Ponatinib
Ponatinib may cause serious or life-threatening blood clots in your legs or lungs, heart attacks, or strokes. Tell your doctor if you have or have ever had a blood clot in your lungs or legs; a stroke; high blood pressure; hyperlipidemia (high levels of cholesterol in your blood); a slow, fast, or irregular heartbeat; peripheral vascular disease (narrowing of blood vessels in feet, legs, or arms causing numbness, pain, or coldness in that part of the body); a heart attack; or heart disease. If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately: chest pain; shortness of breath; dizziness or fainting; sudden confusion or trouble speaking or understanding; sudden numbness or weakness of face, arm, or leg on one side of the body; sudden severe headache; leg, arm, back, neck, or jaw pain; feeling of warmth in the lower leg; or swelling of the feet, ankles, or lower legs.
Ponatinib may cause serious or life-threatening heart failure (condition in which the heart is unable to pump enough blood to the other parts of the body) and arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms). Tell your doctor if you have or have ever had heart problems, including heart failure, QT prolongation (an irregular heart rhythm that can lead to fainting, loss of consciousness, seizures, or sudden death); or a slow, fast, or irregular heartbeat. If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately: shortness of breath; chest pain; fast, irregular, or pounding heartbeat; dizziness; or fainting.
Ponatinib may cause serious or life-threatening damage to the liver. Tell your doctor if you have or have ever had liver disease or problems with your liver. If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately: itching, yellow eyes or skin, dark urine, or pain or discomfort in the right upper stomach area.
Keep all appointments with your doctor and the laboratory. Your doctor will order certain tests before you start and during your treatment to check your body’s response to ponatinib.
Your doctor or pharmacist will give you the manufacturer’s patient information sheet (Medication Guide) when you begin treatment with ponatinib and each time you refill your prescription. Read the information carefully and ask your doctor or pharmacist if you have any questions. You can also visit the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website (http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm085729.htm) or the manufacturer’s website to obtain the Medication Guide.
🔔 Why is this medication prescribed?
Ponatinib is used to treat certain types of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML; a type of cancer of the white blood cells), including treatment in people who can no longer benefit from other medications for CML or who cannot take these medications because of side effects. Ponatinib is also used to treat certain types of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL; a type of cancer of the white blood cells) in people who can no longer benefit from other medications for leukemia or who cannot take these medications because of side effects. Ponatinib is in a class of medications called kinase inhibitors. It works by blocking the action of an abnormal protein that signals cancer cells to multiply. This helps stop the spread of cancer cells.
Inflated pharmaceutical prices are another huge factor in the steep cost of healthcare. Americans spend an average of $858 per person on prescription drugs, according to Vox. That’s about twice as much as people in Australia spend on prescriptions. It’s three times the amount paid by people in The Netherlands.
🔔 How should this medicine be used?
Ponatinib comes as a tablet to take by mouth. It is usually taken once a day with or without food. Take ponatinib at around the same time every day. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Take ponatinib exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor.
Swallow the tablets whole; do not split, chew, or crush them.
Your doctor may need to delay your treatment, adjust your dose, or permanently stop your treatment of ponatinib depending on your response to treatment and any side effects that you experience. Talk to your doctor about how you are feeling during your treatment. Continue to take ponatinib even if you feel well. Do not stop taking ponatinib without talking to your doctor.
🔔 Other uses for this medicine
This medication may be prescribed for other uses; ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.
