1. What is Loxifan and what is it used for
2. What you need to know before starting to take Loxifan
3. How to take Loxifan
4. Possible adverse effects
5. Storage of Loxifan
6. Contents of the package and additional information
What is Loxifan and how it works
Loxifan contains an active ingredient called letrozol. It belongs to a group of medicines called aromatase inhibitors. It is a hormone (or "endocrine") treatment for breast cancer. The growth of breast cancer is usually stimulated by estrogens, which are the female sex hormones. Loxifan reduces the amount of estrogen by blocking an enzyme ("aromatase") involved in estrogen production and therefore can block the growth of breast cancers that need estrogens to grow. As a result, tumor cells grow more slowly or stop growing and/or spreading to other parts of the body.
What is Loxifan used for
Loxifan is used to treat breast cancer in women who have gone through menopause, that is, the cessation of menstrual periods.
It is used to prevent breast cancer from recurring. It can be used as the first treatment before breast cancer surgery, if immediate surgery is not suitable, or it can be used as the first treatment after breast cancer surgery, or after five years of treatment with tamoxifeno. Loxifan is also used to prevent breast cancer from spreading to other parts of the body in patients with advanced breast cancer.
If you have any questions about how Loxifan works or why you have been prescribed this medicine, consult your doctor.
Follow carefully all instructions from your doctor. They may be different from the general information contained in this prospectus.
Do not take Loxifan
If any of these cases apply to you,do not take this medication and inform your doctor.
Warnings and precautions
Consult your doctor, pharmacist, or nurse before starting to take Loxifan:
If any of these cases apply to you,inform your doctor. Your doctor will take this into account during your treatment with Loxifan.
Letrozol may cause tendon inflammation or tendon injuries (see section 4). If you experience any signs of tendon pain or inflammation, rest the affected area and contact your doctor.
Children and adolescents (under 18years)
Children and adolescents should not use this medication.
Older adults (65years and older)
People 65years and older may use this medication at the same dose as adults.
Other medications and Loxifan
Inform your doctor or pharmacist that you are taking, have taken recently, or may need to take any other medication, including over-the-counter medications.
Pregnancy, breastfeeding, and fertility
Driving and operating machinery
If you feel dizzy, tired, sleepy, or unwell, do not drive or operate tools or machinery until you feel better again.
Loxifan contains lactose and sodium
If your doctor has told you that you have an intolerance to certain sugars, consult with them before taking this medication.
This medication contains less than 23 mg of sodium (1mmol) per tablet; this is essentially “sodium-free”.
Use in athletes
This medication contains letrozol, which may produce a positive result in doping control tests.
Follow exactly the administration instructions for this medication as indicated by your doctor or pharmacist. In case of doubt, consult your doctor or pharmacist again.
The usual dose is one Loxifan tablet once a day. If you take Loxifan at the same time every day, it will help you remember when to take the tablet.
The tablet can be taken with or without food and should be swallowed whole with a glass of water.
How long to take Loxifan
Continue taking Loxifan every day for the time your doctor tells you to. You may need to take it for months or even years. If you have any doubts about how long you should take Loxifan, consult your doctor.
Monitoring treatment with Loxifan
You should only take this medication under strict medical supervision. Your doctor will periodically monitor your condition to check that the treatment is having the desired effect.
Loxifan may cause a decrease in bone thickness or bone loss (osteoporosis) due to a decrease in estrogen in the body. Your doctor may decide to perform bone density measurements(a way to monitor osteoporosis) before, during, and after treatment.
If you take more Loxifan than you should
If you have taken too many Loxifan tablets, or if someone else has accidentally taken the tablets, contact your doctor or go to the hospital immediately. Show them the packaging of the tablets. You may need medical treatment. You can also call the Toxicology Information Service, Tel: 915620420, indicating the medication and the amount taken.
If you forget to take Loxifan
If you interrupt treatment with Loxifan
Do not stop taking Loxifan unless your doctor tells you to. See also the section “How long to take Loxifan”.
Most side effects are mild to moderate and usually disappear after a few days or weeks of treatment.
Some of these side effects, such as hot flashes, hair loss, or vaginal bleeding, may be due to a lack of estrogen.
Do not be alarmed by this list of possible side effects. You may not experience any of them.
