Sunitinib Teva 25 mg hard capsules EFG
SpainTable of Contents
Patient Information Leaflet
Introduction
Patient Information Leaflet
Sunitinib Teva 25 mg hard capsules EFG
Read the entire leaflet carefully before you start taking this medicine, as it contains important information for you.
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Keep this leaflet, as you may need to read it again.
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If you have any questions, consult your doctor or pharmacist.
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This medicine has been prescribed for you only, and you should not give it to others, even if they have the same symptoms as you, because it may harm them.
- If you experience any adverse reactions, consult your doctor, including if they are adverse reactions not listed in this leaflet. See section 4.
Contents of the leaflet
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What Sunitinib Teva is and what it is used for
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What you need to know before taking Sunitinib Teva
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How to take Sunitinib Teva
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Possible side effects
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Storage of Sunitinib Teva
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Contents of the pack and other information
1. What Sunitinib Teva is and what it is used for
Sunitinib Teva contains the active substance sunitinib, which is a protein kinase inhibitor. It is used to treat cancer and works by blocking the activity of a specific group of proteins involved in the growth and proliferation of cancer cells.
Sunitinib Teva is used to treat adults with the following types of cancer:
- Gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST), a type of cancer of the stomach and intestine, when imatinib (another anticancer medicine) has failed or cannot be used.
- Metastatic renal cell carcinoma (MRCC), a type of kidney cancer that has spread to other parts of the body.
- Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours (pNET) (tumours of hormone-secreting cells in the pancreas) that have progressed or cannot be surgically removed.
If you have any questions about how Sunitinib Teva works or why this medicine has been prescribed for you, please consult your doctor.
2. What you need to know before taking Sunitinib Teva
Do not take Sunitinib Teva:
- if you are allergic to sunitinib or to any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6).
Warnings and precautions
Talk to your doctor before starting treatment with Sunitinib Teva:
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If you have high blood pressure. Sunitinib Teva can increase blood pressure. Your doctor may monitor your blood pressure during treatment with Sunitinib Teva, and if necessary, you may be treated with medications that lower blood pressure.
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If you have or have had blood disorders, bleeding problems or bruising. Treatment with Sunitinib Teva may lead to a high risk of bleeding or cause changes in the number of certain blood cells, which can result in anaemia or affect the blood's ability to clot. If you are taking warfarin or acenocoumarol, medicines used to thin the blood and prevent clots, there may be an increased risk of bleeding. If you experience any bleeding during treatment with Sunitinib Teva, consult your doctor.
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If you have heart problems. Sunitinib Teva may cause heart problems. Consult your doctor if you feel very tired, short of breath, or have swollen feet or ankles.
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If you have abnormal changes in your heart rhythm. Sunitinib Teva may cause irregular heart rhythms. Your doctor may perform electrocardiograms (ECGs) to assess these issues during treatment. Consult your doctor if you feel dizzy, faint, or experience irregular heartbeats while taking Sunitinib Teva.
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If you have recently had blood clots in your veins and/or arteries (types of blood vessels), including stroke, myocardial infarction (heart attack), embolism, or thrombosis. Contact your doctor immediately if you experience symptoms such as chest pain or pressure, arm, back, neck, or jaw pain, shortness of breath, numbness or weakness on one side of the body, difficulty speaking, headache, or dizziness while being treated with Sunitinib Teva.
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If you have or have had an aneurysm (a bulge and weakening of a blood vessel wall) or a tear in the wall of a blood vessel.
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If you have been diagnosed with an enlarged or "bulging" aorta, known as an aortic aneurysm.
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If you have previously experienced a tear in the aortic wall, known as aortic dissection.
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If you have had or currently have damage to the small blood vessels, known as thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA). Contact your doctor if you experience fever, fatigue, tiredness, bruising, bleeding, swelling, confusion, vision loss, or seizures.
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If you have thyroid gland problems. Sunitinib Teva may cause thyroid problems. Contact your doctor if you feel unusually tired, feel cold more often than others, or your voice becomes deeper while taking Sunitinib Teva. Thyroid function should be monitored before starting treatment with Sunitinib Teva and periodically during treatment. If your thyroid gland does not produce enough thyroid hormone, you may be treated with thyroid hormone replacement therapy.
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If you have or have had pancreatic disorders or gallbladder problems. Contact your doctor if you develop any of the following signs and symptoms: stomach pain (upper abdomen), nausea, vomiting, or fever. These may be caused by inflammation of the pancreas or gallbladder.
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If you have or have had liver problems. Contact your doctor if you develop any of the following signs or symptoms of liver problems during treatment with Sunitinib Teva: itching, yellowing of the eyes or skin, dark urine, or pain or discomfort in the upper right part of the abdomen. Your doctor should perform blood tests to monitor liver function before and during treatment with Sunitinib Teva, as well as whenever clinically indicated.
