Verzenio Drug Information
Generic name: ABEMACICLIB
Kinase Inhibitor [EPC]
Uses of Verzenio
Early Breast Cancer
VERZENIO ® (abemaciclib) is indicated: in combination with endocrine therapy (tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor) for the adjuvant treatment of adult patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative, node-positive, early breast cancer at high risk of recurrence.
Advanced or Metastatic Breast Cancer
VERZENIO (abemaciclib) is indicated: in combination with an aromatase inhibitor as initial endocrine-based therapy for the treatment of adult patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer. in combination with fulvestrant for the treatment of adult patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer with disease progression following endocrine therapy. as monotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with HR-positive, HER2-negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer with disease progression following endocrine therapy and prior chemotherapy in the metastatic setting.
Dosage & Administration of Verzenio
| Recommended starting dose | 150 mg twice daily |
|---|---|
| First dose reduction | 100 mg twice daily |
| Second dose reduction | 50 mg twice daily |
| Third dose reduction | not applicable |
Side Effects of Verzenio
Clinical Studies Experience
Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. The safety population described in the Warnings and Precautions reflect exposure to VERZENIO in 3691 patients from four clinical trials: monarchE, MONARCH 1, MONARCH 2, and MONARCH 3. The safety population includes exposure to VERZENIO as a single agent at 200 mg twice daily in 132 patients in MONARCH 1 and to VERZENIO at 150 mg twice daily in 3559 patients administered in combination with fulvestrant, tamoxifen, or an aromatase inhibitor in monarchE, MONARCH 2, and MONARCH 3. The median duration of exposure ranged from 4.5 months in MONARCH 1 to 24 months in monarchE. The most common adverse reactions (incidence ≥20%) across clinical trials were: diarrhea, neutropenia, nausea, abdominal pain, infections, fatigue, anemia, leukopenia, decreased appetite, vomiting, headache, alopecia, and thrombocytopenia. Early Breast Cancer monarchE: VERZENIO in Combination with Tamoxifen or an Aromatase Inhibitor as Adjuvant Treatment Adult patients with HR-positive, HER2-negative, node-positive early breast cancer at a high risk of recurrence The safety of VERZENIO was evaluated in monarchE, a study of 5591 adult patients receiving VERZENIO plus endocrine therapy (tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor) or endocrine therapy (tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor) alone.
Patients were randomly assigned to receive 150 mg of VERZENIO orally, twice daily, plus tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor, or tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor, for two years or until discontinuation criteria were met. The median duration of VERZENIO treatment was 24 months. The most frequently reported (≥5%) Grade 3 or 4 adverse reactions were neutropenia, leukopenia, diarrhea, and lymphopenia.
Fatal adverse reactions occurred in 0.8% of patients who received VERZENIO plus endocrine therapy (tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor), including: cardiac failure (0.1%), cardiac arrest, myocardial infarction, ventricular fibrillation, cerebral hemorrhage, cerebrovascular accident, pneumonitis, hypoxia, diarrhea, and mesenteric artery thrombosis (0.03% each). Permanent VERZENIO treatment discontinuation due to an adverse reaction was reported in 19% of patients receiving VERZENIO, plus tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor. Of the patients receiving tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor, 1% permanently discontinued due to an adverse reaction. The most common adverse reactions leading to VERZENIO discontinuations were diarrhea (5%), fatigue (2%), and neutropenia (0.9%). Dose interruption of VERZENIO due to an adverse reaction occurred in 62% of patients receiving VERZENIO plus tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors.
Adverse reactions leading to VERZENIO dose interruptions in ≥5% of patients were diarrhea (20%), neutropenia (16%), leukopenia (7%), and fatigue (5%). Dose reductions of VERZENIO due to an adverse reaction occurred in 44% of patients receiving VERZENIO plus endocrine therapy (tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor). Adverse reactions leading to VERZENIO dose reductions in ≥5% were diarrhea (17%), neutropenia (8%), and fatigue (5%). The most common adverse reactions reported (≥20%) in the VERZENIO, plus tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor, arm and ≥2% higher than the tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor arm were: diarrhea, infections, neutropenia, fatigue, leukopenia, nausea, anemia, and headache. Adverse reactions are shown in Table 8 and laboratory abnormalities are shown in Table 9. Table 8: Adverse Reactions (≥10%) of Patients Receiving VERZENIO Plus Tamoxifen or an Aromatase Inhibitor in monarchE a Includes the following fatal adverse reactions: diarrhea (n=1), and infections (n=4) b Includes the following fatal adverse reactions: infections (n=5) c Includes mouth ulceration, mucosal inflammation, oropharyngeal pain, stomatitis. d Includes all reported preferred terms that are part of the Infections and Infestations system organ class. Most common infections (>5%) include upper respiratory tract infection, urinary tract infection, and nasopharyngitis. e Includes asthenia, fatigue. f Includes exfoliative rash, mucocutaneous rash, rash, rash erythematous, rash follicular, rash generalized, rash macular, rash maculo-papular, rash maculovesicular, rash morbilliform, rash papular, rash papulosquamous, rash pruritic, rash vesicular, vulvovaginal rash.
VERZENIO Plus Tamoxifen or an Aromatase Inhibitor N=2791 Tamoxifen or an Aromatase Inhibitor N=2800 All Grades a % Grade 3 % Grade 4 % All Grades b % Grade 3 % Grade 4 % Gastrointestinal Disorders Diarrhea 84 8 0 9 0.2 0 Nausea 30 0.5 0 9 <0.1 0 Vomiting 18 0.5 0 4.6 0.1 0 Stomatitis c 14 0.1 0 5 0 0 Infections and Infestations Infections d 51 4.9 0.6 39 2.7
General Disorders and
Administration Site Conditions Fatigue e 41 2.9 0 18 0.1 0 Nervous System Disorders Headache 20 0.3 0 15 0.2 0 Dizziness 11 0.1 0 7 <0.1 0 Metabolism and Nutrition Disorders Decreased appetite 12 0.6 0 2.4 <0.1 0 Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue Disorders Rash f 11 0.4 0 4.5 0 0 Alopecia 11 0 0 2.7 0 0 Clinically relevant adverse reactions in <10% of patients who received VERZENIO in combination with tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor in monarchE include: Pruritus-9% Dyspepsia-8% Nail disorder-6% (includes nail bed disorder, nail bed inflammation, nail discoloration, nail disorder, nail dystrophy, nail pigmentation, nail ridging, nail toxicity, onychalgia, onychoclasis, onycholysis, onychomadesis) Lacrimation increased-6% Dysgeusia-5% Interstitial lung disease (ILD)/pneumonitis-3% (includes pneumonitis, radiation pneumonitis, interstitial lung disease, pulmonary fibrosis, organizing pneumonia, radiation fibrosis – lung, lung opacity, sarcoidosis) Venous thromboembolic events (VTEs)-3% (includes catheter site thrombosis, cerebral venous thrombosis, deep vein thrombosis, device related thrombosis, embolism, hepatic vein thrombosis, jugular vein occlusion, jugular vein thrombosis, ovarian vein thrombosis, portal vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, subclavian vein thrombosis, venous thrombosis limb) Table 9: Laboratory Abnormalities (≥10%) in Patients Receiving VERZENIO Plus Tamoxifen or an Aromatase Inhibitor in monarchE VERZENIO Plus Tamoxifen or an Aromatase Inhibitor N=2791 Tamoxifen or an Aromatase Inhibitor N=2800 All Grades % Grade 3 % Grade 4 % All Grades % Grade 3 % Grade 4 % Creatinine increased 99 0.5 0 91 <0.1 0 White blood cell decreased 89 19 <0.1 28 1.1 0 Neutrophil count decreased 84 18 0.7 23 1.6
Anemia 68 1.0 0 17 0.1 0 Lymphocyte count decreased 59 13
0.2 24 2.4
Platelet count decreased 37 0.7 0.2 10 0.1 0.1 Alanine aminotransferase increased
37 2.5 <0.1 24 1.2 0 Aspartate aminotransferase increased 31 1.5 <0.1 18 0.9 0 Hypokalemia 11 1.2 0.1 3.8 0.1
Advanced or Metastatic Breast Cancer
MONARCH 3: VERZENIO in Combination with an Aromatase Inhibitor (Anastrozole or Letrozole) as Initial Endocrine-Based Therapy Postmenopausal Women with HR-positive, HER2-negative locoregionally recurrent or metastatic breast cancer with no prior systemic therapy in this disease setting The safety of VERZENIO was evaluated in MONARCH 3, a study of 488 women receiving VERZENIO plus an aromatase inhibitor or placebo plus an aromatase inhibitor. Patients were randomly assigned to receive 150 mg of VERZENIO or placebo orally twice daily, plus physician's choice of anastrozole or letrozole once daily. Median duration of treatment was 15.1 months for the VERZENIO arm and 13.9 months for the placebo arm.
The most frequently reported (≥5%) Grade 3 or 4 adverse reactions were neutropenia, diarrhea, leukopenia, increased ALT, and anemia. Deaths during treatment or during the 30-day follow up, regardless of causality, were reported in 11 cases (3%) of VERZENIO plus an aromatase inhibitor treated patients versus 3 cases (2%) of placebo plus an aromatase inhibitor treated patients. Causes of death for patients receiving VERZENIO plus an aromatase inhibitor included: 3 (0.9%) patient deaths due to underlying disease, 3 (0.9%) due to lung infection, 3 (0.9%) due to VTE, 1 (0.3%) due to pneumonitis, and 1 (0.3%) due to cerebral infarction.
Permanent treatment discontinuation due to an adverse reaction was reported in 13% of patients receiving VERZENIO plus an aromatase inhibitor and in 3% of patients receiving placebo plus an aromatase inhibitor. Adverse reactions leading to permanent discontinuation for patients receiving VERZENIO plus an aromatase inhibitor were diarrhea (2%), ALT increased (2%), infection (1%), venous thromboembolic events (VTE) (1%), neutropenia (0.9%), renal impairment (0.9%), AST increased (0.6%), dyspnea (0.6%), pulmonary fibrosis (0.6%) and anemia, rash, weight decreased and thrombocytopenia (each 0.3%). Dose interruption of VERZENIO due to an adverse reaction occurred in 56% of patients receiving VERZENIO plus anastrozole or letrozole. Adverse reactions leading to VERZENIO dose interruptions in ≥5% of patients were neutropenia (16%) and diarrhea (15%). Dose reductions due to an adverse reaction occurred in 43% of patients receiving VERZENIO plus anastrozole or letrozole.
Adverse reactions leading to dose reductions in ≥5% of patients were diarrhea and neutropenia. VERZENIO dose reductions due to diarrhea of any grade occurred in 13% of patients receiving VERZENIO plus an aromatase inhibitor compared to 2% of patients receiving placebo plus an aromatase inhibitor. VERZENIO dose reductions due to neutropenia of any grade occurred in 11% of patients receiving VERZENIO plus an aromatase inhibitor compared to 0.6% of patients receiving placebo plus an aromatase inhibitor.
The most common adverse reactions reported (≥20%) in the VERZENIO arm and ≥2% than the placebo arm were: diarrhea, neutropenia, fatigue, infections, nausea, abdominal pain, anemia, vomiting, alopecia, decreased appetite, and leukopenia. Adverse reactions are shown in Table 10 and laboratory abnormalities in Table 11. Diarrhea incidence was greatest during the first month of VERZENIO dosing. The median time to onset of the first diarrhea event was 8 days, and the median durations of diarrhea for Grades 2 and for Grade 3 were 11 days and 8 days, respectively.
