HALAVEN 0.44 mg/mL Injectable Solution

Introduction

Package Leaflet: Information for the User

HALAVEN 0.44 mg/ml solution for injection

eribulin

Read all of this leaflet carefully before you start using this medicine because it contains important information for you.

• Keep this leaflet, you may need to read it again.
• If you have any further questions, ask your doctor or nurse.
• If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. See section 4.

Contents of the pack and other information

1. What is HALAVEN and what is it used for
2. What you need to know before you use HALAVEN
3. How to use HALAVEN
4. Possible side effects
5. Storage of HALAVEN

Contents of the pack and further information

1. What is HALAVEN and what is it used for

HALAVEN contains the active substance eribulin and is a cancer medicine that works by slowing down the growth and spread of cancer cells.

It is used to treat adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer (breast cancer that has spread beyond the original tumor) when at least one other treatment has been used and is no longer effective.

It is also used to treat adult patients with advanced or metastatic liposarcoma (a type of cancer that occurs in fat tissue) when other treatments have been used and are no longer effective.

2. What you need to know before you use HALAVEN

Do not use HALAVEN:

• if you are allergic to eribulin mesylate or any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6).
• if you are breast-feeding.

Warnings and precautions

Talk to your doctor or nurse before using HALAVEN

• if you have liver problems
• if you have a fever or infection
• if you have numbness, tingling, pinching, sensitivity to touch or muscle weakness
• if you have heart problems

If you are affected by any of these, tell your doctor as they may want to stop your treatment or reduce your dose.

Children and adolescents

Do not give this medicine to children under 18 years old as it is not effective in this age group.

Other medicines and HALAVEN

Tell your doctor if you are using, have recently used or might use any other medicines.

Pregnancy, breast-feeding and fertility

HALAVEN may cause serious birth defects and should not be used during pregnancy unless clearly necessary after considering all the risks to you and your baby. It may also cause permanent fertility problems in men if taken, and they should discuss this with their doctor before starting treatment. Women of childbearing age should use highly effective contraceptive methods during treatment with HALAVEN and for 7 months after finishing treatment.

Do not use HALAVEN during breast-feeding due to the possible risk to the baby.

Men with female partners of childbearing age should not get them pregnant while receiving HALAVEN. They should use effective contraceptive methods during treatment with HALAVEN and for 4 months after finishing treatment.

Driving and using machines

HALAVEN may cause side effects such as fatigue (very common) and dizziness (common). Do not drive or use machines if you feel tired or dizzy.

HALAVEN contains ethanol (alcohol)

This medicine contains small amounts of ethanol (alcohol), less than 100 mg per vial.

3. How to use HALAVEN

A qualified healthcare professional will give you HALAVEN as an injection into a vein over a period of 2 to 5 minutes. The dose you receive will be based on your body surface area (expressed in square meters, or m2) calculated from your weight and height. The usual dose of HALAVEN is 1.23 mg/m2, although your doctor may adjust it based on blood test results or other factors. After administration of HALAVEN, it is recommended to flush the vein with a saline solution to ensure that the full dose of HALAVEN is administered.

Frequency of administration of HALAVEN

HALAVEN is usually given on days 1 and 8 of each 21-day cycle. Your doctor will decide how many cycles of treatment you should receive. Depending on blood test results, your doctor may need to delay administration of the medicine until blood test results return to normal. At that time, your doctor may also decide to reduce the dose you are given.

If you have any further questions on the use of this medicine, ask your doctor.

4. Possible side effects

Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.

If you experience any of the following serious symptoms, stop taking HALAVEN and see a doctor immediately:

• Fever, with rapid heartbeat, rapid and shallow breathing, cool, pale, moist or mottled skin and/or confusion. These may be signs of a condition called septicemia, a severe and life-threatening reaction to an infection. Septicemia is uncommon (affects up to 1 in 100 people) and can be life-threatening and lead to death.
• Difficulty breathing or swelling of the face, mouth, tongue or throat. These may be signs of a rare allergic reaction (affects up to 1 in 100 people).
• Severe skin rash with blisters on the skin, mouth, eyes and genitals. These may be signs of a condition called Stevens-Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis. The frequency of this condition is not known, but it can be potentially fatal.

Other side effects:

Very common side effects (affects more than 1 in 10 people) are:

• Decrease in the number of white blood cells or red blood cells
• Fatigue or weakness
• Nausea, vomiting, constipation, diarrhea
• Numbness, tingling or pinching
• Fever
• Loss of appetite, weight loss
• Difficulty breathing, cough
• Pain in the joints, muscles and back
• Headache
• Hair loss

Common side effects (affects up to 1 in 10 people) are:

• Decrease in the number of platelets (which can lead to bruising or prolonged bleeding)
• Infection with fever, pneumonia, chills
• Rapid heartbeat, hot flushes
• Dizziness, lightheadedness
• Increased tear production, conjunctivitis (redness and irritation of the eye surface), nosebleed
• Dehydration, dry mouth, cold sores, mouth fungus, indigestion, heartburn, abdominal pain or swelling
• Swelling of soft tissues, pain (including chest, back and bone pain), muscle spasms or weakness
• Infections of the mouth, respiratory and urinary tract, pain when urinating
• Sore throat, nose pain, increased nasal secretion, flu-like symptoms, pharyngitis
• Abnormal liver function tests, altered blood sugar, bilirubin, phosphate, potassium, magnesium or calcium levels
• Insomnia, depression, altered sense of taste
• Rash, itching, nail problems, dryness or redness of the skin
• Excessive sweating (including night sweats)
• Ringing in the ears
• Blood clots in the lungs
• Shingles

• Swelling of the skin and numbness in hands and feet

Uncommon side effects (affects up to 1 in 100 people) are:

• Blood clots
• Abnormal liver function tests (hepatotoxicity)

• Kidney failure, blood or protein in the urine
• Widespread lung inflammation that can lead to scarring
• Pancreatitis
• Mouth ulcers

Rare side effects (affects up to 1 in 1000 people) are:

• A severe blood clotting disorder that can lead to widespread blood clots and internal bleeding

Reporting of side effects

If you experience any side effects, talk to your doctor or nurse, even if they are not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the Spanish Medicines Surveillance System for Human Use www.notificaRAM.es. By reporting side effects, you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.

5. Storage of HALAVEN

Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children.

Do not use this medicine after the expiry date which is stated on the carton and vial after EXP. The expiry date is the last day of the month shown.

No special storage conditions are required.

Medicines should not be disposed of via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to dispose of medicines no longer required. This will help protect the environment.

6. Contents of the pack and further information

Composition of HALAVEN

• The active substance is eribulin. Each 2 ml vial contains eribulin mesylate equivalent to 0.88 mg of eribulin.
• The other ingredients are ethanol and water for injections, with possible presence in very small amounts of hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide.

Appearance and packaging

HALAVEN is a clear and colorless aqueous solution for injection, in glass vials containing 2 ml of solution. Each carton contains 1 or 6 vials.

Marketing authorisation holder

Eisai GmbH

Edmund-Rumpler-Straße 3

60549 Frankfurt am Main Germany

e-mail: medinfo_de@eisai.net

Manufacturer

Eisai GmbH

Edmund-Rumpler-Straße 3

60549 Frankfurt am Main Germany

You can obtain further information on this medicine from the local representative of the marketing authorisation holder:

Date of last revision of this leaflet:

Detailed information on this medicine is available on the European Medicines Agency website: http://www.ema.europa.eu.