Ixabepilone

Generic Name: ixabepilone (IX ab EP i lone)

Brand Names: Ixempra

What is ixabepilone?

Ixabepilone is used to treat advanced breast cancer.

Ixabepilone is usually given after other cancer medications have been tried without successful treatment.

Ixabepilone may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide.

What is the most important information I should know about ixabepilone?

Do not use ixabepilone if you are pregnant. It could harm the unborn baby. You should not receive this medication if you are allergic to ixabepilone, or to a medication ingredient called Cremophor (synthetic castor oil). You may not be able to receive ixabepilone if you have severe liver disease, or severely low platelets or white blood cell counts.

Before you receive ixabepilone, tell your doctor if you have liver disease, heart disease, nerve problems, diabetes, bone marrow suppression, or a weak immune system.

Ixabepilone can lower blood cells that help your body fight infections. Avoid being near people who are sick or have infections. Your blood may need to be tested often. Visit your doctor regularly.

Tell your doctor at once if you develop signs of infection, such as fever, chills, body aches, flu symptoms, pale skin, easy bruising or bleeding, or sores in your mouth and throat. Avoid drinking alcohol during your treatment with ixabepilone.

What should I discuss with my health care provider before receiving ixabepilone?

You should not receive this medication if you are allergic to ixabepilone, or to a medication ingredient called Cremophor (synthetic castor oil). You may not be able to receive ixabepilone if you have severe liver disease, or severely low platelets or white blood cell counts.

To make sure you can safely receive ixabepilone, tell your doctor if you have any of these other conditions:

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  liver disease;

  
  


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  heart disease;

  
  


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  nerve problems (especially in your hands or feet);

  
  


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  diabetes; or

  
  


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  bone marrow suppression or weak immune system.

  
  

FDA pregnancy category D. Do not use ixabepilone if you are pregnant. It could harm the unborn baby. Use effective birth control, and tell your doctor if you become pregnant during treatment. It is not known whether ixabepilone passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing baby. You should not breast-feed while receiving ixabepilone.

How is ixabepilone given?

Ixabepilone is injected into a vein through an IV. You will receive this injection in a clinic or hospital setting. Ixabepilone must be given slowly, and the IV infusion can take up to 3 hours to complete.

Ixabepilone is usually given every 3 weeks.

About 1 hour before you receive ixabepilone, you may be given other medications to help prevent certain side effects.

Ixabepilone can lower blood cells that help your body fight infections. This can make it easier for you to bleed from an injury or get sick from being around others who are ill. Your blood may need to be tested often. Visit your doctor regularly.

What happens if I miss a dose?

Call your doctor for instructions if you miss an appointment for your ixabepilone injection.

What happens if I overdose?

Seek emergency medical attention or call the Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222.

What should I avoid while receiving ixabepilone?

Avoid being near people who are sick or have infections. Tell your doctor at once if you develop signs of infection.

Avoid drinking alcohol during your treatment with ixabepilone.

Ixabepilone side effects

Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; warmth or tingly feeling; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat. Tell your caregivers at once if you have any of these serious side effects:

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  numbness, tingling, burning pain, discomfort, or loss of feeling anywhere in your body;

  
  


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  fever, chills, body aches, flu symptoms, sores in your mouth and throat;

  
  


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  easy bruising, unusual bleeding (nose, mouth, vagina, or rectum), purple or red pinpoint spots under your skin;

  
  


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  pale skin, feeling light-headed or short of breath, rapid heart rate, trouble concentrating;

  
  


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  sudden numbness or weakness, especially on one side of the body;

  
  


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  sudden severe headache, confusion, problems with vision, speech, or balance;

  
  


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  pain or burning when you urinate;

  
  


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  chest pain or heavy feeling; or

  
  


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  redness, swelling, and pain on the palms of your hands or the soles of your feet.

  
  

Less serious side effects include:

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  tired feeling;

  
  


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  joint or muscle pain;

  
  


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  hair loss;

  
  


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  nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, loss of appetite;

  
  


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  diarrhea or constipation; or

  
  


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  problems with your fingernails or toenails.

