Nilotinib (oral route)

Tasigna

Nilotinib is used to treat Philadelphia chromosome positive chronic myeloid leukemia (Ph+ CML) in adults and children who are newly diagnosed. It is also given to adults and children with Ph+ CML in chronic phase (CP) or accelerated phase (AP) who have taken other medicines (eg, imatinib, tyrosine-kinase inhibitor) but did not work well. Leukemia is a type of cancer where the body makes too many abnormal white blood cells. Nilotinib belongs to the general group of medicines known as antineoplastics or cancer medicines. It interferes with the growth of cancer cells, which are eventually destroyed. Since the growth of normal cells may also be affected by nilotinib, other effects will also occur. Some of these may be serious and must be reported to your doctor. Other effects may not be serious but may cause concern. Before you begin treatment with nilotinib, you and your doctor should talk about the benefits this medicine will do as well as the possible risks of using it. This medicine is available only with your doctor's prescription. This product is available in the following dosage forms:

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For this medicine, the following should be considered: Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to this medicine or any other medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully. Appropriate studies have not been performed on the relationship of age to the effects of nilotinib in children younger than 1 year of age. Safety and efficacy have not been established. Appropriate studies performed to date have not demonstrated geriatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness of nilotinib in the elderly. There are no adequate studies in women for determining infant risk when using this medication during breastfeeding. Weigh the potential benefits against the potential risks before taking this medication while breastfeeding. Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking this medicine, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive. Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is not recommended. Your doctor may decide not to treat you with this medication or change some of the other medicines you take. Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines. Using this medicine with any of the following medicines may cause an increased risk of certain side effects, but using both drugs may be the best treatment for you. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines. Certain medicines should not be used at or around the time of eating food or eating certain types of food since interactions may occur. Using alcohol or tobacco with certain medicines may also cause interactions to occur. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive. Using this medicine with any of the following is usually not recommended, but may be unavoidable in some cases. If used together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use this medicine, or give you special instructions about the use of food, alcohol, or tobacco. The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of this medicine. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially: