Lartruvo

Lartruvo is a prescription medication used to treat soft tissue sarcoma (STS), a type of cancer that begins in soft tissues such as muscles, fat, tendons, nerves, blood vessels or other supporting tissue.

Lartruvo belongs to a group of drugs called human monoclonal antibodies and specifically binds to and blocks the activity of platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFR-alpha). Blocking PDGFR-alpha will help to slow or stop the growth of cancer cells.

This medication helps to improve progression-free survival in patients with advanced or metastatic soft-tissue sarcoma. 

Lartruvo is given by intravenous (IV) infusion in a doctor's office, hospital, or infusion center.

Common side effects include nausea, fatigue, muscle pain, diarrhea and hair loss. 

Lartruvo is a prescription medication used in combination with a type of chemotherapy called doxorubicin to treat soft tissue sarcoma. Lartruvo helps to improve progression-free survival in patients with advanced or metastatic soft-tissue sarcoma that cannot be successfully treated by radiation or surgery. 

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

• Eli Lilly and Company

Serious side effects have been reported with Lartruvo. See the "Lartruvo Precautions" section.

Common side effects of Lartruvo (when given with doxorubicin) include the following:

• Nausea
• Fatigue
• Muscle, joint, or bone pain
• Mucositis (inflammaiton and ulceration of the digestive tract)
  • Commonly involves sores in the mouth and/or throat
• Hair loss
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Decreased appetite
• Abdominal pain
• Neuropathy
• Headache
• Dry eyes
• Feeling anxious
• Pale skin

This is not a complete list of Lartruvo 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 determined by the manufacturer. 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. 

Infusion reactions: Infusion reactions related to Lartruvo injections have occurred. Most of these reactions happened during or after the first or second Lartruvo injection. If this occurs, your doctor will decide to either slow the rate at which Lartruvo is injected into your veins or will stop the injection altogether. Tell your doctor or get medical help right away if you get any of these symptoms during or after an infusion this medication:

• Hives (red itchy welts) or rash
• Itching
• Swelling of your lips, tongue, throat or face
• Sudden cough
• Shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, or wheezing
• Weakness
• Dizziness or feel faint
• Palpitations (feel like your heart is racing or fluttering)
• Chest pain

Embryo-Fetal Toxicity: Lartruvo may cause harm to your unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. You should not become pregnant during your treatment with Lartruvo and for 3 months after your final dose. Talk to your doctor about birth control methods that you can use during your treatment. If you become pregnant while being treated with Lartruvo, call your doctor.

Lactation: Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding. Your doctor may tell you not to breastfeed during your treatment with Lartruvo and for 3 months after your final dose.

Impaired immune system: Lartruvo may cause a reduction in white blood cells, which can increase the risk of infection. Notify your healthcare provider right away if you notice signs of infection or develop a fever that is 100.5ºF or higher. 

No known food interactions. Medications can interact with certain foods. In some cases, this may be harmful and your doctor may advise you to avoid certain foods. In the case of Lartruvo, there are no specific foods that you must exclude from your diet when receiving this medication. 

Before taking Lartruvo, tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions. Especially tell your doctor if you:

• Are allergic to Lartruvo or to any of its ingredients
• Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant
• Are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed 
• Have liver problems
• Have kidney problems

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. 

Do not take Lartruvo if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant in the next 3 months. 

It has been shown that women taking Lartruvo during pregnancy may have babies born with serious problems. There are no situations where the benefits of the medication for the mother outweigh the risks of harm to the baby. These medicines should never be used by pregnant women.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. You should not become pregnant during your treatment with Lartruvo and for 3 months after your final dose. Talk to your doctor about birth control methods that you can use during your treatment. If you become pregnant while being treated with Lartruvo, call your doctor.

Do not breastfeed while being treated with Lartruvo or for 3 months after a dose. 

It is not known if Lartruvo crosses into human milk. Because many medications can cross into human milk and because of the possibility for serious adverse reactions in nursing infants with use of this medication, women should not breastfeed during treatment with Lartruvo and for 3 months following the last dose. Contact your healthcare provider right away if you are being treated with Lartruvo and plan to breastfeed. 

Lartruvo is available in an injectable form to be given by slowly injecting the medication directly into a vein (IV infusion) by a healthcare professional over 60 minutes. 

Your treatment will be scheduled in cycles. There are 3 weeks (21 days) in each treatment cycle. You will be given treatment on Days 1 and 8 of each 3-week (21-day) cycle.

On the first day of treatment, you will receive both Lartruvo and doxorubicin. On the 8th day, you will receive Lartruvo only.

Your healthcare team will decide the appropriate length of treatment.

Your treatment plan may include Lartruvo and doxorubicin for up to 8 cycles of treatment. After the 8th cycle, your healthcare team may decide to continue treatment with Lartruvo alone. This will depend on the progress of your disease and how your body responds to therapy.

If your medicine changes, it may also affect the side effects you experience.

If your disease progresses at any point during treatment, your doctor will end treatment with Lartruvo and discuss with you the appropriate next steps on your treatment path.

Each Lartruvo infusion will last approximately 60 minutes. On the first day of the cycle, your Lartruvo dose will be given before doxorubicin.

You will receive medications before your Lartruvo infusion. This will help prepare your body for treatment with Lartruvo.

The recommended Lartruvo dosing for the treatment of soft tissue sarcoma is as follows:

• The recommended dose of Lartruvo is based on your weight (15 mg/kg).
• Lartruvo is administered as an intravenous infusion over 60 minutes on Days 1 and 8 of each 21-day cycle.
• Lartruvo is continued until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.
• For the first 8 cycles, Lartruvo is administered along with the chemotherapy agent doxorubicin.

It is important to keep all of your appointments to receive your Lartruvo dose.

If side effects become intolerable, you may need to wait longer between doses, receive a lower dose, or permanently stop the medicine if potentially serious side effects occur. 

If Lartruvo is administered by a healthcare provider in a medical setting, it is unlikely that an overdose will occur. However, if overdose is suspected, seek emergency medical attention.