Most diarrhea events recovered or resolved (88%) with supportive treatment and/or dose reductions . Nineteen percent of patients with diarrhea required a dose omission and 13% required a dose reduction. The median time to the first dose reduction due to diarrhea was 38 days. Table 10: Adverse Reactions (≥10%) in Patients Receiving VERZENIO Plus Anastrozole or Letrozole in MONARCH 3 a Includes all reported preferred terms that are part of the Infections and Infestations system organ class.
Most common infections (>1%) include upper respiratory tract infection, lung infection, and pharyngitis. VERZENIO plus Anastrozole or Letrozole N=327 Placebo plus Anastrozole or Letrozole N=161 All Grades % Grade 3 % Grade 4 % All Grades % Grade 3 % Grade 4 % Gastrointestinal Disorders Diarrhea 81 9 0 30 1.2 0 Nausea 39 0.9 0 20 1.2 0 Abdominal pain 29 1.2 0 12 1.2 0 Vomiting 28 1.2 0 12 1.9 0 Constipation 16 0.6 0 12 0 0 Infections and Infestations Infections a 39 4.0 0.9 29 2.5
General Disorders and
Administration Site Conditions Fatigue 40 1.8 0 32 0 0 Influenza like illness 10 0 0 8 0 0 Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue Disorders Alopecia 27 0 0 11 0 0 Rash 14 0.9 0 5 0 0 Pruritus 13 0 0 9 0 0 Metabolism and Nutrition Disorders Decreased appetite 24 1.2 0 9 0.6 0 Investigations Weight decreased 10 0.6 0 3.1 0.6 0 Respiratory, Thoracic, and Mediastinal Disorders Cough 13 0 0 9 0 0 Dyspnea 12 0.6 0.3 6 0.6 0 Nervous System Disorders Dizziness 11 0.3 0 9 0 0 Additional adverse reactions in MONARCH 3 include venous thromboembolic events (deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, and pelvic venous thrombosis), which were reported in 5% of patients treated with VERZENIO plus anastrozole or letrozole as compared to 0.6% of patients treated with anastrozole or letrozole plus placebo. Table 11: Laboratory Abnormalities (≥10%) in Patients Receiving VERZENIO Plus Anastrozole or Letrozole in MONARCH 3 VERZENIO plus Anastrozole or Letrozole N=327 Placebo plus Anastrozole or Letrozole N=161 Laboratory Abnormality All Grades % Grade 3 % Grade 4 % All Grades % Grade 3 % Grade 4 % Creatinine increased 98 2.2 0 84 0 0 White blood cell decreased 82 13 0 27 0.6 0 Anemia 82 1.6 0 28 0 0 Neutrophil count decreased 80 19 2.9 21 2.6 0 Lymphocyte count decreased 53 7 0.6 26 1.9 0 Platelet count decreased 36 1.3 0.6 12 0.6 0 Alanine aminotransferase increased 48 6 0.6 25 1.9 0 Aspartate aminotransferase increased 37 3.8 0 23 0.6 0 Creatinine Increased Abemaciclib has been shown to increase serum creatinine due to inhibition of renal tubular secretion transporters, without affecting glomerular function . Across the clinical studies, increases in serum creatinine (mean increase, 0.2-0.3 mg/dL) occurred within the first 28-day cycle of VERZENIO dosing, remained elevated but stable through the treatment period, and were reversible upon treatment discontinuation. Alternative markers such as BUN, cystatin C, or calculated GFR, which are not based on creatinine, may be considered to determine whether renal function is impaired.
MONARCH 2: VERZENIO in Combination with Fulvestrant Women with HR-positive, HER2-negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer with disease progression on or after prior adjuvant or metastatic endocrine therapy The safety of VERZENIO (150 mg twice daily) plus fulvestrant (500 mg) versus placebo plus fulvestrant was evaluated in MONARCH 2 . The data described below reflect exposure to VERZENIO in 441 patients with HR-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer who received at least one dose of VERZENIO plus fulvestrant in MONARCH 2. Median duration of treatment was 12 months for patients receiving VERZENIO plus fulvestrant and 8 months for patients receiving placebo plus fulvestrant. The most frequently reported (≥5%) Grade 3 or 4 adverse reactions were neutropenia, diarrhea, leukopenia, anemia, and infections. Deaths during treatment or during the 30-day follow up, regardless of causality, were reported in 18 cases (4%) of VERZENIO plus fulvestrant treated patients versus 10 cases (5%) of placebo plus fulvestrant treated patients.
Causes of death for patients receiving VERZENIO plus fulvestrant included: 7 (2%) patient deaths due to underlying disease, 4 (0.9%) due to sepsis, 2 (0.5%) due to pneumonitis, 2 (0.5%) due to hepatotoxicity, and one (0.2%) due to cerebral infarction. Permanent study treatment discontinuation due to an adverse reaction were reported in 9% of patients receiving VERZENIO plus fulvestrant and in 3% of patients receiving placebo plus fulvestrant. Adverse reactions leading to permanent discontinuation for patients receiving VERZENIO plus fulvestrant were infection (2%), diarrhea (1%), hepatotoxicity (1%), fatigue (0.7%), nausea (0.2%), abdominal pain (0.2%), acute kidney injury (0.2%), and cerebral infarction (0.2%). Dose interruption of VERZENIO due to an adverse reaction occurred in 52% of patients receiving VERZENIO plus fulvestrant.
