Verzenio (abemaciclib) is a medicine that is used for certain types of breast cancer. Verzenio is used to treat breast cancer that is hormone receptor (HR)-positive and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative. It can be used to treat early breast cancer or breast cancer that is advanced or has spread to other parts of the body (metastatic). This article will focus on Verzenio treating early breast cancer.
How Does Verzenio Work for Early Breast Cancer?
Verzenio is a type of medicine called a kinase inhibitor. Kinases are enzymes in the body that can send and receive signals to help your cells do important functions. Verzenio blocks the action of cyclin-dependent kinases 4 and 6 (CDK4 and CDK6). Kinases CDK4 and CDK6 send signals to help cancer cells to grow and multiply. Verzenio blocks the activity of CDK4 and CDK6 to help stop cancer cells from growing and multiplying and to make tumors shrink in size.
What Kind of Early Breast Cancer Does Verzenio Treat?
Early breast cancer that is HR-positive and HER2-negative and has a high risk of recurrence (coming back) may be treated by Verzenio. Early breast cancer means the cancer has not spread outside of the breast or the nearby lymph nodes. It is usually given with another medicine. Verzenio is used after you have received your initial treatment for the cancer. These initial treatments may include surgery and chemotherapy.
How Do I Take Verzenio for Early Breast Cancer?
Verzenio is taken as a tablet that you will swallow. You take Verzenio twice a day, and you can take it with or without food. You should try to take your Verzenio doses around the same time every day. Verzenio should be taken whole, and you should not crush or chew them. Do not take tablets that are broken, cracked, or damaged, and contact your pharmacy about getting them replaced. If you vomit after taking a dose of Verzenio, skip the dose and do not take an extra dose. Take your next Verzenio dose as scheduled.
You will continue taking Verzenio for early breast cancer for up to 2 years. This means you will take it until your cancer progresses or you have side effects that make it not safe for you to take, or you reach 2 years of taking Verzenio. If you have certain side effects, your health care provider may change or pause your doses of Verzenio. In some cases they may tell you to stop taking Verzenio completely.
How Well Does Verzenio Work for Early Breast Cancer?
The FDA approved Verzenio for HR-positive, HER2-negative early breast cancer that has a high risk of coming back based on clinical trials that looked at how effective Verzenio was when it was combined with another medicine. In the monarchE clinical trial, people took either Verzenio combined with a hormone therapy or hormone therapy alone for up to 2 years. All people in the clinical trial continued taking hormone therapy for up to 5 years if their health care provider decided it was right for them. The clinical trial included 5,637 people, with 2,555 people taking Verzenio. They were followed to see how long it took for their breast cancer to come back, have another cancer, or to die. This measurement is called the invasive disease-free survival (IDFS). At 4 years (48 months), the IDFS was 85.5% in people who took Verzenio and hormone therapy compared to 78.6% for hormone therapy alone. This means that at 4 years, 85.5% of people who took Verzenio did not have their cancer come back, did not have another cancer, and did not die and that Verzenio improved the IDFS by 6.9% from hormone therapy alone at 4 years.
How Will My Progress Be Monitored?
Verzenio will start working as soon as you start taking the medicine. Your health care provider will usually do a scan to see how your cancer is responding to the treatment 6 weeks after you start your medicine. They may choose to do the scan earlier or later than 6 weeks.
Verzenio can cause low white blood cell counts, called neutropenia. If not treated, neutropenia can cause serious infections that can be dangerous and even life-threatening. Your health care provider will do regular blood tests to monitor your blood counts such as white blood cells, neutrophils, and platelets so your health care provider knows that you can continue to take Verzenio safely. If you have certain side effects such as a cough, your health care provider may do additional tests to make sure it is safe for you to continue to take Verzenio.
How Can I Prevent and Manage Side Effects?
Side effects are common with medicines that treat cancer, including Verzenio. It is important to tell your health care provider about any side effects you have during or after taking Verzenio. They can help to determine if your side effects are serious or provide more information to help you manage the side effects.
You can ask your health care provider what you can do to prevent or treat common side effects. For example, you can help prevent and treat nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea by eating bland foods and having multiple small meals throughout the day instead of three large meals. They may also recommend you keep certain over-the-counter medicines on hand to treat common side effects like diarrhea and what to do if you have severe diarrhea. They will also tell you how to watch for severe side effects such as lung problems or blood clots and what to do if you have these side effects.
If you have certain side effects while you take Verzenio, your health care provider may need to change your dose of medicine, pause your doses, or even stop your medicine altogether. This will depend on the side effect you experience, how severe it is, and what treatment it needs. If your Verzenio dose needs to be lowered, the medicine will continue to work in your body. If your medicine is paused, your health care provider might restart the medication at the same dose or at a lower dose once your side effect is treated and gets better.
What Are Other Unique Considerations to Be Aware Of?
While taking Verzenio, you will need to avoid grapefruit. You should not eat grapefruit or drink anything that has grapefruit juice. This is because grapefruit can block your body’s ability to break down (metabolize) Verzenio, causing too much of the medicine to stay in your body and increase your risk for side effects.
While taking Verzenio, you should not take a medicine called ketoconazole. Ketoconazole is an antifungal that is used to treat some infections. It can cause too much Verzenio to stay in your body and increase your risk for dangerous side effects.
If you are taking certain medications, your dose of Verzenio may need to be lowered. Tell your healthcare provider about all medications and supplements you are taking or plan to take while taking Verzenio. They will help to tell you how to take Verzenio so it can be safe and effective for treating your cancer.
If you have certain health conditions such as liver problems, your dose of Verzenio may need to be changed to once daily. Talk with your health care provider about your health history and any issues you’ve had in the past.
Is There Any Cost Assistance Available?
The manufacturer of Verzenio has a program to help support financial assistance and may be able to offer coupons or savings for Verzenio.
