Venclexta

The starting dose of Venclexta (Venetoclax) is 20 mg (2 × 10 mg tablets), taken by mouth, once daily for 7 days. The dose is gradually increased each week, until the treatment dose of 400 mg (4 × 100 mg tablets) daily is reached. Your doctor will do blood tests before increasing the dose each week.

The gradual increase in dose helps to reduce the chance of experiencing severe side effects. To further reduce the chance of experiencing these side effects, drink at least 1.75 litres of water (7 glasses) each day.

Venclexta (Venetoclax) tablets should be swallowed whole with water and taken with a meal. Do not chew, crush, or split the tablets. Do not drink grapefruit juice or eat Seville oranges or starfruit while taking Venclexta (Venetoclax), as they may increase the amount of Venclexta (Venetoclax) in your blood.

Many things can affect the dose of medication that a person needs, such as body weight, other medical conditions, and other medications. If your doctor has recommended a dose different from the ones listed here, do not change the way that you are taking the medication without consulting your doctor.

It is important to take Venclexta (Venetoclax) exactly as prescribed by your doctor. If you vomit after taking Venclexta (Venetoclax), do not take another dose. Take the next dose at your regular dosing time.

If you miss a dose, and it is within 8 hours of the missed dose, take it as soon as possible and continue with your regular schedule. If it is more than 8 hours since the missed dose, skip the missed dose and continue with your regular dosing schedule. Do not take a double dose to make up for a missed one. If you are not sure what to do after missing a dose, contact your doctor or pharmacist for advice.

Store Venclexta (Venetoclax) at room temperature, protect it from light and moisture, and keep it out of the reach of children.

Do not dispose of medications in wastewater (e.g. down the sink or in the toilet) or in household garbage. Ask your pharmacist how to dispose of medications that are no longer needed or have expired.

10 mg
Each pale yellow, round, biconvex, film-coated tablet debossed with "V" on one side and "10" on the other contains 10 mg of Venclexta (Venetoclax). Nonmedicinal ingredients: calcium phosphate dibasic, colloidal silicon dioxide, copovidone, iron oxide yellow, polyethylene glycol, polysorbate 80, polyvinyl alcohol, sodium stearyl fumarate, talc, and titanium dioxide.

50 mg
Each beige, oblong, biconvex, film-coated tablet debossed with "V" on one side and "50" on the other contains 50 mg of Venclexta (Venetoclax). Nonmedicinal ingredients: calcium phosphate dibasic, colloidal silicon dioxide, copovidone, iron oxide black, iron oxide red, iron oxide yellow, polyethylene glycol, polysorbate 80, polyvinyl alcohol, sodium stearyl fumarate, talc, and titanium dioxide.

100 mg
Each pale yellow, oblong, biconvex, film-coated tablet debossed with "V" on one side and "100" on the other contains 100 mg of Venclexta (Venetoclax). Nonmedicinal ingredients: calcium phosphate dibasic, colloidal silicon dioxide, copovidone, iron oxide yellow, polyethylene glycol, polysorbate 80, polyvinyl alcohol, sodium stearyl fumarate, talc, and titanium dioxide.

Do not take Venclexta (Venetoclax) if you:

• are allergic to Venclexta (Venetoclax) or any ingredients of the medication
• are taking any of the following medications:
  • "azole" antifungals (e.g., ketoconazole, itraconazole, Voriconazole, posaconazole)
  • clarithromycin or erythromycin
  • protease inhibitors (e.g., indinavir, lopinavir, ritonavir)

There may be an interaction between Venclexta (Venetoclax) and any of the following:

• antiarrhythmics (e.g., Amiodarone, Dipyridamole, Dronedarone, Propafenone, quinidine)
• Apalutamide
• Aprepitant
• "azole" antifungals (e.g., itraconazole, ketoconazole, voriconazole)
• bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG)
• Bicalutamide
• Bosentan
• calcium channel blockers (e.g., Amlodipine, Diltiazem, Nifedipine, Verapamil)
• Carvedilol
• Ceritinib
• Clozapine
• Cobicistat
• conivaptan
• Cyclosporine
• daclatasvir
• Deferasirox
• Deferiprone
• Digoxin
• Eliglustat
• Enzalutamide
• Everolimus
• grapefruit juice
• HIV non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs; e.g., efavirenz, etravirine, nevirapine)
• HIV protease inhibitors (e.g., atazanavir, indinavir, ritonavir, saquinavir)
• ledipasvir
• macrolide antibiotics (e.g., clarithromycin, erythromycin)
• mifepristone
• Mitotane
• Modafinil
• protein kinase inhibitors (e.g., Crizotinib, Dasatinib, imatinib, Nilotinib)
• quinine
• rifabutin
• rifampin
• St. John's wort
• Sarilumab
• seizure medications (e.g., Carbamazepine, Phenobarbital, Phenytoin, primidone)
• siltuximab
• Sirolimus
• star fruit
• Stiripentol
• Tocilizumab
• vaccines
• Warfarin

If you are taking any of these medications, speak with your doctor or pharmacist. Depending on your specific circumstances, your doctor may want you to:

• stop taking one of the medications,
• change one of the medications to another,
• change how you are taking one or both of the medications, or
• leave everything as is.

