What is Irinotecan and what it is used for:

Irinotecan injection is recommended together with the leucovorin and fluorouracil, for treating patients with the metastatic adenocarcinoma of the pancreas after disease progression following the gemcitabine-based therapy.

Dosage:
The recommended dose of Irinotecan is 70 mg/m2 should be administered by intravenous infusion over the 90 minutes every 14 days.
The recommended starting dose of Irinotecan in patients known to be homozygous for UGT1A1 7/7 genotype is 50 mg/m2, which should be administered by intravenous infusion over the 90 minutes. Increase the dose of Irinotecan to 70 mg/m2 as tolerated in the subsequent cycles.

Treatment Reactions: The most common side effects of irinotecan are given as follows:

  • Diarrhea
  • Weakness
  • Weight Loss
  • Vomiting
  • Dehydration
  • Hair loss
  • Loss of appetite
  • Nausea
  • Low red blood cell count
  • Mouth sores
  • Low white blood cell count
  • Constipation
  • Chills

How Supplied/Storage and Handling:
The single vial injection is stored at 15° to 30°C (59° to 86°F). This injection is prepared by mixing Sodium Chloride Injection, USP with 5% Dextrose Injection.

Conclusion: The systemic analysis specified that the irinotecan based regimens are quite beneficial as well as safe for treating the metastatic adenocarcinoma patients.