, thoracic, and mediastinal disorders Cough 8 0 0 8 0 0 15 0 0 Metabolism and nutrition disorders Decreased appetite 18 0 0 13 0 0 3 0 0 Infections and infestations Paronychia 30 0 0 15 2 0 0 0 0 Investigations Alanine aminotransferase increased 7 0 0 15 3 < 1 6 4 0 Aspartate aminotransferase increased 6 0 0 17 5 0 9 4 0 Nervous system disorders Headache 5 0 0 16 2 0 10 < 1 0 Decreases in Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction : Due to potential cardiac toxicity with HER2 (ErbB2) inhibitors, LVEF was monitored in clinical trials at approximately 8-week intervals. LVEF decreases were defined as signs or symptoms of deterioration in left ventricular cardiac f

Warnings

WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS Decreases in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) have been reported. Confirm normal LVEF before starting lapatinib tablets and continue evaluations during treatment. ( 5.1 ) Lapatinib has been associated with hepatotoxicity. Monitor liver function tests before initiation of treatment, every 4 to 6 weeks during treatment, and as clinically indicated. Discontinue and do not restart lapatinib tablets if patients experience severe changes in liver function tests. ( 5.2 ) Dose reduction in patients with severe hepatic impairment should be considered. ( 2.2 , 5.3 , 8.7 ) Diarrhea, including severe diarrhea, has been reported during treatment. Manage with antidiarrheal agents, and replace fluids and electrolytes if severe. ( 5.4 ) Lapatinib has been associated with interstitial lung disease and pneumonitis. Discontinue lapatinib tablets if patients experience severe pulmonary symptoms. ( 5.5 ) Lapatinib may prolong the QT interval in some patients. Consider electrocardiogram (ECG) and electrolyte monitoring. ( 5.6 , 12.2 ) Severe cutaneous reactions have been reported. Discontinue lapatinib tablets if life-threatening reactions are suspected. ( 5.7 ) Lapatinib tablets can cause fetal harm. Advise patients of the potential risk to the fetus and to use effective contraception. ( 5.8 , 8.1 , 8.3 ). 5.1 Decreased Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction Lapatinib tablets has been reported to decrease LVEF [see Adverse Reactions (6.1 ) ]. In clinical trials, the majority (greater than 57%) of LVEF decreases occurred within the first 12 weeks of treatment; however, data on long-term exposure are limited. Caution should be taken if lapatinib tablets are to be administered to patients with conditions that could impair left ventricular function. LVEF should be evaluated in all patients prior to initiation of treatment with lapatinib tablets to ensure that the patient has a baseline LVEF that is within the institution's normal limits. LVEF should continue to be evaluated during treatment with lapatinib tablets to ensure that LVEF does not decline below the institution's normal limits [see Dosage and Administration (2.2) ]. 5.2 Hepatotoxicity Hepatotoxicity [alanine aminotransferase (ALT) or aspartate aminotransferase (AST) greater than 3 times the upper limit of normal (ULN) and total bilirubin greater than 2 times the ULN] has been observed in clinical trials (less than 1% of patients) and postmarketing experience. The hepatotoxicity may be severe and deaths have been reported. Causality of the deaths is uncertain. The hepatotoxicity may occur days to several months after initiation of treatment. Liver function tests (transaminases, bilirubin, and alkaline phosphatase) should be monitored before initiation of treatment, every 4 to 6 weeks during treatment, and as clinically indicated. If changes in liver function are severe, therapy with lapatinib tablets should be discontinued and patients should not be retreated with lapatinib tablets [see Adverse Reactions (6.1 )]. 5.3 Patients with Severe Hepatic Impairment If lapatinib tablets are to be administered to patients with severe pre existing hepatic impairment, dose reduction should be considered [see Dosage and Administration (2.2) and Use in Specific Populations (8.7) ]. In patients who develop severe hepatotoxicity while on therapy, lapatinib tablets should be discontinued and patients should not be retreated with lapatinib tablets [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2)]. 