{"id":24421,"date":"2022-08-23T12:56:35","date_gmt":"2022-08-23T12:56:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zeepedia.com\/?p=24421"},"modified":"2022-08-24T10:53:28","modified_gmt":"2022-08-24T10:53:28","slug":"tarceva","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zeepedia.com\/medical\/medicines\/tarceva\/","title":{"rendered":"Tarceva &#8211; Erlotinib uses, dose and side effects"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>25 mg, 100 mg, or 150 mg\u00a0film-coated tablets<br>erlotinib<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Tarceva is and what it is used for<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Tarceva contains the active substance erlotinib.&nbsp;Tarceva is a medicine used to treat cancer by preventing the activity of a&nbsp;protein&nbsp;called&nbsp;epidermal&nbsp;growth factor receptor (EGFR).&nbsp;This&nbsp;protein&nbsp;is known to be involved in the growth and spread of cancer cells.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tarceva is used in adults.\u00a0This medicine may be prescribed to you if you have non-small cell lung cancer\u00a0at an advanced stage.\u00a0It may be prescribed as\u00a0initial\u00a0treatment or as treatment if your disease is largely unchanged after\u00a0initial\u00a0chemotherapy provided your cancer cells have specific EGFR\u00a0mutations.\u00a0It may also be prescribed if previous chemotherapy has failed to stop your disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This medicine may also be prescribed to you in combination with another treatment called gemcitabine if you have pancreatic cancer that has spread.<br><a><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What you need to know before you take Tarceva<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Take Tarceva<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>if you are allergic to erlotinib or any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6).<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Warnings and precautions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>if you are taking other medicines that can increase or decrease the amount of erlotinib in your blood or affect the effect of erlotinib (eg antifungal medicines such as\u00a0ketoconazole\u00a0(except\u00a0shampoo\u00a0),\u00a0protease inhibitors, erythromycin, clarithromycin,\u00a0phenytoin, carbamazepine,\u00a0barbiturates, rifampicin,\u00a0ciprofloxacin, omeprazole, ranitidine, St. John&#8217;s\u00a0wort\u00a0or proteasome inhibitors), talk to your doctor.\u00a0In some cases, these medicines may reduce the effectiveness or increase the\u00a0side effects\u00a0of Tarceva and your doctor may need to adjust your treatment.\u00a0Your doctor may avoid treating you with these medicines during your Tarceva treatment.<\/li><li>if you take\u00a0anticoagulants\u00a0(medicines that help prevent blood clots or blood clotting, eg\u00a0warfarin\u00a0) Tarceva may increase your tendency to bleed.\u00a0Talk to your doctor, he will regularly need to examine you with some blood tests.<\/li><li>if you take statins (medicines that lower blood cholesterol levels), Tarceva may increase the risk of statin-related muscle problems, which in rare cases can lead to severe muscle breakdown (\u00a0rhabdomyolysis\u00a0) leading to kidney damage, talk to your doctor.<\/li><li>if you use contact lenses and\/or if you have previously had eye problems such as severe dry eyes,\u00a0inflammation,\u00a0or ulcers in the front part of the eye (\u00a0cornea\u00a0), you must tell your doctor.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>See also below &#8220;Other medicines and Tarceva&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You must inform your doctor:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>if you\u00a0<strong>suddenly<\/strong>\u00a0develop breathing difficulties associated with cough or fever as your doctor may need to treat you with other medicines and stop your Tarceva treatment;<\/li><li>if you have diarrhea because your doctor may need to treat you with anti-diarrheal medicine (eg loperamide);<\/li><li>immediately if you have severe or persistent diarrhea, nausea, loss of appetite, or vomiting as your doctor may need to stop your Tarceva treatment\u00a0and you may need hospitalization;<\/li><li>if you have severe abdominal pain, severe blisters, or skin peeling.\u00a0Your doctor may need to interrupt or stop your treatment.<\/li><li>if you develop\u00a0acute\u00a0or worsening\u00a0redness\u00a0and pain in the eye, increased tear flow, blurred vision, and\/or sensitivity to light, contact your doctor or nurse immediately as you may need\u00a0emergency\u00a0care (see Possible\u00a0side effects\u00a0below).<\/li><li>if you are also taking a statin and notice unexplained muscle pain, tenderness, weakness, or cramps.\u00a0Your doctor may need to interrupt or stop your treatment.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>See also section 4 &#8220;Potential side effects&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Liver or kidney disease<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is not known whether Tarceva has a different effect if your liver or kidneys are not working normally.&nbsp;Treatment with this medicine is not recommended if you have severe liver disease or severe kidney disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Disorder of glucuronidation such as Gilbert&#8217;s disease<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tell your doctor if you have Gilbert&#8217;s disease or any other disorder of glucuronidation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Smoking<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You should stop smoking while being treated with Tarceva because smoking can reduce the amount of your medicine in your blood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Children and adolescents<br>Tarceva has not been studied in patients younger than 18 years.&nbsp;Treatment with this medicine is not recommended for children and adolescents.<a><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Other medicines and Tarceva<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken, or might take any other medicines<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tarceva with food and drink<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Do not take Tarceva with food. See also section 3 &#8220;How to take Tarceva&#8221;.