Adverse reactions leading to VERZENIO dose interruptions in ≥5% of patients were diarrhea (19%) and neutropenia (16%). Dose reductions due to an adverse reaction occurred in 43% of patients receiving VERZENIO plus fulvestrant. Adverse reactions leading to reductions in ≥5% of patients were diarrhea and neutropenia. VERZENIO dose reductions due to diarrhea of any grade occurred in 19% of patients receiving VERZENIO plus fulvestrant compared to 0.4% of patients receiving placebo and fulvestrant.
VERZENIO dose reductions due to neutropenia of any grade occurred in 10% of patients receiving VERZENIO plus fulvestrant compared to no patients receiving placebo plus fulvestrant. The most common adverse reactions reported (≥20%) in the VERZENIO arm were: diarrhea, fatigue, neutropenia, nausea, infections, abdominal pain, anemia, leukopenia, decreased appetite, vomiting, and headache. Adverse reactions are shown in Table 12 and laboratory abnormalities in Table 13. Table 12: Adverse Reactions (≥10%) in Patients Receiving VERZENIO Plus Fulvestrant in MONARCH 2 a Includes abdominal pain, abdominal pain upper, abdominal pain lower, abdominal discomfort, abdominal tenderness. b Includes upper respiratory tract infection, urinary tract infection, lung infection, pharyngitis, conjunctivitis, sinusitis, vaginal infection, sepsis. c Includes asthenia, fatigue.
VERZENIO plus Fulvestrant N=441 Placebo plus Fulvestrant N=223 All Grades % Grade 3 % Grade 4 % All Grades % Grade 3 % Grade 4 % Gastrointestinal Disorders Diarrhea 86 13 0 25 0.4 0 Nausea 45 2.7 0 23 0.9 0 Abdominal pain a 35 2.5 0 16 0.9 0 Vomiting 26 0.9 0 10 1.8 0 Stomatitis 15 0.5 0 10 0 0 Infections and Infestations Infections b 43 5 0.7 25 3.1
General Disorders and
Administration Site Conditions Fatigue c 46 2.7 0 32 0.4 0 Edema peripheral 12 0 0 7 0 0 Pyrexia 11 0.5 0.2 6 0.4 0 Metabolism and Nutrition Disorders Decreased appetite 27 1.1 0 12 0.4 0 Respiratory, Thoracic and Mediastinal Disorders Cough 13 0 0 11 0 0 Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue Disorders Alopecia 16 0 0 1.8 0 0 Pruritus 13 0 0 6 0 0 Rash 11 1.1 0 4.5 0 0 Nervous System Disorders Headache 20 0.7 0 15 0.4 0 Dysgeusia 18 0 0 2.7 0 0 Dizziness 12 0.7 0 6 0 0 Investigations Weight decreased 10 0.2 0 2.2 0.4 0 Additional adverse reactions in MONARCH 2 include venous thromboembolic events (deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, subclavian vein thrombosis, axillary vein thrombosis, and DVT inferior vena cava), which were reported in 5% of patients treated with VERZENIO plus fulvestrant as compared to 0.9% of patients treated with fulvestrant plus placebo. Table 13: Laboratory Abnormalities (≥10%) in Patients Receiving VERZENIO Plus Fulvestrant in MONARCH 2 VERZENIO plus Fulvestrant N=441 Placebo plus Fulvestrant N=223 All Grades % Grade 3 % Grade 4 % All Grades % Grade 3 % Grade 4 % Creatinine increased 98 1.2 0 74 0 0 White blood cell decreased 90 23 0.7 33 0.9 0 Neutrophil count decreased 87 29 3.5 30 3.7
Anemia 84 2.6 0 34 0.5 0 Lymphocyte count decreased 63 12
0.2 32 1.8 0 Platelet count decreased 53 0.9 1.2 15 0 0 Alanine aminotransferase increased 41 3.9 0.7 32 1.4 0 Aspartate aminotransferase increased 37 3.9 0 25 3.7
Creatinine Increased Abemaciclib has been shown to increase serum creatinine due to
inhibition of renal tubular secretion transporters, without affecting glomerular function . In clinical studies, increases in serum creatinine (mean increase, 0.2-0.3 mg/dL) occurred within the first 28-day cycle of VERZENIO dosing, remained elevated but stable through the treatment period, and were reversible upon treatment discontinuation. Alternative markers such as BUN, cystatin C, or calculated glomerular filtration rate (GFR), which are not based on creatinine, may be considered to determine whether renal function is impaired. MONARCH 1: VERZENIO Administered as a Monotherapy in Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients with HR-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer who received prior endocrine therapy and 1-2 chemotherapy regimens in the metastatic setting The safety of VERZENIO was evaluated in MONARCH 1, a single-arm, open-label, multicenter study in 132 women with measurable HR-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer . Patients received 200 mg VERZENIO orally twice daily until development of progressive disease or unmanageable toxicity.
Median duration of treatment was 4.5 months. The most frequently reported (≥5%) Grade 3 or 4 adverse reactions were diarrhea, neutropenia, fatigue, and leukopenia. Deaths due to adverse reactions during treatment or during the 30-day follow up were reported in 2% of patients.
Cause of death in these patients was due to infection (2 patients) or pneumonitis (1 patient). Ten patients (8%) discontinued study treatment from adverse reactions due to (1 patient each), abdominal pain, arterial thrombosis, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) increased, blood creatinine increased, chronic kidney disease, diarrhea, ECG QT prolonged, fatigue, hip fracture, and lymphopenia. Dose interruption of VERZENIO due to an adverse reaction occurred in 58% of patients. The most frequent (≥5%) adverse reactions leading to dose interruptions were diarrhea (24%), neutropenia (16%), fatigue (10%), vomiting (6%), and nausea (5%). Forty-nine percent of patients had dose reductions due to an adverse reaction.