5.4 Diarrhea Diarrhea has been reported during treatment with lapatinib [see Adverse Reactions(6.1)]. The diarrhea may be severe, and deaths have been reported. Diarrhea generally occurs early during treatment with lapatinib with almost half of those patients with diarrhea first experiencing it within 6 days. This usually lasts 4 to 5 days. Lapatinib-induced diarrhea is usually low-grade, with severe diarrhea of NCI CTCAE Grades 3 and 4 occurring in less than 10% and less than 1% of patients, respectively. Early identification and intervention is critical for the optimal management of diarrhea. Patients should be instructed to report any change in bowel patterns immediately. Prompt treatment of diarrhea with anti-diarrheal agents (such as loperamide) after the first unformed stool is recommended. Severe cases of diarrhea may require administration of oral or intravenous electrolytes and fluids, use of antibiotics, such as fluoroquinolones (especially if diarrhea is persistent beyond 24 hours, there is fever, or Grade 3 or 4 neutropenia), and interruption or discontinuation of therapy with lapatinib [see Dosage and Administration (2.2) ]. 5.5 Interstitial Lung Disease/Pneumonitis Lapatinib has been associated with interstitial lung disease and pneumonitis in monotherapy or in combination with other chemotherapies [see Adverse Reactions (6.1 )]. Patients should be monitored for pulmonary symptoms indicative of interstitial lung disease or pneumonitis. Lapatinib tablets should be discontinued in patients who experience pulmonary symptoms indicative of interstitial lung disease/pneumonitis, which are greater than or equal to Grade 3 (NCI CTCAE v 3.0). 5.6 QT Prolongation A concentration-dependent QT prolongation has been associated with lapatinib tablets [see Clinical Pharmacology (12.2 )]. Monitor patients who have or may develop prolongation of QTc during treatment with lapatinib tablets. These conditions include patients with hypokalemia or hypomagnesemia, with congenital long QT syndrome, patients taking antiarrhythmic medicines or other medicinal products with known risk for QT prolongation/Torsades de Pointes (TdP), and cumulative high-dose anthracycline therapy. Correct hypokalemia or hypomagnesemia prior to lapatinib tablets administration. 5.7 Severe Cutaneous Reactions Severe cutaneous reactions have been reported with lapatinib tablets. If life-threatening reactions, such as erythema multiforme, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, or toxic epidermal necrolysis (e.g., progressive skin rash often with blisters or mucosal lesions) are suspected, discontinue treatment with lapatinib tablets. 5.8 Embryo-Fetal Toxicity Based on its mechanism of action and findings in animal studies, lapatinib tablets can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman. In animal reproductive studies, administration of lapatinib to pregnant rats during the period of organogenesis and through lactation led to death of offspring within the first 4 days after birth at maternal exposures that were ≥ 3.3 times the human clinical exposure based on AUC following 1,250 mg dose of lapatinib plus capecitabine. When administered to pregnant animals during the period of organogenesis, lapatinib caused fetal anomalies (rats) or abortions (rabbits) at maternally toxic doses (with maternal exposures approximately 6.4 and 0.2 times, respectively, the human clinical exposure based on AUC following 1,250 mg dose of lapatinib plus capecitabine). Advise pregnant women and females of reproductive potential of the potential risk to the fetus [see Use in Specific Populations (8.1 ) and Clinical Pharmacology (12.1 )]. Verify the pregnancy status of females of reproductive potential prior to initiation of lapatinib tablets. Advise females of reproductive potential to use effective contraception during treatment with lapatinib tablets and for 1 week after the last dose. Advise male patients with female partners of reproductive potential to use effective contraception during treatment with lapatinib tablets and for 1 week after the last dose [see Use in Specific Populations (8.1 , 8.3 )].

Frequently asked questions

Is nausea a side effect of Lapatinib?

Yes — nausea has been reported as a side effect of Lapatinib in FDA adverse-event reports (FAERS) and/or its labeling. These are voluntary reports, so they show what's been reported, not how often it happens.

How common is nausea with Lapatinib?

nausea is among the more frequently reported events for Lapatinib in FAERS. Reporting volume isn't a true incidence rate — check the prescribing information for documented frequencies.

What should I do if I have nausea while taking Lapatinib?

Don't stop a prescribed medication on your own. Tell your prescriber or pharmacist — they can tell you whether it's expected, whether it needs attention, and what to do next.

Informational only, drawn from FDA adverse-event reporting (FAERS) and labeling — not medical advice, and not proof a medication caused an effect. Talk to your clinician or pharmacist about any side effect.

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