An interaction between two medications does not always mean that you must stop taking one of them. Speak to your doctor about how any drug interactions are being managed or should be managed.

Medications other than those listed above may interact with Venclexta (Venetoclax). Tell your doctor or prescriber about all prescription, over-the-counter (non-prescription), and herbal medications you are taking. Also tell them about any supplements you take. Since caffeine, alcohol, the Nicotine from cigarettes, or street drugs can affect the action of many medications, you should let your prescriber know if you use them.

Before you begin using a medication, be sure to inform your doctor of any medical conditions or Allergies you may have, any medications you are taking, whether you are pregnant or breast-feeding, and any other significant facts about your health. These factors may affect how you should use this medication.

Fertility: Venclexta (Venetoclax) may cause low or no sperm production when taken by men. This may affect the ability to father a child after taking Venclexta (Venetoclax). Talk to your doctor about this before starting Venclexta (Venetoclax).

Infection: Venclexta (Venetoclax) reduces the number of cells that fight infection in the body (white blood cells). If possible, avoid contact with people with contagious infections.

Tell your doctor immediately if you notice signs of an infection, such as fever or chills, severe diarrhea, shortness of breath, prolonged dizziness, headache, stiff neck, weight loss, or listlessness. Your doctor will do blood tests regularly to monitor the number of specific types of blood cells in your blood.

Kidney function: The effect of kidney function on how Venclexta (Venetoclax) works has not been determined. It is possible that decreased kidney function may increase the likelihood of experiencing side effects of Venclexta (Venetoclax). If you have Kidney Disease or decreased kidney function, discuss with your doctor how Venclexta (Venetoclax) may affect your medical condition, how your medical condition may affect the dosing and effectiveness of Venclexta (Venetoclax), and whether any special monitoring is needed.

Liver function: The effect of liver function on how Venclexta (Venetoclax) works for you has not been determined. It is possible that decreased liver function may increase the likelihood of experiencing side effects. If you have liver disease or decreased liver function, discuss with your doctor how Venclexta (Venetoclax) may affect your medical condition, how your medical condition may affect the dosing and effectiveness of Venclexta (Venetoclax), and whether any special monitoring is needed.

Other cancers: Taking Venclexta (Venetoclax), may increase your risk of developing Skin Cancer. Report any unusual growths on your skin or changes to growths on your skin to your doctor as soon as possible. Discuss any concerns you may have with your doctor.

Tumour lysis syndrome: Venclexta (Venetoclax), like many other cancer medications, causes many cancer cells to be suddenly killed when treatment is first started. This can overwhelm the body with waste products from the cells. As a result, the body may not be able to keep up with getting rid of all the waste. When this happens, you may have nausea, shortness of breath, cloudy urine, or joint pain. This is called tumour lysis syndrome. Your doctor may prescribe some medications to help your body get rid of the waste products. Make sure you understand how to use these medications and report any of these signs or symptoms to your doctor immediately.

The gradual increase in your dose of Venclexta (Venetoclax) is intended to decrease the risk of developing severe tumour lysis syndrome. Drinking plenty of fluids while taking Venclexta (Venetoclax) will help reduce your risk of developing tumour lysis syndrome.

Vaccines: Vaccines (e.g., yellow fever, BCG, Cholera, typhoid, varicella, meningococcal, diphtheria) should not be given while you are taking Venclexta (Venetoclax). Vaccinations should be completed before starting Venclexta (Venetoclax) or should be postponed until treatment with Venclexta (Venetoclax) is complete.

Pregnancy: Venclexta (Venetoclax) should not be used during pregnancy unless the benefits outweigh the risks. If you may become pregnant and are taking Venclexta (Venetoclax), use an effective method of birth control such as condoms during treatment and for at least 30 days after stopping the medication. If you become pregnant while taking Venclexta (Venetoclax), contact your doctor immediately.

Breast-feeding: It is not known if Venclexta (Venetoclax) passes into breast milk. If you are a breast-feeding mother and are taking Venclexta (Venetoclax), it may affect your baby. Talk to your doctor about whether you should continue breast-feeding.

Children: The safety and effectiveness of using Venclexta (Venetoclax) have not been established for children.