How does Perjeta (pertuzumab) work?
Perjeta (pertuzumab) is used in combination with trastuzumab and docetaxel (other cancer medicines) for the treatment of patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer who have not received prior anti-HER2 therapy or chemotherapy for metastatic disease.
It is also used in combination with trastuzumab and chemotherapy as neoadjuvant treatment for patients with HER2-positive, locally advanced, inflammatory, or early-stage breast cancer as part of a complete treatment regimen for early breast cancer.
Is Perjeta (pertuzumab) approved?
Perjeta (pertuzumab) was approved for HER2 positive breast cancer in metastatic patients or as neoadjuvant therapy by:
- FDA (USA) on June 12, 2012
- EMA (EU) on March 4, 2013
- TGA (AUS) on May 6, 2013
- Health Canada on May 8, 2013
- Medsafe (New Zealand) on July 18, 2013
How do I take Perjeta (pertuzumab)?
The standard dosage is:
- Initial dose: 840 mg administered as a 60-minute intravenous infusion
- Following infusions: 420 mg administered as a 30 to 60-minute intravenous infusion every 3 weeks.
Patients with metastatic breast cancer should be treated with pertuzumab and trastuzumab until disease progression or unmanageable toxicity.
Patients in neoadjuvant treatment of breast cancer should be administered pertuzumab every 3 weeks for 3 to 6 cycles before surgery.
Complete information about Perjeta (pertuzumab) dosage and administration can be found in the references section.
Note: Consult your treating doctor for personalised dosing.
Common side effects of Perjeta (pertuzumab)
The most common side effects with Perjeta given with trastuzumab and chemotherapy are:
- diarrhoea
- alopecia (hair loss)
- nausea
- neutropenia (low levels of neutrophils, a type of white blood cell important for fighting infections).
Serious side effects of Perjeta (pertuzumab)
The most common serious side effects include:
- febrile neutropenia (low levels of neutrophils with fever)
- serious diarrhoea
- leucopenia (low white blood cell counts)
- neutropenia.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.