Some side effects can be serious:
Rare(may affect up to 1 in 100patients):
Very rare(may affect up to 1 in 1,000patients):
Inform your doctor immediately if you experience any of the following:
Also, inform your doctor immediately if you experience any of the following symptoms during treatment with Loxifan:
Some side effects are very common(may affect more than 1 in 10patients):
Consult your doctor if any of these affect you severely.
Some side effects are common(may affect up to 1 in 10patients):
Inform your doctor if any of these affect you severely.
Some side effects are infrequent(may affect up to 1 in 100patients):
Side effects with unknown frequency(cannot be estimated from available data):
Trigger finger, a situation in which your finger or thumb stays locked in a bent position.
Inform your doctor if any of these affect you severely.
Reporting of side effects
If you experience any type of side effect, consult your doctor, pharmacist, or nurse, even if it is a possible side effect that does not appear in this prospectus. You can also report them directly through the Spanish System for Pharmacovigilance of Medicines for Human Use:www.notificaRAM.es. By reporting side effects, you can contribute to providing more information on the safety of this medication.
-Keep this medication out of the sight and reach of children.
Composition of Loxifan
Appearance of the product and contents of the package
-Loxifan is presented as film-coated tablets. The tablets are dark yellow and round. They have the mark “FV” on one face and “CG” on the other face.
-Each package with blisters contains 10, 14, 28, 30 or 100 tablets. Not all packages may be available in your country.
Marketing Authorization Holder
Novartis Farmacéutica, S.A.
Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, 764
08013 – Barcelona, España
Responsible for manufacturing
Novartis Farmacéutica, S.A.
Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, 764
08013 Barcelona, España
or
NOVARTIS PHARMA GMBH
Roonstrasse 25 (Nürnberg) - D-90429 - Alemania
or
NOVARTIS PHARMA, S.A.S.
8-10 Rue Henri Sainte-Claire Deville Rueil Malmaison - F-92500 - Francia
or
SALUTAS PHARMA GMBH
Otto Von Guericke Alle, 1 (Barleben) - D-39179 - Alemania
or
NOVARTIS SVERIGE AB
Torshamnsgatan 48, 164 40 Kista, Suecia
or
NOVARTIS FINLAND OY
Metsanneidonkujaq (Espoo) - FIN-02130 - Finlandia
or
NOVARTIS HUNGARIA KFT.
Bartok Bela ut 43-47 (Budapest) - 1114 - Hungría
or
NOVARTIS PHARMA GMBH
Jakov-Lind-Straβe 5, Top 3.05, 1020 Wien - Austria
or
NOVARTIS PHARMA BV
Haaksbergweg 16, 1101 BX Amsterdam - Paises Bajos
or
NOVARTIS FARMA S.P.A.
Via Provinciale Schito 131 (Torre Annunziata) - 80058 - Italia
or
NOVARTIS PHARMA NV/SA
Medialaan, 40 (Vilvoorde) - B-1800 - Bélgica
or
NOVARTIS HEALTHCARE A/S
Edvard Thomsens Vej 14,3.(Copenhagen) - DK-2300 - Dinamarca
or
NOVARTIS SRO
Na Pankraci 1724/129 Nusle (Praga) - 14000 - República Checa
or
NOVARTIS FARMA-PRODUCTOS FARMACEUTICOS, S.A.
Avenida Professor Doutor Cavaco Silva, nº 10E (Taguspark, Porto Salvo) - 2740-255 – Portugal
or
NOVARTIS (HELLAS) S.A.
12th Km National RoadAthinon-Lamias, MetamorphosisAttiki- 14451 - Grecia
or
Novartis Pharma GmbH
Sophie-Germain-Strasse 10, Nuremberg 90443, Alemania
or
NOVARTIS FARMA S.P.A.
Viale Luigi Sturzo 43, 20154, Milán (MI), Italia
This medicine is authorized in the member states of the European Economic Area with the following names:
Name of the member state | Name of the medicine |
Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Norway | Femar |
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Spain, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg (BE), Malta, Portugal, Slovenia, Netherlands | Femara |
Last review date of this leaflet:November/2020
Other sources of information
The detailed information of this medicine is available on the website of the Spanish Agency of Medicines and Medical Devices (AEMPS)
Have questions about this medication or your symptoms? Connect with a licensed doctor for guidance and personalized care.