All the Active Ingredient Drugs
Antineoplastic. hydroxycarbamide 500 mg. Caps. 100 X 500 mg
Doses are based on real or ideal BW, whichever is the less.
In CML initial dose is 40 mg/kg/d depend. on the white cell count. The dose is reduced by 50 % (20 mg/kg/d when the white cell count has dropped below 20 x 109/l. Dose is then adjusted indiv. to keep the white cell count at 5 – 10 x 109/l. Dose should be reduc. if white cell counts fall below 5 x 109/l, and incr. if white cell counts > 10 x 109/l are observed.
If the white cell count falls below 2.5 x 109/l, or the platelet count below 100 x 109/l, ther. to be interrupted until the count rises significant. towards normal.
Trial period for determining effect is six weeks. If there is signif. clinical resp., ther. may be continued indef.
In essential thrombocythaemia, starting dose is 15 mg/kg/d with dose adjustm. to maintain a platelet count below 600 x 109/l without lowering the white blood cell count below 4 x 109/l.
In polycythaemia vera, start at dose of 15 – 20 mg/kg/d. The dose should be adjust. indiv. to maintain the haematocrit below 45 % and platelet count below 400 x 109/l. In most pts this can be achieved with doses of 500 to 1,000 mg/d.
If haematocrit and platelet count can be sufficiently controlled., ther. may be continued indef.
Tmt of pts with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) in the chron. or acceler. phase of the dis.
Tmt of pts with essential thrombocytaemia or polycythaemia vera with a high risk for thromboembolic complicat.
C/I: Hypersens. Sev. bone marrow depression, leukocytopenia (< 2.5 x 109 leukocytes/l), thrombocytopenia (< 100 x 109 platelets/l) or sev. anaemia.
