Pemetrexed Accord – Package Leaflet: InfoCons – Consumer Protection presents, in an accessible format, the official package leaflet of the medicine Pemetrexed Accord, as authorised in the European Union and published in the Union Register of medicinal products.
Before anything else
Read all of this leaflet carefully before you start using this medicine because it contains important information for you.
- Keep this leaflet. You may need to read it again.
- If you have any further questions, ask your doctor, pharmacist or nurse.
- This medicine has been prescribed for you only. Do not pass it on to others. It may harm them, even if their signs of illness are the same as yours.
- If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor or pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. See section 4.
ℹ️ 1. What Pemetrexed Accord is and what it is used for
Pemetrexed Accord is a medicine used in the treatment of cancer.
Pemetrexed Accord is given in combination with cisplatin, another anti-cancer medicine, as treatment for malignant pleural mesothelioma, a form of cancer that affects the lining of the lung, to patients who have not received prior chemotherapy.
Pemetrexed Accord is also given in combination with cisplatin for the initial treatment of patients with advanced stage of lung cancer.
Pemetrexed Accord can be prescribed to you if you have lung cancer at an advanced stage if your disease has responded to treatment or it remains largely unchanged after initial chemotherapy.
Pemetrexed Accord is also a treatment for patients with advanced stage of lung cancer whose disease has progressed after other initial chemotherapy has been used.
⚠️ 2. What you need to know before you use Pemetrexed Accord
Do not use Pemetrexed Accord
- if you are allergic to pemetrexed or any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6).
- if you are breast-feeding; you must discontinue breast-feeding during treatment with Pemetrexed Accord.
- if you have recently received or are about to receive a vaccine against yellow fever.
Warnings and precautions
Talk to your doctor or hospital pharmacist or nurse before using Pemetrexed Accord.
If you currently have or have previously had problems with your kidneys, talk to your doctor or hospital pharmacist as you may not be able to receive Pemetrexed Accord.
Before each infusion you will have samples of your blood taken to evaluate if you have sufficient kidney and liver function and to check that you have enough blood cells to receive Pemetrexed Accord. Your doctor may decide to change the dose or delay treating you depending on your general condition and if your blood cell counts are too low. If you are also receiving cisplatin, your doctor will make sure that you are properly hydrated and receive appropriate treatment before and after receiving cisplatin to prevent vomiting.
If you have had or are going to have radiation therapy, please tell your doctor, as there may be an early or late radiation reaction with Pemetrexed Accord.
If you have been recently vaccinated, please tell your doctor, as this can possibly cause bad effects with Pemetrexed Accord.
If you have heart disease or a history of heart disease, please tell your doctor.
If you have an accumulation of fluid around your lungs, your doctor may decide to remove the fluid before giving you Pemetrexed Accord.
Children and adolescents
This medicine should not be given to children and adolescents since there is no experience with this medicine in children and adolescents under 18 years of age.
Other medicines and Pemetrexed Accord
Please tell your doctor if you are taking any medicines for pain or inflammation (swelling), such as medicines called “nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs” (NSAIDs), including medicines purchased without a doctor’s prescription (such as ibuprofen). There are many sorts of NSAIDs with different durations of activity. Based on the planned date of your infusion of Pemetrexed Accord and/or on the status of your kidney function, your doctor needs to advise you on which medicines you can take and when you can take them. If you are unsure, ask your doctor or pharmacist if any of your medicines are NSAIDs.
Please inform your doctor if you are taking medicines called proton pump inhibitors (omeprazole, esomeprazole, lansoprazole, pantoprazole, and rabeprazole) used to treat heartburn and acid regurgitation.
Please tell your doctor or hospital pharmacist if you are taking or have recently taken any other medicines, including medicines obtained without a prescription.
Pregnancy
If you are pregnant, or think you may be pregnant, or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking this medicine. The use of Pemetrexed Accord should be avoided during pregnancy. Your doctor will discuss with you the potential risk of taking Pemetrexed Accord during pregnancy. Women must use effective contraception during treatment with Pemetrexed Accord and for 6 months after receiving the last dose.
Breast-feeding
If you are breast-feeding, tell your doctor.
Breast-feeding must be discontinued during treatment with Pemetrexed Accord.
Fertility
Men are advised not to father a child during and up to 3 months following treatment with Pemetrexed Accord and should therefore use effective contraception during treatment with Pemetrexed Accord and for up to 3 months afterwards. If you would like to father a child during the treatment or in the 3 months following receipt of treatment, seek advice from your doctor or pharmacist. Pemetrexed Accord can affect your ability to have children.Talk to your doctor to seek advice about sperm storage before starting your therapy.