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If you have or have had kidney problems. Your doctor will monitor your kidney function.
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If you are scheduled for surgery or have recently undergone surgery. Sunitinib Teva may affect wound healing. If you are undergoing surgery, you will usually stop taking Sunitinib Teva. Your doctor will decide when to restart treatment.
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Before starting treatment with Sunitinib Teva, you may be advised to have a dental check-up.
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- If you have or have had pain in your mouth, teeth, and/or jaw, swelling or sores in your mouth, numbness or a heavy sensation in the jaw, or loose teeth, inform your doctor and dentist immediately.
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- If you need invasive dental treatment or dental surgery, inform your dentist that you are being treated with Sunitinib Teva, especially if you are also being treated or have been treated with intravenous bisphosphonates. Bisphosphonates are medicines used to prevent bone complications that may have been administered for another medical condition.
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If you have or have had skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders. During treatment with this medicine, "pyoderma gangrenosum" (painful skin ulceration) or "necrotizing fasciitis" (a rapidly spreading skin/soft tissue infection that can be fatal) may occur. Contact your doctor immediately if you notice signs of infection around a skin lesion, such as fever, pain, redness, swelling, or pus or blood discharge. This reaction is generally reversible after discontinuation of sunitinib. Serious skin reactions (Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis, erythema multiforme) have been reported with sunitinib use. These initially appear as red, target-like spots or circular rashes, often with central blisters, typically on the trunk. The rash may progress to widespread blistering or skin peeling and can be life-threatening. Consult your doctor immediately if you develop a skin rash or the described skin symptoms.
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If you have or have had seizures. If you have high blood pressure, headache, or vision loss, inform your doctor as soon as possible.
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If you have diabetes. Blood glucose levels in diabetic patients should be checked regularly to assess whether the dose of antidiabetic medication needs adjustment to minimize the risk of low blood sugar. Inform your doctor as soon as possible if you experience signs or symptoms of low blood sugar (fatigue, palpitations, sweating, hunger, or loss of consciousness).
Children and adolescents
Sunitinib Teva is not recommended for use in individuals under 18 years of age.
Other medicines and Sunitinib Teva
Inform your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken, or might need to take any other medicines, including those obtained without a prescription.
Some medicines can affect the levels of Sunitinib Teva in your body. You should inform your doctor if you are taking medicines containing any of the following active substances:
- ketoconazole, itraconazole – used to treat fungal infections
- erythromycin, clarithromycin, rifampicin – used to treat infections
- ritonavir – used to treat HIV
- dexamethasone – a corticosteroid used for various conditions (such as allergic/respiratory disorders or skin diseases)
- phenytoin, carbamazepine, phenobarbital – used to treat epilepsy and other neurological conditions
- herbal remedies containing St. John’s wort or hypericum (Hypericum perforatum) – used to treat depression and anxiety
Taking Sunitinib Teva with food and drinks
You should avoid drinking grapefruit juice while being treated with Sunitinib Teva.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, think you may be pregnant, or plan to become pregnant, consult your doctor or pharmacist before using this medicine.
If you could become pregnant, you should use a reliable method of contraception during treatment with Sunitinib Teva.
If you are breastfeeding, inform your doctor. You must not breastfeed during treatment with Sunitinib Teva.
Driving and using machines
If you experience dizziness or unusual tiredness, take special care when driving or operating machinery.
Sunitinib Teva contains Sodium
This medicine contains less than 23 mg of sodium (1 mmol) per capsule; this is essentially “sodium-free”.
3. How to take Sunitinib Teva
Follow exactly the instructions for administering this medicine as given by your doctor. If in doubt, consult your doctor again.
Your doctor will determine the correct dose for you depending on the type of cancer being treated. If you are receiving treatment for:
- GIST or PRCC: the usual dose is 50 mg once daily for 28 days (4 weeks), followed by a 14-day (2-week) rest period (no medication) in 6-week cycles.
- pNET: the usual dose is 37.5 mg once daily without a rest period.
Your doctor will tell you the appropriate dose you need to take, as well as whether you need to interrupt treatment with Sunitinib Teva and when.
Sunitinib Teva may be taken with or without food.
If you take more Sunitinib Teva than you should
If you have accidentally taken too many capsules, contact your doctor immediately. You may require medical attention.
In case of overdose or accidental ingestion, contact your doctor or pharmacist immediately or call the Toxicology Information Service at telephone number: 91.562.04.20, indicating the medicine and the amount ingested.
If you forget to take Sunitinib Teva
Do not take a double dose to make up for missed doses.
