Sipuleucel-t
Also sold as: Provenge
Related Medications
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: Leukocytes, Mononuclear (source: RxClass/NLM)
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Drug Information
Mechanism of Action
12.1 Mechanism of Action PROVENGE is classified as an autologous cellular immunotherapy. While the precise mechanism of action is unknown, PROVENGE is designed to induce an immune response targeted against PAP, an antigen expressed in most prostate cancers. During ex vivo culture with PAP-GM-CSF, APCs take up and process the recombinant target antigen into small peptides that are then displayed on the APC surface. In Study 1, 237 out of the 512 patients randomized were evaluated for the development of humoral and T cell immune responses (proliferative and gamma-interferon (γIFN) ELISPOT) to the target antigens at Baseline, and at Weeks 6, 14, and 26. Antibody (IgM and IgG) responses against PAP-GM-CSF and PAP antigen alone were observed through the follow-up period in the PROVENGE group. Neutralizing antibody responses to GM-CSF were transient. T cell proliferative and γIFN ELISPOT responses to PAP-GM-CSF fusion protein were observed in cells collected from peripheral blood of patients through the follow-up period in the PROVENGE treatment group but not in controls. In some patients a response to PAP antigen alone was observed. No conclusions could be made regarding the clinical significance of the observed immune responses.
Indications & Uses
1 INDICATIONS AND USAGE PROVENGE ® (sipuleucel-T) is an autologous cellular immunotherapy indicated for the treatment of asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic metastatic castrate-resistant (hormone-refractory) prostate cancer. PROVENGE is an autologous cellular immunotherapy indicated for the treatment of asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic metastatic castrate-resistant (hormone-refractory) prostate cancer. ( 1 )
Dosage & Administration
2 DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION For autologous use only. For intravenous use only. For autologous use only. For intravenous use only. Administer 3 doses at approximately 2-week intervals. ( 2.1 ) Premedicate patients with oral acetaminophen and an antihistamine such as diphenhydramine. ( 2.2 ) Before infusion, confirm that the patient's identity matches the patient identifiers on the infusion bag. ( 2.2 ) Infuse PROVENGE intravenously over a period of approximately 60 minutes. Do Not Use a Cell Filter. ( 2.2 ) Interrupt or slow infusion for acute infusion reactions, depending on the severity of the reaction. ( 2.2 ) 2.1 Dose Each dose of PROVENGE contains a minimum of 50 million autologous CD54 + cells activated with PAP-GM-CSF [ see Description ( 11 ) ]. The recommended course of therapy for PROVENGE is 3 complete doses, given at approximately 2-week intervals. In controlled clinical trials, the median dosing interval between infusions was 2 weeks (range 1 to 15 weeks); the maximum dosing interval has not been established. If, for any reason, the patient is unable to receive a scheduled infusion of PROVENGE, the patient will need to undergo an additional leukapheresis procedure prior to continuing a course of treatment. Advise patients of this possibility prior to initiating treatment. 2.2 Administration Do not use PROVENGE until confirmation of product release is received from Dendreon. Dendreon will send the Final Product Disposition Notification form containing the patient identifiers, expiration date and time, and the disposition status (approved for infusion or rejected), to the infusion site. Infusion must begin prior to the expiration date and time indicated on the Final Product Disposition Notification form and Product Label. Do not use expired PROVENGE. Keep the sealed, patient-specific PROVENGE infusion bag within the insulated polyurethane container inside the outer cardboard shipping box until the time of administration. To minimize potential acute infusion reactions, premedicate the patients orally with acetaminophen and an antihistamine, such as diphenhydramine, approximately 30 minutes prior to administration of PROVENGE. Administration steps: Remove the infusion bag from the insulated polyurethane container and inspect the bag for signs of leakage or external damage. Contents of the bag will be clear to opaque, with a white to red color, including shades of off-white, cream, light yellow and orange. Remove the infusion bag from the insulated polyurethane container and inspect the bag for signs of leakage or external damage. Contents of the bag will be clear to opaque, with a white to red color, including shades of off-white, cream, light yellow and orange. Gently mix and resuspend the contents of the bag, inspecting for clumps and clots. Small clumps of cellular material should disperse with gentle manual mixing. Do not administer if the bag leaks during handling, is damaged, or if clumps remain in the bag. Match the patient's identity with the patient identifiers on the Final Product Disposition Notification form and the PROVENGE infusion bag. Infuse the entire volume of the PROVENGE infusion bag intravenously over approximately 60 minutes. Do not use a cell filter. Observe the patient for acute infusion reactions for at least 30 minutes following each infusion. If acute infusion reactions occur, such as chills, fatigue, fever, nausea, and joint ache, interrupt or slow the infusion and administer appropriate medical treatment as needed. In controlled clinical trials, symptoms of acute infusion reactions were treated with acetaminophen, intravenous H1 and/or H2 blockers, and low-dose intravenous meperidine. If the infusion is interrupted, keep the PROVENGE infusion bag at room temperature. Do not resume infusion if the PROVENGE infusion bag has been at room temperature for more than 3 hours.