The most frequent adverse reactions that led to dose reductions were diarrhea (20%), neutropenia (11%), and fatigue (9%). The most common reported adverse reactions (≥20%) were: diarrhea, fatigue, nausea, decreased appetite, abdominal pain, neutropenia, vomiting, infections, anemia, headache, and thrombocytopenia. Adverse reactions are shown in Table 14 and laboratory abnormalities in Table 15. Table 14: Adverse Reactions (≥10%) of Patients in MONARCH 1 a Includes asthenia, fatigue. VERZENIO N=132 All Grades % Grade 3 % Grade 4 % Gastrointestinal Disorders Diarrhea 90 20 0 Nausea 64 4.5 0 Abdominal pain 39 2.3 0 Vomiting 35 1.5 0 Constipation 17 0.8 0 Dry mouth 14 0 0 Stomatitis 14 0 0 Infections and Infestations Infections 31 4.5 0 General Disorders and Administration Site Conditions Fatigue a 65 13 0 Pyrexia 11 0 0 Metabolism and Nutrition Disorders Decreased appetite 45 3.0 0 Dehydration 10 2.3 0 Respiratory, Thoracic and Mediastinal Disorders Cough 19 0 0 Musculoskeletal and Connective Tissue Disorders Arthralgia 15 0 0 Nervous System Disorders Headache 20 0 0 Dysgeusia 12 0 0 Dizziness 11 0 0 Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue Disorders Alopecia 12 0 0 Investigations Weight decreased 14 0 0 Table 15: Laboratory Abnormalities for Patients Receiving VERZENIO in MONARCH 1 VERZENIO N=132 All Grades % Grade 3 % Grade 4 % Creatinine increased 99 0.8 0 White blood cell decreased 91 28 0 Neutrophil count decreased 88 22
Anemia 69 0 0 Lymphocyte count decreased 42 13 0.8 Platelet count
decreased 41 2.3 0 ALT increased 31 3.1 0 AST increased 30 3.8 0 Creatinine Increased Abemaciclib has been shown to increase serum creatinine due to inhibition of renal tubular secretion transporters, without affecting glomerular function . In clinical studies, increases in serum creatinine (mean increase, 0.2-0.3 mg/dL) occurred within the first 28-day cycle of VERZENIO dosing, remained elevated but stable through the treatment period, and were reversible upon treatment discontinuation. Alternative markers such as BUN, cystatin C, or calculated GFR, which are not based on creatinine, may be considered to determine whether renal function is impaired.
Postmarketing Experience
The following adverse reactions have been identified during post-approval use of VERZENIO. Because these reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure. Respiratory disorders : Interstitial lung disease (ILD)/pneumonitis .
Warnings & Cautions for Verzenio
Diarrhea Severe diarrhea associated with dehydration and infection occurred in patients treated
with VERZENIO. Across four clinical trials in 3691 patients, diarrhea occurred in 81% to 90% of patients who received VERZENIO. Grade 3 diarrhea occurred in 8% to 20% of patients receiving VERZENIO. Most patients experienced diarrhea during the first month of VERZENIO treatment. The median time to onset of the first diarrhea event ranged from 6 to 8 days; and the median duration of Grade 2 and Grade 3 diarrhea ranged from 6 to 11 days and 5 to 8 days, respectively. Across trials, 19% to 26% of patients with diarrhea required a VERZENIO dose interruption and 13% to 23% required a dose reduction.
Instruct patients to start antidiarrheal therapy such as loperamide at the first sign of loose stools, increase oral fluids, and notify their healthcare provider for further instructions and appropriate follow up. For Grade 3 or 4 diarrhea, or diarrhea that requires hospitalization, discontinue VERZENIO until toxicity resolves to ≤Grade 1, and then resume VERZENIO at the next lower dose .
Neutropenia Neutropenia, including febrile neutropenia and fatal neutropenic sepsis, occurred in patients
treated with VERZENIO. Across four clinical trials in 3691 patients, neutropenia occurred in a 37% to 46% of patients receiving VERZENIO. A Grade ≥3 decrease in neutrophil count (based on laboratory findings) occurred in 19% to 32% of patients receiving VERZENIO. Across trials, the median time to the first episode of Grade ≥3 neutropenia ranged from 29 days to 33 days, and the median duration of Grade ≥3 neutropenia ranged from 11 days to 16 days . Febrile neutropenia has been reported in <1% of patients exposed to VERZENIO across trials. Two deaths due to neutropenic sepsis were observed in MONARCH 2. Inform patients to promptly report any episodes of fever to their healthcare provider . Monitor complete blood counts prior to the start of VERZENIO therapy, every 2 weeks for the first 2 months, monthly for the next 2 months, and as clinically indicated. Dose interruption, dose reduction, or delay in starting treatment cycles is recommended for patients who develop Grade 3 or 4 neutropenia .
Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) or Pneumonitis Severe, life-threatening, or fatal interstitial lung
disease (ILD) or pneumonitis can occur in patients treated with VERZENIO and other CDK4/6 inhibitors. In VERZENIO-treated patients in early breast cancer (monarchE, N=2791), 3% of patients experienced ILD or pneumonitis of any grade: 0.4% were Grade 3 or 4 and there was one fatality (0.1%). In VERZENIO-treated patients in advanced or metastatic breast cancer (N=900) (MONARCH 1, MONARCH 2, MONARCH 3), 3.3% of VERZENIO-treated patients had ILD or pneumonitis of any grade: 0.6% had Grade 3 or 4, and 0.4% had fatal outcomes. Additional cases of ILD or pneumonitis have been observed in the postmarketing setting, with fatalities reported . Monitor patients for pulmonary symptoms indicative of ILD or pneumonitis.
Symptoms may include hypoxia, cough, dyspnea, or interstitial infiltrates on radiologic exams. Infectious, neoplastic, and other causes for such symptoms should be excluded by means of appropriate investigations. Dose interruption or dose reduction is recommended for patients who develop persistent or recurrent Grade 2 ILD or pneumonitis.