  
  

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Ixabepilone Dosing Information

Usual Adult Dose for Breast Cancer:

40 mg/m2 infused intravenously over 3 hours every 3 weeks. The dosage for patients with a BSA exceeding 2.2 m2 should be calculated based on a 2.2 m2 body surface area.

Premedication: all patients must be premedicated approximately 1 hour prior to ixabepilone administration (to minimize the chance of a hypersensitivity reaction) as follows:
1. with an H1 antagonist (e.g., diphenhydramine 50 mg orally or an equivalent agent) plus
2. an H2 antagonist (e.g., ranitidine 150 mg to 300 mg orally or an equivalent agent)

Patients experiencing a hypersensitivity reaction in one cycle of ixabepilone treatment must be premedicated in subsequent cycles with a corticosteroid (e.g., dexamethasone 20 mg intravenously 30 minutes prior to ixabepilone infusion, or orally 60 minutes prior to infusion) in addition to the H1 and H2 antagonists. Extension of the infusion time should also be considered.

What other drugs will affect ixabepilone?

Many drugs can interact with ixabepilone. Below is just a partial list. Tell your doctor if you are using:

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  bosentan (Tracleer);

  
  


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  dexamethasone (Cortastat, DexPak, Solurex);

  
  


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  St. John's wort;

  
  


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  rifabutin (Mycobutin), rifampin (Rifadin, Rifater, Rifamate), or rifapentine (Priftin);

  
  


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  an antibiotic such as clarithromycin (Biaxin), dalfopristin/quinupristin (Synercid), erythromycin (E.E.S., EryPed, Ery-Tab, Erythrocin), nafcillin (Nallpen, Unipen), or telithromycin (Ketek);

  
  


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  an antidepressant such as nefazodone;

  
  


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  antifungal medication such as clotrimazole (Mycelex Troche), itraconazole (Sporanox), ketoconazole (Extina, Ketozole, Nizoral, Xolegal), or voriconazole (Vfend);

  
  


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  a barbiturate such as butabarbital (Butisol), secobarbital (Seconal), pentobarbital (Nembutal), or phenobarbital (Solfoton);

  
  


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  heart or blood pressure medication such as diltiazem (Cartia, Cardizem), felodipine (Plendil), nifedipine (Nifedical, Procardia), verapamil (Calan, Covera, Isoptin, Verelan), and others;

  
  


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  HIV /AIDS medicine such as atazanavir (Reyataz), delavirdine (Rescriptor), efavirenz (Sustiva), etravirine (Intelence), indinavir (Crixivan), nelfinavir (Viracept), nevirapine (Viramune), ritonavir (Norvir), or saquinavir (Invirase, Fortovase);

  
  


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  medicines to treat narcolepsy, such as armodafanil (Nuvigil) or modafanil (Progivil); or

  
  


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  seizure medication such as carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Tegretol), felbamate (Felbatol), fosphenytoin (Cerebyx), oxcarbazepine (Trileptal), phenytoin (Dilantin), or primidone (Mysoline).

  
  

This list is not complete and other drugs may interact with ixabepilone. Tell your doctor about all medications you use. This includes prescription, over-the-counter, vitamin, and herbal products. Do not start a new medication without telling your doctor.

More ixabepilone resources

• Ixabepilone Side Effects (in more detail)
• Ixabepilone Dosage
• Ixabepilone Use in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding
• Ixabepilone Drug Interactions
• Ixabepilone Support Group
• 0 Reviews for Ixabepilone - Add your own review/rating

• ixabepilone Intravenous Advanced Consumer (Micromedex) - Includes Dosage Information


• Ixabepilone Professional Patient Advice (Wolters Kluwer)


• Ixabepilone MedFacts Consumer Leaflet (Wolters Kluwer)


• Ixabepilone Monograph (AHFS DI)


• Ixempra Prescribing Information (FDA)


• Ixempra Consumer Overview

Compare ixabepilone with other medications

• Breast Cancer
• Breast Cancer, Metastatic

Where can I get more information?

• Your doctor or pharmacist can provide more information about ixabepilone.

See also: ixabepilone side effects (in more detail)