How ALIMTA Is Given
ALIMTA should be administered only by a qualified healthcare professional. Your healthcare team will give you ALIMTA by mixing it into a solution and giving it through a needle into a vein — this is called intravenous infusion (IV). Cisplatin will also be administered through an IV.
For the first-line treatment of advanced nonsquamous NSCLC, ALIMTA is usually given once every 21 days (every 3 weeks). This infusion will be given on the first day of the treatment cycle and will last about 10 minutes. Then, 30 minutes after receiving ALIMTA, you will receive another anticancer drug called cisplatin. In total, it should take about 2 hours to complete these infusions. After these 2 infusions, you will receive no more chemotherapy during this 21-day cycle. These "rest days" are a normal part of your treatment with ALIMTA.
As a part of your treatment, you will also receive additional medications, including vitamin B12, folic acid, and corticosteroids.
You will have regular blood tests before and during your treatment with ALIMTA. You and your healthcare team will usually decide before each treatment whether you should continue treatment or change dose, based on what benefits you have received from previous treatment and what side effects you may have experienced. Your healthcare team may ask you to return for follow-up visits after you receive ALIMTA therapy, so they can monitor how you are doing.
If you have questions about how ALIMTA is given, please be sure to discuss them with your healthcare team.
Important Safety Information for ALIMTA (pemetrexed for injection)
ALIMTA is approved by the FDA in combination with cisplatin (another chemotherapy drug) for the initial treatment of advanced nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), a specific type of NSCLC. ALIMTA is not indicated for patients who have a different type of NSCLC called squamous cell.
ALIMTA as a single agent (used alone) is approved for maintaining the initial treatment effect of chemotherapy in patients with advanced nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer whose disease has not worsened after initial therapy. ALIMTA is not indicated for patients who have another type of non-small cell lung cancer called squamous cell.
ALIMTA is approved by the FDA as a single agent (used alone) for the treatment of patients with advanced nonsquamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), a specific type of NSCLC, after prior chemotherapy. ALIMTA is not indicated for patients who have a different type of NSCLC called squamous cell.
ALIMTA is a treatment for malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), which is a cancer that affects the inside lining of the chest cavity. ALIMTA is given with cisplatin, another anticancer medicine (chemotherapy), when surgery is not an option.
ALIMTA may not be appropriate for some patients. If you are allergic to ALIMTA, tell your doctor because you should not receive it. If you think you are pregnant, are planning to become pregnant, or are nursing, please tell your healthcare team. ALIMTA may harm your unborn or nursing baby. Your physician may advise you to use effective contraception (birth control) to prevent pregnancy while you are being treated with ALIMTA.
If you have liver or kidney problems, be sure to tell your doctor. Your dose of ALIMTA may have to be changed, or ALIMTA may not be right for you. There is a risk of side effects associated with ALIMTA therapy. ALIMTA can suppress bone marrow function. It is very important to take folic acid and vitamin B12 prior to and during your treatment with ALIMTA to lower your chances of harmful side effects.
Your healthcare professional will prescribe a medicine called a corticosteroid, which lowers your chances of getting skin reactions with ALIMTA. Ask your healthcare professional before taking medicines called NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs used to treat pain or swelling). Tell your doctor if you are taking other medicines, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
The most common side effects of ALIMTA when given alone or in combination with cisplatin, another chemotherapy drug, are low blood cell counts (red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets); tiredness; stomach upset, including nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea; mouth, throat, or lip sores; loss of appetite; rash; and constipation.
Call your healthcare professional right away if you have a fever, chills, diarrhea, or mouth sores. These symptoms could mean you have an infection. These are not all of the side effects of ALIMTA. If you have any side effect that bothers you or that doesn't go away, be sure to talk with your healthcare professional.
You will have regular blood tests before and during your treatment with ALIMTA. Your doctor may adjust your dose of ALIMTA or delay your treatment based on the results of your blood test and on your general condition.
For more information about all of the side effects of ALIMTA, please talk with your healthcare team, see the Patient Prescribing Information and full Prescribing Information, or call 1-800-545-5979.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
SG24