Permanently discontinue VERZENIO in all patients with Grade 3 or 4 ILD or pneumonitis .
Hepatotoxicity Grade ≥3
ALT (2% to 6%) and AST (2% to 3%) were reported in patients receiving VERZENIO. Across three clinical trials in 3559 patients (monarchE, MONARCH 2, MONARCH 3), the median time to onset of Grade ≥3 ALT increases ranged from 57 to 87 days and the median time to resolution to Grade <3 was 13 to 14 days. The median time to onset of Grade ≥3 AST increases ranged from 71 to 185 days and the median time to resolution to Grade <3 ranged from 11 to 15 days. Monitor liver function tests (LFTs) prior to the start of VERZENIO therapy, every 2 weeks for the first 2 months, monthly for the next 2 months, and as clinically indicated.
Dose interruption, dose reduction, dose discontinuation, or delay in starting treatment cycles is recommended for patients who develop persistent or recurrent Grade 2, or any Grade 3 or Grade 4 hepatic transaminase elevation .
Venous Thromboembolism Across three clinical trials in 3559 patients (monarchE
MONARCH 2, MONARCH 3), venous thromboembolic events were reported in 2% to 5% of patients treated with VERZENIO. Venous thromboembolic events included deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, pelvic venous thrombosis, cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, subclavian and axillary vein thrombosis, and inferior vena cava thrombosis. In clinical trials, deaths due to venous thromboembolism have been reported in patients treated with VERZENIO. VERZENIO has not been studied in patients with early breast cancer who had a history of venous thromboembolism. Monitor patients for signs and symptoms of venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism and treat as medically appropriate.
Dose interruption is recommended for early breast cancer patients with any grade venous thromboembolic event and for advanced or metastatic breast cancer patients with a Grade 3 or 4 venous thromboembolic event .
Embryo-Fetal Toxicity
Based on findings from animal studies and the mechanism of action, VERZENIO can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman. In animal reproduction studies, administration of abemaciclib to pregnant rats during the period of organogenesis caused teratogenicity and decreased fetal weight at maternal exposures that were similar to the human clinical exposure based on area under the curve (AUC) at the maximum recommended human dose. Advise pregnant women of the potential risk to a fetus.
Advise females of reproductive potential to use effective contraception during treatment with VERZENIO and for 3 weeks after the last dose .
Drug Interactions with Verzenio
Effect of Other Drugs on
VERZENIO CYP3A Inhibitors Strong and moderate CYP3A4 inhibitors increased the exposure of abemaciclib plus its active metabolites to a clinically meaningful extent and may lead to increased toxicity. Ketoconazole Avoid concomitant use of ketoconazole. Ketoconazole is predicted to increase the AUC of abemaciclib by up to 16-fold . Other Strong CYP3A Inhibitors In patients with recommended starting doses of 200 mg twice daily or 150 mg twice daily, reduce the VERZENIO dose to 100 mg twice daily with concomitant use of strong CYP3A inhibitors other than ketoconazole.
In patients who have had a dose reduction to 100 mg twice daily due to adverse reactions, further reduce the VERZENIO dose to 50 mg twice daily with concomitant use of strong CYP3A inhibitors. If a patient taking VERZENIO discontinues a strong CYP3A inhibitor, increase the VERZENIO dose (after 3-5 half-lives of the inhibitor) to the dose that was used before starting the inhibitor. Patients should avoid grapefruit products . Moderate CYP3A Inhibitors With concomitant use of moderate CYP3A inhibitors, monitor for adverse reactions and consider reducing the VERZENIO dose in 50 mg decrements as demonstrated in Table 1, if necessary.
Strong and Moderate CYP3A Inducers Coadministration of strong or moderate CYP3A inducers decreased the plasma concentrations of abemaciclib plus its active metabolites and may lead to reduced activity. Avoid concomitant use of strong or moderate CYP3A inducers and consider alternative agents .
Pregnancy Safety for Verzenio
Pregnancy Risk Summary Based on findings in animals and its mechanism of action, VERZENIO can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman . There are no available human data informing the drug-associated risk. Advise pregnant women of the potential risk to a fetus. In animal reproduction studies, administration of abemaciclib during organogenesis was teratogenic and caused decreased fetal weight at maternal exposures that were similar to human clinical exposure based on AUC at the maximum recommended human dose ( see Data). Advise pregnant women of the potential risk to a fetus.
The background risk of major birth defects and miscarriage for the indicated population is unknown. However, the background risk in the U.S. general population of major birth defects is 2 to 4% and of miscarriage is 15 to 20% of clinically recognized pregnancies. Data Animal Data In an embryo-fetal development study, pregnant rats received oral doses of abemaciclib up to 15 mg/kg/day during the period of organogenesis.
Doses ≥4 mg/kg/day caused decreased fetal body weights and increased incidence of cardiovascular and skeletal malformations and variations. These findings included absent innominate artery and aortic arch, malpositioned subclavian artery, unossified sternebra, bipartite ossification of thoracic centrum, and rudimentary or nodulated ribs. At 4 mg/kg/day in rats, the maternal systemic exposures were approximately equal to the human exposure (AUC) at the recommended dose.
Pediatric Use of Verzenio
Pediatric Use The safety and effectiveness of VERZENIO have not been established in pediatric patients. The safety and effectiveness of VERZENIO in combination with chemotherapy was assessed but not established in an open label, dose-finding trial (NCT04238819) in 43 pediatric patients aged 1 to < 17 years with relapsed/refractory solid tumors. No new safety signals were observed in pediatric patients in this study.
Abemaciclib exposure in pediatric patients was within the range of the values previously observed in adults given a similar dose per body surface area.
