VENCLYXTO Film-coated tablet Ref.[9093] Active ingredients: Venetoclax

Treatment with venetoclax should be initiated and supervised by a physician experienced in the use of anticancer medicinal products.

Posology

Dose-titration schedule

The starting dose is 20 mg of venetoclax once daily for 7 days. The dose must be gradually increased over a period of 5 weeks up to the daily dose of 400 mg as shown in Table 1.

Table 1. Dose increase schedule:

The 5-week dose-titration schedule is designed to gradually reduce tumour burden (debulk) and decrease the risk of tumour lysis syndrome.

Venetoclax in combination with obinutuzumab

Venetoclax is given for a total of 12 cycles, each cycle consisting of 28 days: 6 cycles in combination with obinutuzumab, followed by 6 cycles of venetoclax as a single agent.

Administer obinutuzumab 100 mg on Cycle 1 Day 1, followed by 900 mg which may be administered on Day 1 or Day 2. Administer 1000 mg on Days 8 and 15 of Cycle 1 and on Day 1 of each subsequent 28-day cycle, for a total of 6 cycles.

Start the 5-week venetoclax dose-titration schedule (see Table 1) on Cycle 1 Day 22 and continue through Cycle 2 Day 28.

After completing the dose-titration schedule, the recommended dose of venetoclax is 400 mg once daily from Cycle 3 Day 1 of obinutuzumab to the last day of Cycle 12.

Post-titration dose for venetoclax in combination with rituximab

The recommended dose of venetoclax in combination with rituximab is 400 mg once daily (see section 5.1 for details of the combination regimen).

Administer rituximab after the patient has completed the dose-titration schedule and has received the recommended daily dose of 400 mg venetoclax for 7 days.

Venetoclax is taken for 24 months from Cycle 1 Day 1 of rituximab (see section 5.1).

Post-titration dose for venetoclax monotherapy

The recommended dose of venetoclax is 400 mg once daily. Treatment is continued until disease progression or no longer tolerated by the patient.

Prevention of tumour lysis syndrome (TLS)

Venetoclax can cause rapid reduction in tumour, and thus poses a risk for TLS in the initial 5-week dose-titration phase. Changes in electrolytes consistent with TLS that require prompt management can occur as early as 6 to 8 hours following the first dose of venetoclax and at each dose increase.

The risk of TLS is a continuum based on multiple factors, including comorbidities. Patients with high tumour burden (e.g., any lymph node with a diameter ≥5 cm or high absolute lymphocyte count [ALC ≥25 × 10⁹/l]) are at greater risk of TLS when initiating venetoclax. Reduced renal function (creatinine clearance [CrCl] <80 ml/min) further increases the risk. The risk may decrease as tumour burden decreases with venetoclax treatment (see section 4.4).

Prior to initiating venetoclax, tumour burden assessment, including radiographic evaluation (e.g., CT scan), must be performed for all patients. Blood chemistry (potassium, uric acid, phosphorus, calcium, and creatinine) should be assessed and pre-existing abnormalities corrected. The prophylaxis measures listed below should be followed. More intensive measures should be employed as overall risk increases.

Hydration

Patients should be adequately hydrated during the dose-titration phase to reduce the risk of TLS. Patients should be instructed to drink plenty of water daily starting 2 days before and throughout the dose-titration phase. Patients should be particularly instructed to drink 1.5 to 2.0 L of water daily, 2 days prior to and the days of dosing at initiation and each subsequent dose increase. Intravenous fluids should be administered as indicated based on overall risk of TLS or for those who cannot maintain an adequate level of oral hydration.

Anti-hyperuricaemic agents

Anti-hyperuricaemic agents should be administered 2 to 3 days prior to starting treatment with venetoclax in patients with high uric acid levels or at risk of TLS and may be continued through the titration phase.

Laboratory assessments

Pre-dose: For all patients, blood chemistries should be assessed prior to the initial dose to evaluate kidney function and correct pre-existing abnormalities. Blood chemistries should be reassessed prior to each subsequent dose increase during the titration phase.

Post-dose: For patients at risk of TLS, blood chemistries should be monitored at 6 to 8 hours and at 24 hours after the first dose of venetoclax. Electrolyte abnormalities should be corrected promptly. The next venetoclax dose should not be administered until the 24-hour blood chemistry results have been evaluated. The same monitoring schedule should be followed at the start of the 50 mg dose and then for patients who continue to be at risk, at subsequent dose increases.

Hospitalisation

Based on physician assessment, some patients, especially those at greater risk of TLS, may require hospitalisation on the day of the first dose of venetoclax for more intensive prophylaxis and monitoring during the first 24 hours (see section 4.8). Hospitalisation should be considered for subsequent dose increases based on reassessment of risk.

Dose modifications for tumour lysis syndrome

If a patient experiences blood chemistry changes suggestive of TLS, the following day’s venetoclax dose should be withheld. If resolved within 24 to 48 hours of last dose, treatment with venetoclax can be resumed at the same dose. For events of clinical TLS or blood chemistry changes requiring more than 48 hours to resolve, treatment should be resumed at a reduced dose (see Table 2). When resuming treatment after interruption due to TLS, the instructions for prevention of TLS should be followed (see “Prevention of tumour lysis syndrome” above).

