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Lapatinib

Also sold as: Tykerb

Protein Kinase InhibitorsPrescription OnlyGeneric Available

Related Medications

Important: Only drugs listed as "Exact Equivalents" (FDA AB-rated) are confirmed interchangeable. All other listings are for informational reference only and do NOT indicate that drugs can be substituted without a physician's explicit guidance.
Same Pharmacologic Class

These drugs share a pharmacologic classification but are NOT interchangeable. Listing here does not imply clinical equivalence. A physician must evaluate each drug individually for the patient's specific condition.

Classification: Protein Kinase Inhibitors (source: RxClass/NLM)

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Drug Information

Mechanism of Action

12.1 Mechanism of Action Lapatinib is a 4-anilinoquinazoline kinase inhibitor of the intracellular tyrosine kinase domains of both Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR [ErbB1]) and of Human Epidermal Receptor Type 2 (HER2 [ErbB2]) receptors (estimated Ki app values of 3nM and 13nM, respectively) with a dissociation half-life of greater than or equal to 300 minutes. Lapatinib inhibits ErbB-driven tumor cell growth in vitro and in various animal models. An additive effect was demonstrated in an in vitro study when lapatinib and 5-FU (the active metabolite of capecitabine) were used in combination in the 4-tumor cell lines tested. The growth inhibitory effects of lapatinib were evaluated in trastuzumab-conditioned cell lines. Lapatinib retained significant activity against breast cancer cell lines selected for long-term growth in trastuzumab-containing medium in vitro . These in vitro findings suggest non-cross-resistance between these two agents. Hormone receptor-positive breast cancer cells (with ER [Estrogen Receptor] and/or PgR [Progesterone Receptor]) that coexpress the HER2 tend to be resistant to established endocrine therapies. Similarly, hormone receptor-positive breast cancer cells that initially lack EGFR or HER2 upregulate these receptor proteins as the tumor becomes resistant to endocrine therapy.

Indications & Uses

1 INDICATIONS AND USAGE Lapatinib tablets are indicated in combination with: capecitabine for the treatment of patients with advanced or metastatic breast cancer whose tumors overexpress human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) and who have received prior therapy, including an anthracycline, a taxane, and trastuzumab. Limitations of Use : Patients should have disease progression on trastuzumab prior to initiation of treatment with lapatinib tablets in combination with capecitabine. letrozole for the treatment of postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer that overexpresses the HER2 receptor for whom hormonal therapy is indicated. Lapatinib tablets in combination with an aromatase inhibitor has not been compared to a trastuzumab-containing chemotherapy regimen for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer. Lapatinib tablets are a kinase inhibitor indicated in combination with: ( 1 ) capecitabine for the treatment of patients with advanced or metastatic breast cancer whose tumors overexpress human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) and who have received prior therapy, including an anthracycline, a taxane, and trastuzumab. Limitations of Use : Patients should have disease progression on trastuzumab prior to initiation of treatment with lapatinib tablets in combination with capecitabine. letrozole for the treatment of postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer that overexpresses the HER2 receptor for whom hormonal therapy is indicated. Lapatinib tablets in combination with an aromatase inhibitor has not been compared to a trastuzumab-containing chemotherapy regimen for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer.