Side Effects (Adverse Reactions)
6 ADVERSE REACTIONS The most common adverse reactions reported in clinical trials (≥ 15% of patients receiving PROVENGE) were chills, fatigue, fever, back pain, nausea, joint ache, and headache. The most common adverse reactions (incidence ≥ 15%) are chills, fatigue, fever, back pain, nausea, joint ache, and headache. ( 6 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Dendreon Pharmaceuticals LLC at 1-877-336-3736 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. The safety evaluation of PROVENGE is based on 601 prostate cancer patients in the PROVENGE group who underwent at least 1 leukapheresis procedure in four randomized, controlled clinical trials. The control group (n = 303) received non-activated autologous peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Patients received 3 infusions of PROVENGE or control every other week over a period of 4 weeks. Almost all (98.3%) patients in the PROVENGE group and 96% in the control group reported an adverse event. In 67.4% of patients in the PROVENGE group, these adverse events were mild or moderate in severity. Severe (Grade 3) and life-threatening (Grade 4) adverse events were reported in 23.6% and 4% of patients in the PROVENGE group compared with 25.1% and 3.3% of patients in the control group. Fatal (Grade 5) adverse events were reported in 3.3% of patients in the PROVENGE group compared with 3.6% of patients in the control group. The most common (≥ 2%) Grade 3-5 adverse events reported in the PROVENGE group were back pain and chills. Serious adverse events were reported in 24% of patients in the PROVENGE group and 25.1% of patients in the control group. Serious adverse events in the PROVENGE group included acute infusion reactions [ see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.1 ) ], cerebrovascular events [ see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.3 ) ], and single case reports of eosinophilia, rhabdomyolysis, myasthenia gravis, myositis, and tumor flare. PROVENGE was discontinued in 1.5% of patients in Study 1 due to adverse events. Some patients who required central venous catheters for treatment with PROVENGE developed infections, including sepsis. A small number of these patients discontinued treatment as a result. Monitoring for infectious sequelae in patients with central venous catheters is recommended. Each dose of PROVENGE requires a standard leukapheresis procedure approximately 3 days prior to the infusion. Adverse events that were reported ≤ 1 day following a leukapheresis procedure in ≥ 5% of patients in controlled clinical trials included citrate toxicity (14.2%), oral paresthesia (12.6%), paresthesia (11.4%), and fatigue (8.3%). Table 1 provides the frequency and severity of adverse events reported in ≥ 5% of patients in the PROVENGE group of randomized, controlled trials of men with prostate cancer. The population included 485 patients with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer and 116 patients with non-metastatic androgen-dependent prostate cancer who were scheduled to receive 3 infusions of PROVENGE at approximately 2-week intervals. The population was age 40 to 91 years (median 70 years), and 90.6% of patients were Caucasian. Table 1 Incidence of Adverse Events Occurring in ≥ 5% of Patients Randomized to PROVENGE PROVENGE (N = 601) Control * (N = 303) All Grades n (%) Grade 3-5 n (%) All Grades n (%) Grade 3-5 n (%) Any Adverse Event 591 (98.3) 186 (30.9) 291 (96.0) 97 (32.0) * Control group received non-activated autologous peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Chills 319 (53.1) 13 (2.2) 33 (10.9) 0 (0.0) Fatigue 247 (41.1) 6 (1.0) 105 (34.7) 4 (1.3) Fever 188 (31.3) 6 (1.0) 29 (9.6) 3 (1.0) Back pain 178 (29.6) 18 (3.0) 87 (28.7) 9 (3.0) Nausea 129 (21.5) 3 (0.5) 45 (14.9) 0 (0.0) Joint ache 118 (19.6) 11 (1.8) 62 (20.5) 5 (1.7) Headache 109 (18.1) 4 (0.7) 20 (6.6) 0 (0.0) Citrate toxicity 89 (14.8) 0 (0.0) 43 (14.2) 0 (0.0) Paresthesia 85 (14.1) 1 (0.2) 43 (14.2) 0 (0.0) Vomiting 80 (13.3) 2 (0.3) 23 (7.6) 0 (0.0) Anemia 75 (12.5) 11 (1.8) 34 (11.2) 7 (2.3) Constipation 74 (12.3) 1 (0.2) 40 (13.2) 3 (1.0) Pain 74 (12.3) 7 (1.2) 20 (6.6) 3 (1.0) Paresthesia oral 74 (12.3) 0 (0.0) 43 (14.2) 0 (0.0) Pain in extremity 73 (12.1) 5 (0.8) 40 (13.2) 1 (0.3) Dizziness 71 (11.8) 2 (0.3) 34 (11.2) 0 (0.0) Muscle ache 71 (11.8) 3 (0.5) 17 (5.6) 0 (0.0) Asthenia 65 (10.8) 6 (1.0) 20 (6.6) 2 (0.7) Diarrhea 60 (10.0) 1 (0.2) 34 (11.2) 3 (1.0) Influenza-like illness 58 (9.7) 0 (0.0) 11 (3.6) 0 (0.0) Musculoskeletal pain 54 (9.0) 3 (0.5) 31 (10.2) 3 (1.0) Dyspnea 52 (8.7) 11 (1.8) 14 (4.6) 3 (1.0) Edema peripheral 50 (8.3) 1 (0.2) 31 (10.2) 1 (0.3) Hot flush 49 (8.2) 2 (0.3) 29 (9.6) 1 (0.3) Hematuria 46 (7.7) 6 (1.0) 18 (5.9) 3 (1.0) Muscle spasms 46 (7.7) 2 (0.3) 17 (5.6) 0 (0.0) H
Drug Interactions
7 DRUG INTERACTIONS
Contraindications
4 CONTRAINDICATIONS None. None. ( 4 )
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Medical Disclaimer: Information on this page is sourced from FDA-approved labeling data and is for educational reference only. It does not constitute medical advice. This information does not establish a provider-patient relationship. Always verify with current prescribing information and consult a licensed healthcare professional before any clinical decision. Read full disclaimer.
Data sourced from RxNorm (NLM/NIH), FDA Orange Book, OpenFDA, DailyMed. Last updated: 2026-03-02.