Driving and using machines
Pemetrexed Accord may make you feel tired. Be careful when driving a car or using machines.
Pemetrexed Accord contains sodium
Pemetrexed Accord 100 mg contains less than 1 mmol sodium (23 mg) sodium per vial, that is to say essentially ‘sodium-free’.
Pemetrexed Accord 500 mg contains 54 mg sodium (main component of cooking/table salt) in each vial. This is equivalent to 2.7% of the adult recommended maximum daily dietary intake for sodium.
Pemetrexed Accord 1000 mg contains 108 mg sodium (main component of cooking/table salt) in each vial. This is equivalent to 5.4% of the adult recommended maximum daily dietary intake for sodium.
💊 3. How to use Pemetrexed Accord
Always use this medicine exactly as your doctor or pharmacist has told you. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure.
The recommended dose of Pemetrexed Accord is 500 milligrams for every square metre of your body’s surface area. Your height and weight are measured to work out the surface area of your body.
Your doctor will use this body surface area to work out the right dose for you. This dose may be adjusted, or treatment may be delayed depending on your blood cell counts and on your general condition. A hospital pharmacist, nurse or doctor will have mixed the Pemetrexed Accord powder with 9 mg/ml (0.9 %) sodium chloride solution for injection before it is given to you.
You will always receive Pemetrexed Accord by infusion into one of your veins. The infusion will last approximately 10 minutes.
When using Pemetrexed Accord in combination with cisplatin:
The doctor or hospital pharmacist will work out the dose you need based on your height and weight.
Cisplatin is also given by infusion into one of your veins, and is given approximately 30 minutes after the infusion of Pemetrexed Accord has finished. The infusion of cisplatin will last approximately 2 hours.
You should usually receive your infusion once every 3 weeks.
Additional medicines:
Corticosteriods: your doctor will prescribe you steroid tablets (equivalent to 4 milligram of dexamethasone twice a day) that you will need to take on the day before, on the day of, and the day after Pemetrexed Accord treatment. This medicine is given to you to reduce the frequency and severity of skin reactions that you may experience during your anticancer treatment.
Vitamin supplementation: your doctor will prescribe you oral folic acid (vitamin) or a multivitamin containing folic acid (350 to 1000 micrograms) that you must take once a day while you are taking Pemetrexed Accord. You must take at least 5 doses during the seven days before the first dose of Pemetrexed Accord. You must continue taking the folic acid for 21 days after the last dose of Pemetrexed Accord. You will also receive an injection of vitamin B12 (1000 micrograms) in the week before administration of Pemetrexed Accord and then approximately every 9 weeks (corresponding to 3 courses of Pemetrexed Accord treatment). Vitamin B12 and folic acid are given to you to reduce the possible toxic effects of the anticancer treatment.
If you have any further questions on the use of this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
❗ 4. Possible side effects
Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.
You must contact your doctor immediately if you notice any of the following:
- Fever or infection (respectively, common or very common): if you have a temperature of 38ºC or greater, sweating or other signs of infection(since you might have less white blood cells than normal which is very common). Infection (sepsis) may be severe and could lead to death.
- If you start feeling chest pain (common) or having a fast heart rate (uncommon).
- If you have pain, redness, swelling or sores in your mouth (very common).
- Allergic reaction: if you develop skin rash (very common) / burning or prickling sensation (common), or fever (common). Rarely, skin reactions may be severe and could lead to death.
Contact your doctor if you get a severe rash, or itching, or blistering (Stevens-Johnson Syndrome or Toxic epidermal necrolysis).
- If you experience tiredness, feeling faint, becoming easily breathless or if you look pale (since you might have less haemoglobin than normal which is very common).
- If you experience bleeding from the gums, nose or mouth or any bleeding that would not stop, reddish or pinkish urine, unexpected bruising (since you might have less platelets than normal which is common).
- If you experience sudden breathlessness, intense chest pain or cough with bloody sputum (uncommon)(may indicate a blood clot in the blood vessels of the lungs)
Other side effects with Pemetrexed Accord may include
Very common (may affect more than 1 in 10 people)
Infection Pharyngitis (a sore throat) Low number of neutrophil granulocytes (a type of white blood cell) Low white blood cells Low haemoglobin level Pain, redness, swelling or sores in your mouth Loss of appetite Vomiting Diarrhoea Nausea Skin rash Flaking skin Abnormal blood tests showing reduced functionality of kidneys Fatigue (tiredness)
Common (may affect up to 1 in 10 people)
Blood infection Fever with low number of neutrophil granulocytes (a type of white blood cell) Low platelet count Allergic reaction Loss of body fluids Taste change Damage to the motor nerves which may cause muscle weakness and atrophy (wasting) primary in the arms and legs) Damage to the sensory nerves that may cause lost of sensation, burning pain and unsteady gait Dizziness Inflammation or swelling of the conjunctiva (the membrane that lines the eyelids and covers the white of the eye Dry eye Watery eyes Dryness of the conjunctiva (the membrane that lines the eyelids and covers the white of the eye) and cornea (the clear layer in front of the iris and pupil.
