Bexxar

Bexxar is a prescription medication used to treat non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (cancer that begins in the cells of the immune system). Bexxar belongs to a group of drugs called monoclonal antibodies with radioisotopes. It works by attaching to cancer cells and releasing radiation to damage the cancer cells.

Bexxar injection comes as a liquid to be injected into a vein by a doctor who has been trained to treat patients with radioactive medication.

Common side effects include low blood counts, infections, and fever.

Bexxar is a prescription medication used to treat non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (cancer that begins in the cells of the immune system).

This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Take this medication exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully.
The dose your doctor recommends may be based on the following:

• the condition being treated
• other medical conditions you have
• other medications you are taking
• how you respond to this medication
• your weight
• your height
• your age
• your gender

The Bexxar therapeutic regimen consists of a 2-part dosimetric step, followed 7 to 14 days later by a 2-part therapeutic step.

• Bexxar injection may cause serious or life-threatening allergic reactions. Tell your doctor if you are allergic to medications made from murine (mouse) proteins, or if you are not sure if a medication you are allergic to is made from murine proteins. Also tell your doctor if you have ever taken a medication made from murine proteins. If so, you may be more likely to have an allergic reaction to Bexxar injection. Your doctor will order tests to see if you are likely to have an allergic reaction to Bexxar injection.
• Tell your doctor right away if you experience any of the following symptoms of allergic reaction while you are receiving a dose of Bexxar injection or during the first few days after you receive a dose of Bexxar injection: rash; hives; itching; swelling of the eyes, face, lips, tongue, throat, arms, hands, feet, ankles, or lower legs; tightening of the throat; wheezing; difficulty breathing or swallowing; or redness, swelling, or tenderness in the place where the medication was injected.
• Treatment with Bexxar injection may cause a severe or life-threatening decrease in the number of blood cells in your body. This decrease in blood cells may happen 4 to 7 weeks after your treatment with Bexxar injection and may last for 30 days or longer. This decrease in blood cells may cause serious or life-threatening bleeding or infection. Your doctor will not give you Bexxar injection if your blood cells have been severely affected by cancer or if you already have a low number of blood cells. Tell your doctor if you are taking any of the following medications: anticoagulants ('blood thinners') such as warfarin (Coumadin); aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and naproxen (Aleve); and clopidogrel (Plavix). If you have any of the following symptoms, call your doctor right away: pale skin; weakness; shortness of breath; unusual bruising or bleeding; or sore throat, fever, chills, cough, and other signs of infection.
• Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Bexxar injection may harm the fetus. If you are a female, your doctor will order a pregnancy test to be sure you are not pregnant before giving you Bexxar injection. Bexxar injection may damage reproductive cells in men and women, so you will need to use birth control to prevent pregnancy in you or your partner during your treatment and for up to 12 months after your treatment. Talk to your doctor about an effective method of birth control to use during treatment with Bexxar. If you or your partner becomes pregnant during or up to 12 months after your treatment with Bexxar injection, call your doctor immediately.
• Bexxar injection is a radioactive medication. It may only be given by doctors who have been trained to give radioactive medications and who have been certified by the manufacturer of Bexxar injection to give the medication.
• Some people who received Bexxar injection developed other forms of cancer including leukemia (cancer that begins in the white blood cells), myelodysplastic syndrome (condition in which blood cells do not develop normally), skin cancer, and other types of cancer or tumors. Talk to your doctor about the risks of receiving Bexxar injection.

Common side effects include the following:

• low blood counts
• infections
• infusion reactions
• weakness
• fever
• nausea

This is not a complete list of this medication’s side effects. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Tell your doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
 

No drug interactions have been studied. However, you should tell your doctor about all the medicines you take including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Not all drug interactions are known or reported and new drug interactions are continually being reported.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

The FDA categorizes medications based on safety for use during pregnancy. Five categories - A, B, C, D, and X, are used to classify the possible risks to an unborn baby when a medication is taken during pregnancy. This medication falls into category D.

Bexxar injection may harm the fetus. If you are a female, your doctor will order a pregnancy test to be sure you are not pregnant before giving you Bexxar injection. Bexxar injection may damage reproductive cells in men and women, so you will need to use birth control to prevent pregnancy in you or your partner during your treatment and for up to 12 months after your treatment. Talk to your doctor about an effective method of birth control to use during treatment with Bexxar . If you or your partner becomes pregnant during or up to 12 months after your treatment with Bexxar injection, call your doctor immediately.

Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed.

It is expected that Bexxar would be present in human milk. Because of the possibility for adverse reactions in nursing infants from Bexxar, a choice should be made whether to stop nursing or to stop use of this medication. The importance of the drug to the mother should be considered.