Imbruvica (Ibrutinib) for Lymphoma

Overview
Imbruvica is a prescription drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat several types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, including mantle cell lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)/small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL), Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia, and marginal zone lymphoma. Imbruvica is also indicated to treat chronic graft-versus-host disease, which can occur as a serious side effect of allogeneic stem cell transplants. In most cases, Imbruvica is used when at least one previous therapy has been tried. Imbruvica is also referred to by its drug name, ibrutinib.

Imbruvica is used as targeted therapy for lymphoma. Imbruvica is a member of a class of drugs called kinase inhibitors. Imbruvica is believed to work by inhibiting normal functions, including cell movement and replication, of B-cells, resulting in cell death.

How do I take it?
Prescribing information states that Imbruvica is taken orally once daily.

Imbruvica comes in tablet and capsule forms.

Side effects
The FDA-approved label for Imbruvica lists common side effects including fever, fatigue, rash, muscle and bone pain, bruising, diarrhea, abnormal bleeding, and low blood cell counts.

Rare but serious side effects listed for Imbruvica include hypertension (high blood pressure), increased risk for infections, dangerous bleeding, fetal harm, cardiac arrhythmias, later development of other cancers such as skin cancer and carcinomas, and tumor lysis syndrome – a potentially fatal metabolic condition caused when many cancer cells die at the same time.

For more details about this treatment, visit:

Imbruvica — Janssen
https://www.imbruvica.com

Targeted Therapy Drugs for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma — American Cancer Society
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/non-hodgkin-lymph...