Dosage & Administration

2 DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION The recommended dosage of lapatinib tablets for advanced or metastatic breast cancer is 1,250 mg (5 tablets) given orally once daily on Days 1 to 21 continuously in combination with capecitabine 2,000 mg/m 2 /day (administered orally in 2 doses approximately 12 hours apart) on Days 1 to 14 in a repeating 21-day cycle. ( 2.1 ) The recommended dose of lapatinib tablets for hormone receptor-positive, HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer is 1,500 mg (6 tablets) given orally once daily continuously in combination with letrozole. When lapatinib tablets are coadministered with letrozole, the recommended dose of letrozole is 2.5 mg once daily. ( 2.1 ) Lapatinib tablets should be taken at least one hour before or one hour after a meal. However, capecitabine should be taken with food or within 30 minutes after food. ( 2.1 ) Lapatinib tablets should be taken once daily. Do not divide daily doses of lapatinib tablets. ( 2.1 , 12.3 ) Modify dose for cardiac and other toxicities, severe hepatic impairment, diarrhea, and CYP3A4 drug interactions. ( 2.2 ) 2.1 Recommended Dosing HER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer : The recommended dose of lapatinib tablets is 1,250 mg given orally once daily on Days 1 to 21 continuously in combination with capecitabine 2,000 mg/m 2 /day (administered orally in 2 doses approximately 12 hours apart) on Days 1 to 14 in a repeating 21-day cycle. Lapatinib tablets should be taken at least one hour before or one hour after a meal. The dose of lapatinib tablets should be once daily (5 tablets administered all at once); dividing the daily dose is not recommended [see Clinical Pharmacology (12.3)] . Capecitabine should be taken with food or within 30 minutes after food. If a day’s dose is missed, the patient should not double the dose the next day. Treatment should be continued until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity occurs. Hormone Receptor-Positive, HER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer : The recommended dose of lapatinib tablets is 1,500 mg given orally once daily continuously in combination with letrozole. When coadministered with lapatinib tablets, the recommended dose of letrozole is 2.5 mg once daily. Lapatinib tablets should be taken at least one hour before or one hour after a meal. The dose of lapatinib tablets should be once daily (6 tablets administered all at once); dividing the daily dose is not recommended [see Clinical Pharmacology (12.3)] . 2.2 Dose Modification Guidelines Cardiac Events : Lapatinib tablets should be discontinued in patients with a decreased left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) that is Grade 2 or greater by National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (NCI CTCAE v3.0), and in patients with an LVEF that drops below the institution’s lower limit of normal (LLN) [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) and Adverse Reactions (6.1)] . Lapatinib tablets in combination with capecitabine may be restarted at a reduced dose (1,000 mg/day) and in combination with letrozole may be restarted at a reduced dose of 1,250 mg/day after a minimum of 2 weeks if the LVEF recovers to normal and the patient is asymptomatic. Hepatic Impairment : Patients with severe hepatic impairment (Child-Pugh Class C) should have their dose of lapatinib tablets reduced. A dose reduction from 1,250 mg/day to 750 mg/day (HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer indication) or from 1,500 mg/day to 1,000 mg/day (hormone receptor-positive, HER2-positive breast cancer indication) in patients with severe hepatic impairment is predicted to adjust the area under the curve (AUC) to the normal range and should be considered. However, there are no clinical data with this dose adjustment in patients with severe hepatic impairment. Diarrhea : Lapatinib tablets should be interrupted in patients with diarrhea which is NCI CTCAE Grade 3 or Grade 1 or 2 with complicating features (moderate to severe abdominal cramping, nausea or vomiting greater than or equal to NCI CTCAE Grade 2, decreased performance status, fever, sepsis, neutropenia, frank bleeding, or dehydration). Lapatinib tablets may be reintroduced at a lower dose (reduced from 1,250 mg/day to 1,000 mg/day or from 1,500 mg/day to 1,250 mg/day) when diarrhea resolves to Grade 1 or less. Lapatinib tablets should be permanently discontinued in patients with diarrhea, which is NCI CTCAE Grade 4 [see Warnings and Precautions (5.4) and Adverse Reactions (6.1)] . Concomitant Strong CYP3A4 Inhibitors : The concomitant use of strong CYP3A4 inhibitors should be avoided (e.g., ketoconazole, itraconazole, clarithromycin, atazanavir, indinavir, nefazodone, nelfinavir, ritonavir, saquinavir, telithromycin, voriconazole). Grapefruit may also increase plasma concentrations of lapatinib and should be avoided. If patients must be coadministered a strong CYP3A4 inhibitor, based on pharmacokinetic studies, a dose reduction to 500 mg/day of lapatinib is predicted to adjust the lapatinib AUC to the range observe

Side Effects (Adverse Reactions)

