Drug Interactions With Panitumumab

If your healthcare provider has prescribed panitumumab to treat colorectal cancer, it is important to tell him or her about all other medications, vitamins, and herbal supplements you are taking. Research has shown that combining panitumumab with bevacizumab, fluorouracil, or other chemotherapy drugs could lead to interactions like a quicker progression of the cancer, a shorter lifespan, and potentially serious side effects.

Panitumumab Drug Information

An Overview of Panitumumab Interactions

Panitumumab (Vectibix^®) can potentially interact with a few other medications. The medications that can lead to reactions with panitumumab include other anti-cancer or chemotherapy medications, including but not limited to:

Bevacizumab (Avastin^®)
Oxaliplatin (Eloxatin^®)
Irinotecan (Camptosar^®)
Fluorouracil (Adrucil^®, Carac^®, Efudex^®, Fluoroplex^®, also known as 5-FU).

More Detail on Drug Interactions With Panitumumab

Panitumumab is approved for use as a single agent for the treatment of certain types of colorectal cancer. It should not be used in combination with other chemotherapy medications.

In a study of people who received panitumumab in addition to bevacizumab and other chemotherapy agents, people who received the combination treatment had a faster disease progression, shorter lifespan, and an increased risk for serious side effects, such as:

Rash
Diarrhea
Low blood calcium and magnesium levels.

Final Thoughts

It is possible that not all drug interactions with panitumumab were discussed in this article.

Therefore, you should talk with your pharmacist or healthcare provider about the specific interactions that may apply to you.