4. Possible adverse effects
Like all medicines, this medicine can cause adverse effects, although not everyone will experience them.
You should contact your doctor immediately if you experience any of the following serious adverse effects (see also What you need to know before starting to take Sunitinib Teva):
Heart problems. Consult your doctor if you feel very tired, are short of breath, or have swollen feet and ankles. These may be symptoms of heart problems, which may include heart failure and heart muscle problems (cardiomyopathy).
Lung or breathing problems. Consult your doctor if you develop cough, chest pain, sudden onset of breathing difficulties, or cough up blood. These may be symptoms of a condition called pulmonary embolism, which occurs when blood clots travel to the lungs.
Kidney problems. Consult your doctor if you experience changes in frequency or absence of urination, as these may be symptoms of kidney failure.
Bleeding. Consult your doctor if you have any of these symptoms or a serious bleeding problem during treatment with Sunitinib Teva: painful or swollen stomach (abdomen), vomiting blood, black and tarry stools, blood in urine, headache, changes in mental status, coughing up blood or bloody sputum from the lungs or airways.
Tumour destruction leading to intestinal perforation. Consult your doctor if you have severe abdominal pain, fever, nausea, vomiting, blood in stools, or changes in bowel habits.
Other adverse effects with Sunitinib Teva may include:
Very common: may affect more than 1 in 10 people
- Reduction in the number of platelets, red blood cells and/or white blood cells (e.g., neutrophils).
- Difficulty breathing.
- High blood pressure.
- Extreme fatigue, loss of strength.
- Tissue swelling due to fluid accumulation under the skin and around the eye, severe allergic rash.
- Mouth pain/irritation, mouth sores/inflammation/dryness, taste disturbances, stomach discomfort, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation, abdominal pain/swelling, loss/reduced appetite.
- Decreased activity of the thyroid gland (hypothyroidism).
- Dizziness.
- Headache.
- Nosebleeds.
- Back pain, joint pain.
- Pain in arms and legs.
- Yellow skin/skin colour changes, excessive skin pigmentation, hair colour changes, skin rash on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet, rash, dry skin.
- Cough.
- Fever.
- Difficulty falling asleep.
Common: may affect up to 1 in 10 people
- Blood clots in blood vessels.
- Reduced blood flow to the heart muscle due to blockage or narrowing of the coronary arteries.
- Chest pain.
- Decreased amount of blood pumped by the heart.
- Fluid retention, including around the lungs.
- Infections.
- Complication of a severe infection (the infection is present in the bloodstream) that may cause tissue damage, organ failure, and death.
- Low blood sugar levels (see section 2). Loss of protein in urine which may cause swelling.
- Pseudoflu-like syndrome.
- Abnormal blood test results, including pancreatic and liver enzymes.
- High levels of uric acid in blood.
- Haemorrhoids, rectal pain, bleeding gums, difficulty swallowing or inability to swallow.
- Burning sensation or pain in the tongue, inflammation of the lining of the digestive tract, excess gas in the stomach or intestines.
- Weight loss.
- Musculoskeletal pain (muscle and bone pain), muscle weakness, muscle fatigue, muscle pain, muscle spasms.
- Dry nose, nasal congestion.
- Excessive tear production.
- Abnormal skin sensations, itching, scaly and inflamed skin, blisters, acne, nail colour changes, hair loss.
- Abnormal sensations in the limbs.
- Abnormally decreased/increased sensitivity, especially to touch.
- Indigestion (heartburn).
- Dehydration.
- Hot flushes.
- Abnormal urine colour.
- Depression.
- Chills.
Uncommon: may affect up to 1 in 100 people
- Potentially life-threatening soft tissue infection, including in the ano-genital region (see section 2).
- Stroke.
- Myocardial infarction (heart attack) caused by interruption or reduction of blood flow to the heart.
- Changes in the heart's electrical activity or abnormal heart rhythm.
- Fluid around the heart (pericardial effusion).
- Liver failure.
- Stomach (abdominal) pain caused by inflammation of the pancreas.
- Tumour destruction leading to a hole in the intestine (perforation).
- Inflammation (swelling and redness) of the gallbladder, with or without gallstones.
- Abnormal passage or tract from one body cavity to another or to the skin.
- Pain in the mouth, teeth and/or jaw, swelling or sores inside the mouth, numbness or a feeling of heaviness in the jaw, or loose teeth. These may all be signs and symptoms of jaw bone damage (osteonecrosis), see section 2.
- Overproduction of thyroid hormones increasing the body's resting energy expenditure.
- Problems with wound healing after surgery.
- Elevated blood levels of a muscle enzyme (creatine phosphokinase).
- Excessive reaction to an allergen, including pollen allergy, skin rash, skin itching, hives, swelling of body parts, and difficulty breathing.