Clinical Studies of Verzenio
Early Breast Cancer
VERZENIO in Combination with Standard Endocrine Therapy (monarchE) Patients with HR-positive, HER2-negative, node-positive early breast cancer at high risk of recurrence monarchE (NCT03155997) was a randomized (1:1), open-label, two cohort, multicenter study in adult women and men with HR-positive, HER2-negative, node-positive, resected, early breast cancer with clinical and pathological features consistent with a high risk of disease recurrence. To be enrolled, patients had to have HR-positive HER2-negative early breast cancer with tumor involvement in at least 1 axillary lymph node (pALN) and to be enrolled in cohort 1 had to have either: ≥4 pALN or 1-3 pALN and at least one of: – tumor grade 3 or – tumor size ≥50 mm Patients enrolled in cohort 2 could not have met the eligibility criteria for cohort 1. To be enrolled in cohort 2, patients had to have 1-3 pALN and Ki-67 score ≥20%. Breast tumor samples were tested at central sites using the Ki-67 IHC MIB-1 pharmDx (Dako Omnis) assay to establish if the Ki-67 score was ≥20%. Patients were randomized to receive 2 years of VERZENIO plus physician's choice of standard endocrine therapy or standard endocrine therapy alone. Randomization to treatment was stratified by prior treatment (neoadjuvant chemotherapy versus adjuvant chemotherapy versus no chemotherapy); menopausal status (premenopausal versus postmenopausal); and region (North America/Europe versus Asia versus other). Men were stratified as postmenopausal.
After the end of the study treatment period, standard adjuvant endocrine therapy was continued for a duration of at least 5 years if deemed medically appropriate. The major efficacy outcome measure was invasive disease–free survival (IDFS). IDFS was defined as the time from randomization to the first occurrence of: ipsilateral invasive breast tumor recurrence, regional invasive breast cancer recurrence, distant recurrence, contralateral invasive breast cancer, second primary non-breast invasive cancer, or death attributable to any cause. Overall survival (OS) was an additional outcome measure.
A statistically significant difference in IDFS was observed in the intent-to-treat (ITT) population which was primarily attributed to the patients treated in cohort 1. While the OS data in cohort 2 remains immature, more deaths were observed among those receiving VERZENIO plus standard endocrine therapy compared to those receiving standard endocrine therapy alone (10/253 vs. 5/264). Of 5637 patients randomized, 5120 (91%) were randomized in cohort 1. Patient median age was 51 years (range, 22-89 years), 99% were women, 70% were White, 24% were Asian, 1.7% were Black or African American, 2.1% were American Indian or Alaska Native, and 0.1% were Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. Forty-three percent of patients were premenopausal. Most patients received prior chemotherapy (37% neoadjuvant, 59% adjuvant) and prior radiotherapy (96%). Sixty-five percent of the patients had 4 or more positive lymph nodes with 22% having ≥10 positive lymph nodes, 41% had Grade 3 tumor, and 24% had pathological tumor size ≥50 mm.
The majority of patients (99%) had estrogen receptor positive disease and 87% had progesterone receptor positive disease. Initial endocrine therapy received by patients included letrozole (39%), tamoxifen (31%), anastrozole (22%), or exemestane (8%). Efficacy results for cohort 1 are summarized in Table 16 and Figure 1. At the time of OS interim analysis 2, OS was immature and a total of 315 (6%) of patients had died in cohort 1. Table 16: Efficacy Results in monarchE in Cohort 1 Abbreviation: CI = confidence interval. VERZENIO Plus Tamoxifen or an Aromatase Inhibitor N=2555 Tamoxifen or an Aromatase Inhibitor N=2565 Invasive Disease–Free Survival (IDFS) Number of patients with an event, n (%) 317 474 Hazard ratio (95% CI) 0.65 IDFS at 48 months, % (95% CI) 85.5
Figure 1: Kaplan-Meier Curves of Invasive Disease–Free Survival
VERZENIO plus Tamoxifen or an Aromatase Inhibitor versus Tamoxifen or an Aromatase Inhibitor in Cohort 1 (monarchE) Figure 1
Advanced or Metastatic Breast Cancer
VERZENIO in Combination with an Aromatase Inhibitor (Anastrozole or Letrozole) (MONARCH 3) Postmenopausal women with HR-positive, HER2-negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer with no prior systemic therapy in this disease setting MONARCH 3 (NCT02246621) was a randomized (2:1), double-blinded, placebo-controlled, multicenter study in postmenopausal women with HR-positive, HER2-negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer in combination with a nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitor as initial endocrine-based therapy, including patients not previously treated with systemic therapy for breast cancer. Randomization was stratified by disease site (visceral, bone only, or other) and by prior (neo)adjuvant endocrine therapy (aromatase inhibitor versus other versus no prior endocrine therapy). A total of 493 patients were randomized to receive 150 mg VERZENIO or placebo orally twice daily, plus physician's choice of letrozole (80% of patients) or anastrozole (20% of patients). Patient median age was 63 years (range, 32-88 years) and the majority were White (58%) or Asian (30%). A total of 51% had received prior systemic therapy and 39% of patients had received chemotherapy, 53% had visceral disease, and 22% had bone-only disease. Efficacy results are summarized in Table 17 and Figure 2. PFS was evaluated according to RECIST version 1.1 and PFS assessment based on a blinded independent radiologic review was consistent with the investigator assessment.