<a><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pregnancy and breastfeeding<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Avoid becoming pregnant during your treatment with Tarceva.&nbsp;If you can become pregnant, use reliable methods of contraception during treatment, and for at least 2 weeks after taking the last tablet.&nbsp;If you become pregnant during your treatment with Tarceva, inform your doctor immediately who will decide whether treatment should be continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Do not breastfeed if you are being treated with Tarceva and for at least 2 weeks after taking the last tablet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, think you may be pregnant, or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before using this medicine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Driving ability and use of machinery<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Tarceva has not been studied for its possible effects on the ability to drive or use machines, but your treatment is very unlikely to affect this ability.<a><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tarceva contains excipients<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Tarceva contains&nbsp;sodium<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This medicine contains less than 1 mmol (23 mg)&nbsp;of sodium&nbsp;per tablet, i.e. it is almost &#8216;sodium-free&#8217;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Tarceva contains <\/strong>a sugar called\u00a0lactose monohydrate<strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have been told by your doctor that you have an intolerance to certain types of sugar, contact your doctor before taking Tarceva.<br><a><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to take Tarceva<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Always take this medicine as directed by your doctor.&nbsp;Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you are unsure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The tablet should be taken at least one hour before or two hours after food intake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The usual\u00a0dose\u00a0is one tablet of Tarceva 150 mg every day if you have non-small cell lung cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The usual&nbsp;dose&nbsp;is one Tarceva 100 mg tablet every day if you have spread pancreatic cancer.&nbsp;Tarceva is given together with gemcitabine therapy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your doctor may need to adjust your\u00a0dose\u00a0in steps of 50 mg at a time.\u00a0For the different\u00a0dosages, Tarceva is available in strengths of 25 mg, 100 mg, and 150 mg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">If you take more Tarceva than you should<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Contact your doctor or pharmacist immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You may experience increased&nbsp;side effects&nbsp;and your doctor may discontinue your treatment.<a><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">If you forget to take Tarceva<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you forget one or more\u00a0doses\u00a0of Tarceva, contact your doctor or pharmacist as soon as possible.\u00a0Do not take a double\u00a0dose\u00a0to make up for a missed\u00a0dose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">If you stop taking Tarceva<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It is important to continue taking Tarceva every day for as long as your doctor prescribes it for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have further questions about this medicine, contact your doctor or pharmacist.<a><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Possible side effects<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Like all medicines, this medicine can cause\u00a0side effects, although not everybody gets them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Contact the doctor as soon as possible if you experience any of the following\u00a0side effects.\u00a0In some cases, your doctor may need to reduce your\u00a0dose\u00a0of Tarceva or stop treatment:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Diarrhea or vomiting (very common: may affect more than 1 in 10 people).\u00a0Persistent and severe diarrhea can lead to low levels of\u00a0potassium\u00a0in the blood and impair your kidney function, especially if you are receiving other chemotherapy at the same time.\u00a0If you experience severe or persistent diarrhea,\u00a0contact your doctor immediately\u00a0as you may need hospital treatment.<\/li><li>Eye irritation due to keratitis and\/or conjunctivitis (very common: may affect more than 1 in 10 people) and\u00a0keratitis\u00a0(\u00a0corneal inflammation\u00a0) (common: may affect up to 1 in 10 people).<\/li><li>A form of a lung disease called interstitial lung disease (less common in European patients; common in Japanese patients: may affect up to 1 in 100 people in Europe and up to 1 in 10 people in Japan).\u00a0This disease can also be associated with the natural course of your medical condition and in some cases can be fatal.\u00a0If you experience symptoms such as\u00a0sudden\u00a0breathing difficulties associated with cough and fever, contact your doctor immediately, as you may be suffering from this disease.\u00a0Your doctor may decide to stop your treatment with Tarceva.<\/li><li>Perforation\u00a0of the gastrointestinal tract has been observed (uncommon: may affect up to 1 in 100 people).\u00a0Tell your doctor if you have severe abdominal pain.\u00a0Also tell the doctor if you have had\u00a0peptic ulcers\u00a0or diverticular disease in the past, as this may increase this risk.<\/li><li>In rare cases, liver failure has been observed (rare: may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people).\u00a0If your blood tests show serious changes in your liver function, your doctor may need to stop your treatment.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Very common&nbsp;side effects&nbsp;(<\/strong>&nbsp;may affect more than 1 in 10 people):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Skin rashes may appear or worsen on sun-exposed surfaces.\u00a0If you are exposed to the sun, protective clothing and\/or the use of sunscreen (eg, mineral-containing) may be appropriate.