6 ADVERSE REACTIONS The most common (greater than 20%) adverse reactions during treatment with lapatinib plus capecitabine were diarrhea, palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia, nausea, rash, vomiting, and fatigue. The most common (greater than or equal to 20%) adverse reactions during treatment with lapatinib plus letrozole were diarrhea, rash, nausea, and fatigue. ( 6.1 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact AvKARE at 1-855-361-3993 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch. 6.1 Clinical Trials Experience Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. HER2-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer : The safety of lapatinib has been evaluated in more than 12,000 patients in clinical trials. The efficacy and safety of lapatinib in combination with capecitabine in breast cancer was evaluated in 198 patients in a randomized, Phase 3 trial [see Clinical Studies ( 14.1 )] . Adverse reactions, which occurred in at least 10% of patients in either treatment arm and were higher in the combination arm, are shown in Table 1. The most common adverse reactions (greater than 20%) during therapy with lapatinib plus capecitabine were gastrointestinal (diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting), dermatologic (palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia and rash), and fatigue. Diarrhea was the most common adverse reaction resulting in discontinuation of study medication. The most common Grades 3 and 4 adverse reactions (NCI CTCAE v3.0) were diarrhea and palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia. Selected laboratory abnormalities are shown in Table 2. Table 1. Adverse Reactions Occurring in Greater Than or Equal to 10% of Patients a NCI CTCAE v3.0. b Grade 3 dermatitis acneiform was reported in less than 1% of patients in the group receiving lapatinib plus capecitabine. Lapatinib 1,250 mg/day + Capecitabine 2,000 mg/m 2 /day Capecitabine 2,500 mg/m 2 /day (N = 198) (N = 191) All Grades a Grade 3 Grade 4 All Grades a Grade 3 Grade 4 Reactions % % % % % % Gastrointestinal disorders Diarrhea 65 13 1 40 10 0 Nausea 44 2 0 43 2 0 Vomiting 26 2 0 21 2 0 Stomatitis 14 0 0 11 < 1 0 Dyspepsia 11 < 1 0 3 0 0 Skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders Palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia 53 12 0 51 14 0 Rash b 28 2 0 14 1 0 Dry skin 10 0 0 6 0 0 General disorders and administration site conditions Mucosal inflammation 15 0 0 12 2 0 Musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders Pain in extremity 12 1 0 7 < 1 0 Back pain 11 1 0 6 < 1 0 Respiratory, thoracic, and mediastinal disorders Dyspnea 12 3 0 8 2 0 Psychiatric disorders Insomnia 10 < 1 0 6 0 0 Table 2. Selected Laboratory Abnormalities Abbreviations: ALT, alanine aminotransferase; AST, aspartate aminotransferase. a NCI CTCAE v3.0. Lapatinib 1,250 mg/day + Capecitabine 2,000 mg/m 2 /day Capecitabine 2,500 mg/m 2 /day All Grades a Grade 3 Grade 4 All Grades a Grade 3 Grade 4 Parameters % % % % % % Hematologic Hemoglobin 56 < 1 0 53 1 0 Platelets 18 < 1 0 17 < 1 < 1 Neutrophils 22 3 < 1 31 2 1 Hepatic Total Bilirubin 45 4 0 30 3 0 AST 49 2 < 1 43 2 0 ALT 37 2 0 33 1 0 Hormone Receptor-Positive, Metastatic Breast Cancer : In a randomized, Phase 3 clinical trial of patients (N = 1,286) with hormone receptor-positive, metastatic breast cancer, who had not received chemotherapy for their metastatic disease, patients received letrozole with or without lapatinib. In this trial, the safety profile of lapatinib was consistent with previously reported results from trials of lapatinib in the advanced or metastatic breast cancer population. Adverse reactions, which occurred in at least 10% of patients in either treatment arm and were higher in the combination arm are shown in Table 3. Selected laboratory abnormalities are shown in Table 4. Table 3. Adverse Reactions Occurring in Greater Than or Equal to 10% of Patients a NCI CTCAE v3.0. b In addition to the rash reported under "Skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders", 3 additional subjects in each treatment arm had rash under "Infections and infestations"; none were Grade 3 or 4. Lapatinib 1,500 mg/day + Letrozole 2.5 mg/day Letrozole 2.5 mg/day (N = 654) (N = 624) All Grades a Grade 3 Grade 4 All Grades a Grade 3 Grade 4 Reactions % % % % % % Gastrointestinal disorders Diarrhea 64 9 < 1 20 < 1 0 Nausea 31 < 1 0 21 < 1 0 Vomiting 17 1 < 1 11 < 1 < 1 Anorexia 11 < 1 0 9 < 1 0 Skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders Rash b 44 1 0 13 0 0 Dry skin 13 < 1 0 4 0 0 Alopecia 13 < 1 0 7 0 0 Pruritus 12 < 1 0 9 < 1 0 Nail disorder 11 < 1 0 < 1 0 0 General disorders and administration site conditions Fatigue 20 2 0 17 < 1 0 Asthenia 12 < 1 0 11 < 1 0 Nervous system disorders Headache 14 < 1 0 13 < 1 0 Respiratory, thoracic, and mediastinal disorders Epistaxis 11 < 1 0 2 < 1 0 Table 4. Selected Laboratory Abnormalities Abbreviations: ALT, alanine aminotransferase; AST, aspar