- Inflammation of the colon (colitis, ischaemic colitis).
Rare: may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people
- Severe skin and/or mucous membrane reaction (Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis, erythema multiforme).
- Tumour lysis syndrome (TLS) – TLS encompasses a series of metabolic complications that may occur during cancer treatment. These complications are caused by substances released from dying cancer cells and may include: nausea, shortness of breath, irregular heartbeat, muscle cramps, seizures, cloudy urine, and fatigue, associated with abnormal laboratory test results (high levels of potassium, uric acid, and phosphate, and low calcium levels in blood), which may lead to changes in kidney function and acute kidney failure.
- Abnormal muscle breakdown that may lead to kidney problems (rhabdomyolysis).
- Abnormal changes in the brain that may cause a range of symptoms including headache, confusion, seizures, and vision loss (reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy syndrome).
- Painful skin ulceration (pyoderma gangrenosum).
- Inflammation of the liver (hepatitis).
- Inflammation of the thyroid gland.
- Damage to the smallest blood vessels known as thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA).
Frequency not known (cannot be estimated from available data)
- Enlargement and weakening of a blood vessel wall or tearing of a blood vessel wall (aneurysms and arterial dissections).
- Lack of energy, confusion, drowsiness, loss of consciousness/coma: these symptoms may be signs of brain toxicity caused by high levels of ammonia in the blood (hyperammonaemic encephalopathy).
Reporting of adverse effects
If you experience any adverse effect, talk to your doctor or pharmacist, even if it is a possible adverse effect not listed in this leaflet. You can also report them directly via the Spanish Pharmacovigilance System for Human Medicinal Products: https://www.notificaram.es. By reporting adverse effects, you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.
5. Storage of Sunitinib Teva
- Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children.
- Do not use this medicine after the expiry date stated on the outer packaging, bottle, and blister pack, after EXP or EXP. The expiry date refers to the last day of the month indicated.
- Do not store above 30 °C. Keep in the original packaging to protect from moisture.
- Do not use this medicine if you notice that the packaging is damaged or shows signs of having been opened.
Medicines must not be disposed of via wastewater or household waste. Dispose of unused medicines and their containers at the SIGRE Point at your pharmacy. If you are unsure, ask your pharmacist how to dispose of unused medicines and their packaging. This way, you will help protect the environment.
6. Contents of the pack and other information
Composition of Sunitinib Teva
Sunitinib Teva 25 mg hard capsules
The active substance is sunitinib. Each capsule contains 25 mg of sunitinib.
The other components are:
- Capsule contents: mannitol, povidone K-25, sodium croscarmellose, magnesium stearate.
- Capsule coating: gelatin, titanium dioxide (E171), red iron oxide (E172), and yellow iron oxide (E172).
- Printing ink: shellac, black iron oxide (E172), propylene glycol, concentrated ammonia solution, and potassium hydroxide.
Appearance of the product and contents of the pack
Sunitinib Teva 25 mg hard capsules
Hard gelatin capsules with a light orange opaque cap and an orange opaque body, with "25" printed in black ink on the cap. Each size 3 capsule (overall closed length approximately 15.8 mm) contains orange granular powder.
Sunitinib Teva is available in white HDPE bottles containing 30 capsules, in blister packs containing 28 or 30 capsules, and in unit-dose blisters containing 28x1 and 30x1 capsules.
Only certain pack sizes may be marketed.
Marketing Authorization Holder and Manufacturer
Marketing Authorization Holder
Teva B.V.
Swensweg 5, 2031 GA Haarlem
The Netherlands
Manufacturer
Teva Operations Poland Sp. z.o.o
ul. Mogilska 80
31-546 Kraków
Poland
or
Merckle GmbH
Ludwig-Merckle-Strasse 3, Blaubeuren
89143 Baden-Wuerttemberg
Germany
or
PLIVA Hrvatska d.o.o. (PLIVA Croatia Ltd.)
Prilaz baruna Filipovica 25
10000 Zagreb
Croatia
or
Actavis International Ltd.
4 Sqaq tal-Gidi off Valletta Road,
Luqa LQA 6000,
Malta
or
Balkanpharma-Dupnitsa AD
3 Samokovsko Shosse Str.,
Dupnitsa, 2600
Bulgaria
For further information about this medicinal product, please contact the local representative of the Marketing Authorization Holder:
Teva Pharma, S.L.U.
C/ Anabel Segura 11, Edificio Albatros B, 1st floor
28108 Alcobendas (Madrid)
Spain
Date of most recent review of this leaflet: November 2019
Detailed information on this medicinal product is available on the website of the Spanish Agency of Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS) (http://www.aemps.gob.es/)