MELPHALAN ASPEN Film-coated tablet Ref.[8200] Active ingredients: Melphalan

Since Melphalan is myelosuppressive, frequent blood counts are essential during therapy and the dosage should be delayed or adjusted if necessary (see section 4.4).

Thromboembolic events

Thromboprophylaxis should be administered for at least the first 5 months of treatment especially in patients with additional thrombotic risk factors. The decision to take antithrombotic prophylactic measures should be made after careful assessment of an individual patient's underlying risk factors (see sections Warning and Precaution and Adverse Reactions).

If the patient experiences any thromboembolic events, treatment must be discontinued and standard anticoagulation therapy started. Once the patient has been stabilised on the anticoagulation treatment and any complications of the thromboembolic event have been managed, melphalan in combination with lenalidomide and prednisone or thalidomide and prednisone or dexamethasone may be restarted at the original dose dependent upon a benefit-risk assessment. The patient should continue anticoagulation therapy during the course of melphalan treatment.

Posology

Multiple Myeloma

Numerous regimes have been used and the scientific literature should be consulted for details. The administration of Melphalan and prednisone may be more effective than Melphalan alone. The combination is usually given on an intermittent basis, although the superiority of this technique over continuous therapy is not established. A typical oral dosage schedule is 0.15 mg/kg bodyweight/day in divided doses for 4 days repeated at intervals of six weeks. Prolonging treatment beyond one year in responders does not appear to improve results.

Ovarian adenocarcinoma

A typical regimen is 0.2 mg/kg bodyweight/day orally for 5 days. This is repeated every 4-8 weeks, or as soon as the bone marrow has recovered. Melphalan has also been used intravenously in the treatment of ovarian carcinoma.

Advanced carcinoma of the breast

Melphalan has been given orally at a dose of 0.15 mg/kg bodyweight or 6 mg/m² body surface area/day for 5 days and repeated every 6 weeks. The dose was decreased if bone marrow toxicity was observed.

Polycythaemia vera

For remission induction the usual dose is 6-10 mg daily for 5-7 days, after which 2-4 mg daily is given until satisfactory disease control is achieved. Therapy is maintained with a dose of 2-6 mg per week. During maintenance therapy, careful haematological control is essential with dosage adjustment according to the results of frequent blood counts.

Paediatric population

Melphalan is very rarely indicated in paediatrics and dosage guidelines cannot be stated.

Elderly population

There is no specific information available on the use of Melphalan in older patients.

Dosage in renal impairment

Melphalan clearance, though variable, may be decreased in renal impairment (see section 4.4).

In patients with moderate to severe renal impairment currently available pharmacokinetic data do not justify an absolute recommendation on dosage reduction when administering the oral preparation to these patients, but it may be prudent to use a reduced dose initially.

Method of administration

Oral administration in adults: the absorption of Melphalan after oral administration is variable. Dosage may need to be cautiously increased until myelosuppresion is seen, in order to ensure that potentially therapeutic levels have been reached.

Symptoms and signs

Gastro-intestinal effects, including nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea are the most likely signs of acute oral overdosage. Diarrhoea, sometimes haemorrhagic, has been reported after intravenous overdosage. The principal toxic effect is bone marrow aplasia, leading to leucopoenia, thrombocytopenia and anaemia.

Treatment

General supportive measures, together with appropriate blood and platelet transfusions, should be instituted if necessary, and consideration given to hospitalisation, cover with anti-infective agents, and the use of haematological growth factors.

There is no specific antidote. The blood picture should be closely monitored for at least four weeks following overdosage until there is evidence of recovery.

36 months.

Store at 2°C to 8°C.

Supplied in amber glass bottles with a child resistant closure containing 25 or 50 tablets.

Safe handling of MELPHALAN tablets

The handling of Melphalan tablets should follow guidelines for the handling of cytotoxic drugs according to prevailing local recommendations and/or regulations (for example Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain Working Party on the Handling of Cytotoxic Drugs).

Provided the outer coating of the tablet is intact, there is no risk in handling Melphalan tablets.

Melphalan tablets should not be divided.

Disposal

Melphalan tablets should be destroyed in accordance with relevant local regulatory requirements concerning the disposal of cytotoxic drugs.