Drug Interactions

7 DRUG INTERACTIONS Lapatinib is likely to increase exposure to concomitantly administered drugs which are substrates of CYP3A4, CYP2C8, or P-glycoprotein (ABCB1). ( 7.1 ) Avoid strong CYP3A4 inhibitors. If unavoidable, consider dose reduction of lapatinib in patients coadministered a strong CYP3A4 inhibitor. ( 2.2 , 7.2 ) Avoid strong CYP3A4 inducers. If unavoidable, consider gradual dose increase of lapatinib in patients coadministered a strong CYP3A4 inducer. ( 2.2 , 7.2 ) 7.1 Effects of Lapatinib on Drug-Metabolizing Enzymes and Drug Transport Systems Lapatinib inhibits CYP3A4, CYP2C8, and P-glycoprotein (P-gp, ABCB1) in vitro at clinically relevant concentrations and is a weak inhibitor of CYP3A4 in vivo . Caution should be exercised and dose reduction of the concomitant substrate drug should be considered when dosing lapatinib concurrently with medications with narrow therapeutic windows that are substrates of CYP3A4, CYP2C8, or P-gp. Lapatinib did not significantly inhibit the following enzymes in human liver microsomes: CYP1A2, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, and CYP2D6 or UGT enzymes in vitro , however, the clinical significance is unknown. Midazolam : Following coadministration of lapatinib and midazolam (CYP3A4 substrate), 24-hour systemic exposure (AUC) of orally administered midazolam increased 45%, while 24-hour AUC of intravenously administered midazolam increased 22%. Paclitaxel : In cancer patients receiving lapatinib and paclitaxel (CYP2C8 and P-gp substrate), 24-hour systemic exposure (AUC) of paclitaxel was increased 23%. This increase in paclitaxel exposure may have been underestimated from the in vivo evaluation due to study design limitations. Digoxin : Following coadministration of lapatinib and digoxin (P-gp substrate), systemic AUC of an oral digoxin dose increased approximately 2.8-fold. Serum digoxin concentrations should be monitored prior to initiation of lapatinib and throughout coadministration. If digoxin serum concentration is greater than 1.2 ng/mL, the digoxin dose should be reduced by half. 7.2 Drugs That Inhibit or Induce Cytochrome P450 3A4 Enzymes Lapatinib undergoes extensive metabolism by CYP3A4, and concomitant administration of strong inhibitors or inducers of CYP3A4 alter lapatinib concentrations significantly (see Ketoconazole and Carbamazepine sections, below) . Dose adjustment of lapatinib should be considered for patients who must receive concomitant strong inhibitors or concomitant strong inducers of CYP3A4 enzymes [see Dosage and Administration ( 2.2 )] . Ketoconazole : In healthy subjects receiving ketoconazole, a CYP3A4 inhibitor, at 200 mg twice daily for 7 days, systemic exposure (AUC) to lapatinib was increased to approximately 3.6-fold of control and half-life increased to 1.7-fold of control. Carbamazepine : In healthy subjects receiving the CYP3A4 inducer, carbamazepine, at 100 mg twice daily for 3 days and 200 mg twice daily for 17 days, systemic exposure (AUC) to lapatinib was decreased approximately 72%. 7.3 Drugs That Inhibit Drug Transport Systems Lapatinib is a substrate of the efflux transporter P-glycoprotein (P-gp, ABCB1). If lapatinib is administered with drugs that inhibit P-gp, increased concentrations of lapatinib are likely, and caution should be exercised. 7.4 Acid-Reducing Agents The aqueous solubility of lapatinib is pH dependent, with higher pH resulting in lower solubility. However, esomeprazole, a proton pump inhibitor, administered at a dose of 40 mg once daily for 7 days, did not result in a clinically meaningful reduction in lapatinib steady-state exposure.

Contraindications

4 CONTRAINDICATIONS Lapatinib tablets are contraindicated in patients with known severe hypersensitivity (e.g., anaphylaxis) to this product or any of its components. Known severe hypersensitivity (e.g., anaphylaxis) to this product or any of its components. ( 4 )

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