Acalabrutinib is an oral medicine. Current U.S. CALQUENCE capsule labeling recommends 100 mg approximately every 12 hours for the approved indications, although the exact regimen can require modification because of drug interactions or adverse reactions.
General administration
Patients prescribed acalabrutinib should:
- Follow the prescription and applicable product information.
- Take the medicine at approximately the prescribed intervals.
- Swallow capsules whole with water.
- Not open, chew or crush capsules.
- Take the capsule with or without food unless the applicable product information states otherwise.
- Avoid taking extra doses to compensate for a missed dose.
The current U.S. capsule label specifically instructs patients to swallow capsules whole and states that CALQUENCE may be taken with or without food.
Missed dose
For current U.S. capsule labeling, if a dose is missed by more than three hours, the missed dose should be skipped and the next dose taken at its regularly scheduled time. Extra capsules should not be taken to replace the missed dose.
Drug interactions
Acalabrutinib exposure is affected by CYP3A-modifying medicines. Strong CYP3A inhibitors and strong CYP3A inducers should generally be avoided under U.S. labeling; certain moderate inhibitors require dosage modification.
Patients should tell their healthcare professional about prescription medicines, over-the-counter medicines, supplements and herbal products before treatment.
Monitoring
Treatment may require monitoring of:
- Complete blood counts
- Signs of infection
- Bleeding
- Cardiac symptoms
- Liver function
- Other clinically relevant findings
The precise monitoring schedule depends on the patient’s condition and treatment regimen.
Storage
Storage requirements should be taken from the actual Acaluxen packaging and official product documentation. Acaluxen-specific storage instructions are Everest Pharmaceuticals Ltd.