Treatment with venetoclax should be started and carried out under the supervision of a doctor with experience in the use of antitumoral drugs.
Mode of application
The preparation of Venklekst, tablets, covered with a film membrane, are intended for oral administration. Patients should be told that they should take the drug at about the same time, swallowing the pill completely and washing them with water.Tablets should be taken with meals to avoid the risk of insufficient therapy (see section Pharmacokinetic properties). Do not chew, grind or break tablets to facilitate swallowing.
In the titration phase of the dose venetoclase should be taken in the morning to facilitate laboratory monitoring.
During the treatment with venetoxil, the use of products containing grapefruit, pomeranian and stellate mustard (carambola) should be avoided (see section Interaction with other drugs).
Doses
The initial dose is 20 mg of Wenklekst preparation once a day for 7 days. Within 5 weeks the dose is gradually increased to the recommended daily dose of 400 mg according to the scheme given in Table 1.
Table 1: Scheme of increasing the dose
A week | The daily dose of Wenklekst |
1 | 20 mg |
2 | 50 mg |
3 | 100 mg |
4 | 200 mg |
5 and more | 400 mg |
A 5-week dose titration scheme is designed to gradually reduce the tumor burden (tumor volume) and reduce the risk of tumor lysis syndrome (SLO).
Treatment should continue until the disease progresses or further intolerance of treatment by the patient.
Dose change in tumor lysis syndrome
If a patient exhibits a change in the biochemical composition of the blood that indicates an OA, the patient should skip the next daily dose of venetoclax. If within 24 -8 hours after receiving the last dose the revealed deviations can be eliminated, treatment with venetoxax can be resumed in the same dose. In the case of clinical signs of OA or changes in the biochemical composition of the blood, which can take more than 48 hours to recover, treatment should be resumed at a lower dose (see Table 2). When the treatment is resumed after the discontinuation of the drug in connection with the developed UL it is necessary to follow the instructions for the prevention of tumor lysis syndrome (see section Special instructions).
Dose change for other toxic events
Treatment with Wenklekst should be suspended if any non-hematological toxic effects of 3 or 4 severity, neutropenia of 3 or 4 severity, which is accompanied by an infectious process or an increase in temperature, or hematological toxic effects of 4 degrees of severity, with the exception of lymphopenia.After reducing the severity of toxic effects to 1 degree or the initial level (recovery), venetoxoclase therapy can be resumed in the same dosage itself. At each renewal of treatment with Wenklekst preparation after elimination of toxic phenomena, it is necessary to follow the indications on dose reduction given in Table 2, in case of recurrence of a toxic phenomenon or in the event of any other phenomenon. At the discretion of the doctor, the dose may be reduced even more. For patients who require a dose reduction below 100 mg for a period of more than 2 weeks, consideration may be given to stopping venetoclax therapy.
Table 2: Dose variation in OA and other toxic events
Dose on discontinuation of treatment (mg) | Dose when resuming treatment (mga) |
400 | 300 |
300 | 200 |
200 | 100 |
100 | 50 |
50 | 20 |
20 | 10 |
a The changed dose should be adhered to within 1 week before increasing the dose. |
In patients who discontinued treatment for more than 1 week during the first five weeks of titrating the dose or more than 2 weeks during the 400 mg dose of the drug, a reassessment of the risk of OA should be conducted to determine whether to resume treatment at a lower dose (eg, all or some titration levels of the dose, see Table 2).
Dose change when using inhibitors CYP3A
Simultaneous use of Wenklekst and powerful or moderate inhibitors CYP3A increases the exposure of venetoclax and may lead to an increased risk of OA at the beginning of treatment and in the phase of titrating the dose and the development of other toxic phenomena (see section Interaction with other drugs).
Phase of initiation of treatment and titration dose
Contraindicated simultaneous use of Wenklekst and powerful inhibitors CYP3A at the beginning of treatment and the phase of titration of the dose (see Sections Contraindications, special instructions and Interaction with other drugs).
It is necessary to avoid simultaneous application of Wenklekst preparation and moderate inhibitors CYP3A at the start of treatment and the titration phase of the dose. It is necessary to consider the possibility of using alternative treatment options. If the patient is shown the application moderate inhibitor CYP3A, initial and titrated doses should be reduced by at least 50%. These patients should be more closely monitored for signs of development of toxic phenomena (see Sections special instructions and Interaction with other drugs).
After completion of the titration phase of the dose
Patients taking a constant daily dose of Wenklekst should avoid using inhibitors CYP3A or should reduce the dose of venetoclax by 50% while using moderate inhibitors CYP3A and on 75% - at simultaneous application of powerful inhibitors CYP3A. These patients should be monitored more closely for signs of toxic effects and may require an additional dose adjustment. 2-3 days after discontinuation of the inhibitor CYP3A treatment with venetoclax can be resumed in the same dose that was used before the initiation of treatment with an inhibitor CYP3A (see sections special instructions and Interaction with other drugs).
Missing dose
If the patient is late with taking a dose of venetoclax no more than 8 hours from the time of usual reception, the missed dose should be taken as early as possible on the same day. If the patient is late with a dose of venetoclax more than 8 hours, you should skip this dose and return to the usual treatment the next.
If the patient vomits after taking a dose, on that day he should not take an additional dose. The next scheduled dose should be taken the next day at the usual time.
Special patient groups
Use in elderly patients
In elderly patients (≥65 years), dose adjustment is not required (see section Pharmacodynamic properties).
Patients with impaired renal function
In patients with mild to moderate renal impairment (CC values in the range ≥30 mL / min - <90 mL / min), dose adjustment is not required (see section Pharmacokinetic properties). In patients with impaired renal function (CC <80 mL / min), early initiation of treatment and titration phase of the dose may require more intensive prevention and monitoring in order to reduce the risk of OA development (see section Special instructions). In patients with severe renal dysfunction (CK <30 mL / min) and in patients on dialysis, safety of the drug is not established, and for these patients the recommended dose is not determined.
In patients with severe renal dysfunction, Wenklekst is prescribed only if the benefits of treatment outweigh the risks associated with it, and, in view of the increased risk of developing OA, these patients should be closely monitored for signs of toxic effects (see section Special instructions). Taking into account the insignificant removal of venetoclax through the kidneys, no significant change in venetoclax exposure is expected in patients with severe renal dysfunction (see section Pharmacokinetics).
Impaired liver function
Patients with mild to moderate liver dysfunction are not recommended to adjust the dose, however, since patients with moderate hepatic impairment tend to increase the incidence of adverse events, these patients should be closely monitored for signs of toxic effects at the onset of therapy and dose titration phase (see Side effect).
The safety of the drug in patients with severe impairment of liver function is not established. The preparation of Wenklekst is contraindicated in patients with severe impairment of liver function.
Use in children
The effectiveness and safety of the use of Wenklekst in children under the age of 18 years are not established, therefore, the use is contraindicated.