Consistent PFS results were observed across patient stratification subgroups of disease site and prior (neo)adjuvant endocrine therapy. Table 17: Efficacy Results in MONARCH 3 (Investigator Assessment, Intent-to-Treat Population) Abbreviations: CI = confidence interval; OS = overall survival; NR = not reached; NS = not statistically significant. a Complete response + partial response. b Based upon confirmed responses. VERZENIO plus Anastrozole or Letrozole Placebo plus Anastrozole or Letrozole Progression-Free Survival N=328 N=165 Number of patients with an event, n (%) 138 108 Median in months (95% CI) 28.2 (23.5, NR)
Hazard ratio (95% CI) 0.54 p-value <0.0001 Overall Survival N=328 N=165 Number
of patients with an event, n (%) 198 116 Median in months (95% CI) 66.8
Hazard ratio (95% CI) 0.80 p-value NS Objective Response for Patients with
Measurable Disease a N=267 N=132 Objective response rate n (%) a,b 148 53 95% CI 49, 61 32, 49 Figure 2: Kaplan-Meier Curves of Progression-Free Survival: VERZENIO plus Anastrozole or Letrozole versus Placebo plus Anastrozole or Letrozole in Intent-to-Treat Population (MONARCH 3) Figure 2 VERZENIO in Combination with Fulvestrant (MONARCH 2) Patients with HR-positive, HER2-negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer with disease progression on or after prior adjuvant or metastatic endocrine therapy MONARCH 2 (NCT02107703) was a randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter study in women with HR-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer in combination with fulvestrant in patients with disease progression following endocrine therapy who had not received chemotherapy in the metastatic setting. Randomization was stratified by disease site (visceral, bone only, or other) and by sensitivity to prior endocrine therapy (primary or secondary resistance). Primary endocrine therapy resistance was defined as relapse while on the first 2 years of adjuvant endocrine therapy or progressive disease within the first 6 months of first line endocrine therapy for metastatic breast cancer. A total of 669 patients were randomized to receive VERZENIO or placebo orally twice daily plus intramuscular injection of 500 mg fulvestrant on days 1 and 15 of cycle 1 and then on day 1 of cycle 2 and beyond (28-day cycles). Pre/perimenopausal women were enrolled in the study and received the gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist goserelin for at least 4 weeks prior to and for the duration of MONARCH 2. Patients remained on continuous treatment until development of progressive disease or unmanageable toxicity.
Patient median age was 60 years (range, 32-91 years), and 37% of patients were older than 65. The majority were White (56%), and 99% of patients had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0 or 1. Twenty percent (20%) of patients had de novo metastatic disease, 27% had bone-only disease, and 56% had visceral disease. Twenty-five percent (25%) of patients had primary endocrine therapy resistance. Seventeen percent (17%) of patients were pre- or perimenopausal.
The efficacy results from the MONARCH 2 study are summarized in Table 18, Figure 3, and Figure 4. PFS assessment based on a blinded independent radiologic review was consistent with the investigator assessment. Consistent results were observed across patient stratification subgroups of disease site and endocrine therapy resistance for PFS and OS. Table 18: Efficacy Results in MONARCH 2 (Intent-to-Treat Population) Abbreviation: CI = confidence interval, OS = overall survival. a Stratified by disease site (visceral metastases vs. bone-only metastases vs. other) and endocrine therapy resistance (primary resistance vs. secondary resistance) b Data from a pre-specified interim analysis (77% of the number of events needed for the planned final analysis) with the p-value compared with the allocated alpha of 0.021. c Complete response + partial response. VERZENIO plus Fulvestrant Placebo plus Fulvestrant Progression-Free Survival (Investigator Assessment) N=446 N=223 Number of patients with an event n (%) 222 157 Median in months (95% CI) 16.4
Hazard ratio (95% CI) a 0.55 p-value a p<.0001 Overall Survival b
Number of deaths n (%) 211 127 Median OS in months (95% CI) 46.7
Hazard ratio (95% CI) a 0.76 p-value a p=.0137 Objective Response for
Patients with Measurable Disease N=318 N=164 Objective response rate n (%) c 153 35 95% CI 43, 54 15, 28 Figure 3: Kaplan-Meier Curves of Progression-Free Survival: VERZENIO plus Fulvestrant versus Placebo plus Fulvestrant (MONARCH 2) Figure 4: Kaplan-Meier Curves of Overall Survival: VERZENIO plus Fulvestrant versus Placebo plus Fulvestrant (MONARCH 2) Figure 3 Figure 4 VERZENIO Administered as a Monotherapy in Metastatic Breast Cancer (MONARCH 1) Patients with HR-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer who received prior endocrine therapy and 1-2 chemotherapy regimens in the metastatic setting MONARCH 1 (NCT02102490) was a single-arm, open-label, multicenter study in women with measurable HR-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer whose disease progressed during or after endocrine therapy, had received a taxane in any setting, and who received 1 or 2 prior chemotherapy regimens in the metastatic setting. A total of 132 patients received 200 mg VERZENIO orally twice daily on a continuous schedule until development of progressive disease or unmanageable toxicity. Patient median age was 58 years (range, 36-89 years), and the majority of patients were White (85%). Patients had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 (55% of patients) or 1 (45%). The median duration of metastatic disease was 27.6 months.
Ninety percent (90%) of patients had visceral metastases, and 51% of patients had 3 or more sites of metastatic disease. Fifty-one percent (51%) of patients had had one line of chemotherapy in the metastatic setting. Sixty-nine percent (69%) of patients had received a taxane-based regimen in the metastatic setting and 55% had received capecitabine in the metastatic setting.
Table 19 provides the efficacy results from MONARCH 1. Table 19: Efficacy Results in MONARCH 1 (Intent-to-Treat Population) Abbreviations: CI = confidence interval, NR = not reached. a All responses were partial responses. b Based upon confirmed responses. VERZENIO 200 mg N=132 Investigator Assessed Independent Review Objective Response Rate a,b, n (%) 26 23 95% CI 13, 28 11, 25 Median Duration of Response in months 8.6 7.2 95% CI 5.8, 10.2 5.6, NR
Drug information sourced from the FDA. This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Consult a healthcare professional before making any medication decisions.
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