Swelling of the eyelids Eye disorder with dryness, tearing, irritation, and/or pain Cardiac Failure (Condition that affects the pumping power of your heart muscles) Irregular heart rhythm Indigestion Constipation Abdominal pain Liver: increases in the chemicals in the blood made by the liver Increased skin pigmentation Itchy skin Rash on the body where each mark resembles a bullseye Hair loss Hives Kidney stop working Reduced functionality of kidney Fever Pain Excess fluid in body tissue, causing swelling Chest pain Inflammation and ulceration of the mucous membranes lining the digestive tract
Uncommon (may affect up to 1 in 100 people)
Reduction in the number of red,white blood cells and platelets Stroke Type of stroke when an artery to the brain is blocked Bleeding inside the skull Angina (Chest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart) Heart attack Narrowing or blockage of the coronary arteries Increased heart rythm Deficient blood distribution to the limbs Blockage in one of the pulmonary arteries in your lungs Inflammation and scarring of the lining of the lungs with breathing problems Passage of bright red blood from the anus Bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract Ruptured bowel Inflammation of the lining of the oesophagus Inflammation of the lining of the large bowel, which may be accompanied by intestinal or rectal bleeding (seen only in combination with cisplatin) Inflammation, edema, erythema, and erosion of the mucosal surface of the esophagus caused by radiation therapy Inflammation of the lung caused by radiation therapy
Rare (may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people)
Destruction of red blood cells Anaphylactic shock (severe allergic reaction) Inflammatory condition of the liver Redness of the skin Skin rash that develops throughout a previously irradiated area
Very rare (affect up to 1 of 10 000 people)
Infections of skin and soft tissues Stevens-Johnson syndrome (a type of severe skin and mucous membranes reaction that may be life threatening) Toxic epidermal necrolysis (a type of severe skin reaction that may be life threatening) Autoimmune disorder that results in skin rashes and blistering on the legs, arms, and abdomen Inflammation of the skin characterized by the presence of bullae which are filled with fluid Skin fragility, blisters and erosions and skin scarring Redness, pain and swelling mainly of the lower limbs Inflammation of the skin and fat beneath the skin (pseudocellulitis) Inflammation of the skin (dermatitis) Skin to become inflamed, itchy, red, cracked, and rough Intensely itchy spots
Not known: frequency cannot be estimated from the available data
Form of diabetes primarily due to pathology of the kidney Disorder of the kidneys involving the death of tubular epithelial cells that form the renal tubules You might have any of these symptoms and/or conditions. You must tell your doctor as soon as possible when you start experiencing any of these side effects.
If you are concerned about any side effects, talk to your doctor.
Reporting of side effects
If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor or pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the national reporting system listed in Appendix V . By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.
🌡️ 5. How to store Pemetrexed Accord
Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children.
Do not use this medicine after the expiry date which is stated on the label and carton after EXP.
This medicine does not require any special storage conditions.
Reconstituted and infusion solutions: The product should be used immediately. When prepared as directed, chemical and physical in-use stability of reconstituted and infusion solutions of pemetrexed were demonstrated for 24 hours at refrigerated temperature.
Do not use this medicine if you notice any visible signs of deterioration.
This medicine is for single use only. Do not throw away any medicines via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to throw away medicines you no longer use. These measures will help protect the environment.
📦 6. Contents of the pack and other information
What Pemetrexed Accord contains
The active substance is pemetrexed.
Pemetrexed Accord 100 mg: One vial of powder contains 100 milligrams of pemetrexed (as pemetrexed disodium).
Pemetrexed Accord 500 mg: One vial of powder contains 500 milligrams of pemetrexed (as pemetrexed disodium).
Pemetrexed Accord 1000 mg: One vial of powder contains 1000 milligrams of pemetrexed (as pemetrexed disodium).
After reconstitution, the solution contains 25 mg/ml of pemetrexed. Further dilution by a healthcare provider is required prior to administration.
The other ingredients are mannitol, hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide (see section 2 “Pemetrexed Accord contains sodium”).
What Pemetrexed Accord looks like and contents of the pack
Pemetrexed Accord is a powder for concentrate for solution for infusion in a glass vial. It is a white to either light yellow or greenish-yellow lyophilised powder.