<\/li><li>Infection<\/li><li>Loss of appetite, weight loss<\/li><li>Depression<\/li><li>Headache, altered sensitivity of the skin, or numbness in the arms and legs<\/li><li>Difficulty breathing, coughing<\/li><li>Nausea<\/li><li>Irritation in the mouth<\/li><li>Stomach pain, upset stomach, tension<\/li><li>Abnormal liver function values<\/li><li>Itching, dry skin, and hair loss<\/li><li>Fatigue, fever, chills<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Common&nbsp;side effects&nbsp;(<\/strong>&nbsp;may affect up to 1 in 10 people):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Nosebleeds<\/li><li>Bleeding from the stomach or intestines<\/li><li>Inflammatory reactions around fingernails<\/li><li>Inflammation&nbsp;in hair follicles<\/li><li>Acne<\/li><li>Skin cracks (skin fissures)<\/li><li>Impaired renal function (when Tarceva is given outside the approved indication in combination with&nbsp;chemotherapy&nbsp;)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Uncommon&nbsp;side effects&nbsp;(<\/strong>&nbsp;may affect up to 1 in 100 people):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Changes in\u00a0eyelashes\u00a0ar<\/li><li>Increased hair with a male pattern on the body and face<\/li><li>Changes of eyebrows<\/li><li>Brittle and loose nails<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Rare&nbsp;side effects&nbsp;(<\/strong>&nbsp;may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Reddened or painful palms or soles of the feet (hand-foot syndrome)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Very rare&nbsp;side effects&nbsp;(<\/strong>&nbsp;may affect up to 1 in 10,000 people):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Cases with ulceration or&nbsp;perforation&nbsp;of the cornea<\/li><li>Severe blistering or peeling of the skin (may indicate&nbsp;Stevens-Johnson&nbsp;syndrome)<\/li><li>Inflammation&nbsp;of the colored part of the eye<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to store Tarceva<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Use before the expiry date stated on the blister and the outer carton after EXP and Ug.dat respectively.\u00a0The expiration date is the last day of the specified month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>No special storage instructions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Medicines must not be thrown into the drain or among the household waste.\u00a0Ask the pharmacist how to dispose of medicines that are no longer used.\u00a0These measures will help to protect the environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Contents of the packaging and other information<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Contents declaration<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>The active substance<\/strong>\u00a0in Tarceva is erlotinib.\u00a0Each film-coated tablet contains 25 mg, 100 mg, or 150 mg of erlotinib (as erlotinib hydrochloride) depending on the strength.<\/li><li>Other ingredients\u00a0are:<br>Tablet core:\u00a0lactose monohydrate, microcrystalline cellulose, sodium starch glycolate type A, sodium lauryl sulfate, magnesium stearate (see also section 2 for\u00a0lactose monohydrate\u00a0).<br>Tablet coating: hypromellose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, titanium dioxide, macrogol.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Appearance and package sizes of the medicine<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Tarceva 25 mg is supplied as a white to yellowish, round, film-coated tablet with \u201cT 25\u201d engraved on one side and is available in packs of 30 tablets.<br>Tarceva 100 mg is supplied as a white to yellowish, round, film-coated tablet with \u201cT 100\u201d engraved on one side and is available in packs of 30 tablets.<br>Tarceva 150 mg is supplied as a white to yellowish, round, film-coated tablet with \u201cT 150\u201d engraved on one side and is available in packs of 30 tablets.<a><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Marketing Authorisation Holder<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Roche Registration GmbH<br>Emil-Barell-Strasse 1<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>79639 Grenzach-Wyhlen<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Germany<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Manufacturer<\/strong><br>Roche Pharma AG<br>Emil-Barell-Strasse 1<br>D-79639 Grenzach-Wyhlen<br>Germany<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Finland\/Finland<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Roche Oy<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tel: +358 (0) 10 554 500<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tarceva contains the active substance erlotinib.\u00a0Tarceva is a medicine used to treat cancer by preventing the activity of a\u00a0protein\u00a0called\u00a0epidermal\u00a0growth factor receptor (EGFR).\u00a0This\u00a0protein\u00a0is known to be involved in the growth and spread of cancer cells.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2200,22500],"tags":[3897,3898,25394,25395,25398,25399,25393,3899,25396,25397],"class_list":["post-24421","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-medicines","category-t","tag-erlotinib","tag-erlotinib-side-effects","tag-erlotinib-tablet","tag-tarceva","tag-tarceva-side-effects","tag-tarceva-tablet","tag-what-erlotinib-is-used-for","tag-what-is-erlotinib","tag-what-is-tarceva","tag-what-tarceva-is-used-for"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zeepedia.com\/medical\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24421","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zeepedia.com\/medical\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zeepedia.com\/medical\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zeepedia.com\/medical\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zeepedia.com\/medical\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24421"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/zeepedia.com\/medical\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24421\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24488,"href":"https:\/\/zeepedia.com\/medical\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24421\/revisions\/24488"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zeepedia.com\/medical\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24421"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zeepedia.com\/medical\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24421"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zeepedia.com\/medical\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24421"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}