Dose modifications for other toxicities

Treatment with Venclyxto should be withheld for any grade 3 or 4 non-haematological toxicities, grade 3 or 4 neutropenia with infection or fever, or grade 4 haematological toxicities, except lymphopenia. Once the toxicity has resolved to grade 1 or baseline level (recovery), therapy with venetoclax may be restarted at the same dose. If the toxicity recurs, and for any subsequent occurrences, the dose reduction guidelines in Table 2 should be followed when resuming treatment with venetoclax following resolution. A larger dose reduction may occur at the discretion of the physician. For patients who require dose reductions to less than 100 mg for more than 2 weeks, discontinuation of venetoclax should be considered.

Table 2. Dose modification for TLS and other toxicities:

^a The modified dose should be continued for 1 week before increasing the dose.

For patients who have had a dosing interruption lasting more than 1 week during the first 5 weeks of dose titration or more than 2 weeks after completing the dose-titration phase, TLS risk should be reassessed to determine if restarting at a reduced dose is necessary (e.g., all or some levels of the dose titration; see Table 2).

Dose modifications for use with CYP3A inhibitors

Concomitant use of venetoclax with strong or moderate CYP3A inhibitors increases venetoclax exposure and may increase the risk for TLS at initiation and during the dose-titration phase and for other toxicities (see section 4.5).

Table 3 describes Venclyxto contraindication or dosage modification based on concomitant use with a strong or moderate CYP3A inhibitor. Patients should be monitored more closely for signs of toxicities and the dose may need to be further adjusted. The venetoclax dose that was used prior to initiating the CYP3A inhibitor should be resumed 2 to 3 days after discontinuation of the inhibitor (see sections 4.3, 4.4 and 4.5).

Table 3. Management of potential Venclyxto interactions with CYP3A inhibitors:

^a Avoid concomitant use of Venclyxto with moderate CYP3A inhibitors at initiation and during the dose titration phase. Consider alternative medications or reduce the Venclyxto dose as described in this table.

Missed dose

If a patient misses a dose of venetoclax within 8 hours of the time it is usually taken, the patient should take the missed dose as soon as possible on the same day. If a patient misses a dose by more than 8 hours, the patient should not take the missed dose and should resume the usual dosing schedule the following day.

If a patient vomits following dosing, no additional dose should be taken that day. The next prescribed dose should be taken at the usual time the following day.

Special populations

Elderly

No specific dose adjustment is required for elderly patients (aged ≥65 years) (see section 5.1).

Renal impairment

No dose adjustment is needed for patients with mild or moderate renal impairment (CrCl ≥30 ml/min and <90 ml/min) (see section 5.2). Patients with reduced renal function (CrCl <80 ml/min) may require more intensive prophylaxis and monitoring to reduce the risk of TLS at initiation and during the dose-titration phase (see “Prevention of tumour lysis syndrome” above). Safety in patients with severe renal impairment (CrCl <30 ml/min) or on dialysis has not been established, and a recommended dose for these patients has not been determined. Venetoclax should be administered to patients with severe renal impairment only if the benefit outweighs the risk and patients should be monitored closely for signs of toxicity due to increased risk of TLS (see section 4.4).

Hepatic impairment

No dose adjustment is recommended in patients with mild or moderate hepatic impairment. Patients with moderate hepatic impairment should be monitored more closely for signs of toxicity at initiation and during the dose-titration phase (see section 4.8).

A dose reduction of at least 50% throughout treatment is recommended for patients with severe hepatic impairment (see section 5.2). These patients should be monitored more closely for signs of toxicity (see section 4.8).

Paediatric population

The safety and efficacy of venetoclax in children aged less than 18 years have not been established. No data are available.

Method of administration

Venclyxto film-coated tablets are for oral use. Patients should be instructed to swallow the tablets whole with water at approximately the same time each day. The tablets should be taken with a meal in order to avoid a risk for lack of efficacy (see section 5.2). The tablets should not be chewed, crushed, or broken before swallowing.

During the dose-titration phase, venetoclax should be taken in the morning to facilitate laboratory monitoring.

Grapefruit products, Seville oranges, and starfruit (carambola) should be avoided during treatment with venetoclax (see section 4.5).

There is no specific antidote for venetoclax. Patients who experience overdose should be closely monitored and appropriate supportive treatment provided. During dose-titration phase, treatment should be interrupted and patients should be monitored carefully for signs and symptoms of TLS (fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, confusion, shortness of breath, seizures, irregular heartbeat, dark or cloudy urine, unusual tiredness, muscle or joint pain, abdominal pain and distension) along with other toxicities (see section 4.2). Based on venetoclax large volume of distribution and extensive protein binding, dialysis is unlikely to result in significant removal of venetoclax.

Shelf life

Venclyxto 10 mg film-coated tablets: 2 years.

Venclyxto 50 mg film-coated tablets: 2 years.

Venclyxto 100 mg film-coated tablets: 3 years.

This medicinal product does not require any special storage conditions.

Venclyxto film-coated tablets are supplied in PVC/PE/PCTFE aluminium foil blisters containing either 1, 2 or 4 film-coated tablets.

Venclyxto 10 mg tablets: The film-coated tablets are supplied in cartons containing either 10 or 14 tablets (in blisters of 2 tablets).

Venclyxto 50 mg tablets: The film-coated tablets are supplied in cartons containing either 5 or 7 tablets (in blisters of 1 tablet).

Venclyxto 100 mg tablets: The film-coated tablets are supplied in cartons containing either 7 (in blisters of 1 tablet) or 14 tablets (in blisters of 2 tablets); or a multipack containing 112 tablets (4 × 28 tablets (in blisters of 4 tablets)).

Not all pack sizes may be marketed.

Any unused medicinal product or waste material should be disposed of in accordance with local requirements.