Carmustine 100 Mg-Powder And Solvent For Solution For Infusion
Package leaflet: Information for the user
Carmustine 100 mg-Powder and solvent for solution for infusion _
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Read all of this leaflet carefully before you start using this medicine because it contains important information for you.
- Keep this leaflet. You may need to read it again.
- If you have any further questions, ask your doctor, pharmacist or nurse.
- If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. See section 4.
What is in this leaflet:
1. What Carmustine is and what it is used for
2. What you need to know before you use Carmustine
3. How to use Carmustine
4. Possible side effects
5. How to store Carmustine
6. Contents of the pack and other information
1. What Carmustine is and what it is used for
Carmustine 100 mg-Powder and solvent for solution for infusion is a medicine which contains carmustine. Carmustine belongs to a group of anticancer substances known as nitrosourea that act by slowing the growth of cancer cells.
Carmustine is used as palliative therapy (relieving and preventing the suffering of patients) as a single agent or in established combination therapy with other approved anticancer substances in certain types of cancers, like:
• Brain tumors- glioblastoma, medulloblastoma, astrocytoma and metastatic brain tumors
• Multiple myeloma (malignant tumor developing from bone marrow)
• Hodgkin's disease (lymphoid tumor)
• Non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (lymphoid tumor)
2. What you need to know before you use
Carmustine
Do not use Carmustine
- if you are allergic to carmustine, other nitrosourea
medicines or any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6).
Carmustine should not be used in patients who have reduced number of blood platelets (thrombocytes), white blood cells (leucocytes) or red blood cells (erythrocytes), either as a result of chemotherapy or from other causes.
Warnings and precautions
Talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse before using Carmustine.
Since the major side effects of this medicine is delayed bone marrow suppression, your doctor will monitor blood counts weekly for at least 6 weeks after a dose. At the recommended dosage, courses of Carmustine would not be given more frequently than every 6 weeks. The dosage will be confirmed with the blood count.
Before treatment, your liver and kidney function will be tested and observed regularly during the treatment.
Since the use of Carmustine can lead to lung damage, an X-ray of the chest region and the lung function tests will be conducted (Please also see the section “Possible side effects”).
Your doctor will talk to you about the possibility of lung damage and allergic reactions and their symptoms. If such symptoms occur, you should contact your doctor immediately (see section 4).
Other medicines and Carmustine
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken or might take any other medicines, including medicines obtained without prescription, such as:
• Phenytoin, used in epilepsy
• Cimetidine, used for stomach problems like indigestion
• Digoxin, used if you have abnormal heart rhythm
• Melphalan, an anticancer drug
Pregnancy, breast-feeding and fertility
If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking this medicine.
Pregnancy and fertility
Carmustine should not be used during pregnancy because it may harm your unborn baby. Therefore this medicine should not normally be administered to pregnant women. If used during pregnancy, the patient must be aware of the potential risk to the unborn baby. Women of childbearing potential are advised to avoid becoming pregnant whilst being treated with this medicine.
Male patients should use adequate contraceptives measures during treatment with Carmustine for at least 6 months to prevent their partners becoming pregnant.
Breast-feeding
You should not breast-feed while taking this medicine. Driving and using machines
The effect of this medicine on your ability to drive and use machines is not known. You must check with your doctor before driving or operating any tools or machines because the amount of alcohol in this medicine may impair your ability to drive or use machines.
Carmustine contains ethanol (alcohol)
This medicinal product contains 0.57 vol% ethanol (alcohol), which means 7.68 g per dose. This corresponds to 11.32 ml of beer or 4.72 ml wine, per dose. This may be harmful for those suffering from alcoholism, liver disease or epilepsy (fits)
3. How to use Carmustine
Carmustine will always be given to you by a healthcare professional with experience in the use of anticancer agents.
This medication is for intravenous infusion.
Adults
Dosage is based on your medical condition, body size and response to treatment. It is usually given at least every 6 weeks. The recommended dose of Carmustine as a single agent in previously untreated patients is 150 to 200 mg/m2 intravenously every 6 weeks. This may be given as a single dose or divided into two daily injections such as 75 to 100 mg/m2 on two successive days. Dosage will also depend on whether Carmustine is given with other anticancer drugs.
Doses will be adjusted according to how you respond to the treatment.
Your blood count will be monitored frequently to avoid toxicity in your bone marrow and the dose adjusted if necessary.
Route of administration
Carmustine is given into a vein by a drip over a one to two hour period. The time of infusion should not be less than one hour to avoid burning and pain at the injected area. The injected area will be monitored during the administration.