Each pack of Pemetrexed Accord consists of one vial.
Marketing Authorisation Holder
Accord Healthcare S.L.U.
World Trade Center, Moll de Barcelona, s/n, Edifici Est 6ª planta, 08039 Barcelona, Spain
Manufacturer
Accord Healthcare Polska Sp.z o.o., ul. Lutomierska 50,95-200 Pabianice, Poland Accord Healthcare Single Member S.A.
64th Km National Road Athens, Lamia, 32009, Greece For any information about this medicine, please contact the local representative of the Marketing Authorisation Holder:
AT / BE / BG / CY / CZ / DE / DK / EE / FI / FR / HR / HU / IE / IS / IT / LT / LV / LU / MT / NL / NO / PT / PL / RO / SE / SI / SK / ES Accord Healthcare S.L.U.
Tel: +34 93 301 00 64 EL Win Medica A.E.
Tel: +30 210 7488 821
This leaflet was last revised in
Other sources of information Detailed information on this medicine is available on the European Medicines Agency web site: http://www.ema.europa.eu/ <————————————————————————————————————— The following information is intended for medical or healthcare professionals only:
Instructions for use, handling and disposal.
1. Use aseptic techniques during the reconstitution and further dilution of pemetrexed for intravenous infusion administration.
2. Calculate the dose and the number of Pemetrexed Accord vials needed. Each vial contains an excess of pemetrexed to facilitate delivery of the label amount.
3. Pemetrexed Accord 100 mg:
Reconstitute each 100 mg vial with 4.2 ml of 9 mg/ml (0.9%) sodium chloride solution for injection, without preservative, resulting in a solution containing 25 mg/ml pemetrexed.
Pemetrexed Accord 500 mg:
Reconstitute each 500 mg vial with 20 ml of 9 mg/ml (0.9%) sodium chloride solution for injection, without preservative, resulting in a solution containing 25 mg/ml pemetrexed.
Pemetrexed Accord 1000 mg:
Reconstitute each 1000 mg vial with 40 ml of 9 mg/ml (0.9 %) sodium chloride solution for injection, without preservative, resulting in a solution containing 25 mg/ml pemetrexed.
Gently swirl each vial until the powder is completely dissolved. The resulting solution is clear and ranges in colour from colourless to yellow or green-yellow without adversely affecting product quality. The pH of the reconstituted solution is between 6.6 and 7.8. Further dilution is required.
4. The appropriate volume of reconstituted pemetrexed solution must be further diluted to 100 ml with 9 mg/ml (0.9 %) sodium chloride solution for injection, without preservative, and administered as an intravenous infusion over 10 minutes.
5. Pemetrexed infusion solutions prepared as directed above are compatible with polyvinyl chloride and polyolefin lined administration sets and infusion bags. Pemetrexed is incompatible with diluents containing calcium, including lactated Ringer’s Injection and Ringer’s Injection.
6. Parenteral medicinal products should be inspected visually for particulate matter and discolouration prior to administration. If particulate matter is observed, do not administer.
7. Pemetrexed solutions are for single use only. Any unused product or waste material should be disposed of in accordance with local requirements.
Storage Chemical and physical in-use stability of reconstituted and infusion solutions of pemetrexed were demonstrated for 24 hours at 25°C.
From a microbiological point of view, the product should be used immediately. If not used immediately, in-use storage times and conditions prior to use are the responsibility of the user and would normally not be longer than 24 hours at 2°C- to 8°C, unless reconstitution/dilution has taken place in controlled and validated aseptic conditions.
Preparation and administration precautions As with other potentially toxic anticancer agents, care should be exercised in the handling and preparation of pemetrexed infusion solutions. The use of gloves is recommended. If a pemetrexed solution contacts the skin, wash the skin immediately and thoroughly with soap and water. If pemetrexed solutions contact the mucous membranes, flush thoroughly with water. Pemetrexed is not a vesicant. There is not a specific antidote for extravasation of pemetrexed. There have been a few reported cases of pemetrexed extravasation, which were not assessed as serious by the investigator.
Extravasation should be managed by local standard practice as with other non-vesicants.
📄 Package Leaflet – official source
This article reproduces the information in the official package leaflet, as authorised in the European Union. You can consult the original document here: Product information Pemetrexed Accord (PDF, ec.europa.eu).
You can check this medicine at any time in the Union Register of medicinal products (EU number EU/1/15/1071).
⚠️ Important: This article is for information purposes only and does not replace medical advice or the package leaflet inside the medicine box. Read the leaflet carefully before use. For any questions about your treatment, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. If you experience side effects, tell your doctor or pharmacist and report them through your national reporting system.