The duration of the treatment is determined by the doctor and may vary for each patient.
Use in children
Carmustine can be used with extreme caution in children due to high risk of lung toxicity.
Use in elderly
Carmustine can be used with caution in elderly patients. The kidney function will be carefully monitored.
If you use more Carmustine than you should
As a doctor or nurse will be giving you this medicine, it is unlikely that you will receive an incorrect dose. Tell your doctor or nurse if you have any concerns about the amount of medicine that you receive.
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If you have any further questions on the use of this product, ask your doctor or pharmacist or nurse.
4. Possible side effects
Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.
Tell your doctor or nurse immediately if you notice any of the following:
Any sudden wheeziness, difficulty in breathing, swelling of the eyelids, face or lips, rash or itching (especially affecting your whole body), and feeling you are going to faint. These may be signs of severe allergic reaction.
Carmustine may cause the following side effects:
Very common (may affect more than 1 in 10 people)
• Delayed myelosuppression (decrease in blood cells in bone marrow);
• Ataxia (lack of voluntary coordination of muscle movements);
• Dizziness;
• Headache;
• Transient redness in the eye, blurred vision, retinal bleeding;
• Hypotension (fall in blood pressure) in high-dose therapy;
• Phlebitis (inflammation of the veins);
• Respiratory disorders (lung related disorders) with breathing problems;
• Severe nausea and vomiting; beginning within 2-4 hours of administration and lasting for 4-6 hours;
• When used on the skin, inflammation of the skin (dermatitis)
• Accidental contact with skin may cause transient hyperpigmentation (darkening of an area of skin or nails)
Common (may affect up to 1 in 10 people)
• Acute leukemias and bone marrow dysplasias (abnormal development of the bone marrow) following long term use;
• Anaemia (decrease in the amount of red blood cells in the blood);
• Encephalopathy (disorder of brain) in high-dose therapy;
• Anorexia;
• Constipation;
• Diarrhoea;
• Inflammation of the mouth and lips;
• Reversible liver toxicity in high-dose therapy, delayed up to 60 days after administration. This can result in increased liver enzymes and bilirubin (detected by blood tests) ;
• Alopecia (loss of hair);
• Flushing of the skin;
• Reactions on the inj ection site
Rare (may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people)
• Veno-occlusive disease (progressive blockage of the veins) in high-do se therapy;
• Breathing problems caused by interstitial fibrosis (with lower doses);
• Kidney problems;
• Gynecomastia (breast growth in males)
Not known (frequency cannot be estimated from the available data)
• Muscular pain;
• Seizures (fits) including status epilepticus;
• Tissue damage due to leakage in injection area;
• Infertility;
• Carmustine has been shown to adversely affect the development of unborn babies
Reporting of side effects
If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the Yellow Card Scheme at: www.mhra.gov.uk/vellowcard. By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.
5. How to store Carmustine
Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children. Do not use this medicine after the expiry date which is stated on the label and carton after statement “can be used up to'. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month.
This medicine will be stored by your doctor or health care professional.
The unopened vial of the dry drug must be stored in a refrigerator (2°-8°C). After reconstitution as recommended, Carmustine is stable for 24 hours under refrigeration (2°-8°C) in a glass container and must be protected from light.
Do not throw away any medicines via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist or doctor how to throw away medicines you no longer use. These measures will help protect the environment.
6. Contents of the pack and other information
What Carmustine contains
The active substance is carmustine.
A 30 ml vial contains 100 mg carmustine and a 5 ml vial contains 3 ml sterile diluent (dehydrated alcohol).
What Carmustine looks like and contents of the pack
Powder and solvent for solution for infusion.
Yellowish powder for reconstitution.
Appearance of solution: colorless to light yellow
Powder: Type I amber glass vial (30 ml) sealed with a dark grey bromo butyl lyo rubber stopper and aluminium seal having polypropylene cap.
Diluent: Type I glass vial (5 ml) sealed with a grey bromo butyl rubber stopper with an aluminium seal having polypropylene cap.
Marketing Authorisation Holder and Manufacturer
Marketing Authorisation Holder Emcure Pharma UK Limited 3 Howard Road Eaton Socon, St Neots Cambridgeshire PE19 8ET United Kingdom
Manufacturer
Emcure Pharma UK Limited
Devonshire house
582 Honeypot lane
Stanmore
HA71JS,
United Kingdom
This medicinal product is authorised in the Member States of the EEA under the following names:
Spain: Bicnu 100 mg polvo y disolvente para solution para perfusion EF G
This leaflet was last revised in 04/2016
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