Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)
The recommended daily dose of Tarceva for non-small cell lung cancer is 150 mg taken on an empty stomach at least one hour before or two hours after a meal. Treatment should continue until disease progression or serious side effects require discontinuation.
Pancreatic Cancer
The recommended daily dose of Tarceva for pancreatic cancer is 100 mg taken on an empty stomach at least one hour before or two hours after a meal, in combination with gemcitabine. Treatment should continue until disease progression or serious side effects require discontinuation.
Serious, life-threatening side effects can occur with this medication including:
- Lung inflammation
- Kidney failure
- Liver failure
- GI perforation (a hole in the digestive tract)
- Skin reactions
- Heart attack and stroke
- Low red blood cell counts
- Eye problems
Contact your doctor right away if you have any of the following signs or symptoms:
- a new or worsened skin rash
- severe or long-lasting diarrhea, nausea, decreased appetite, or vomiting
- difficulty breathing
- a new or worsened cough
- eye irritation
Tarceva is a prescription medicine used to treat:
- nonsmall cell lung cancer that has spread to nearby tissues or other parts of the body. Tarceva is used when at least one other chemotherapy medication has not worked.
- On May 14, 2013, the U. S. Food and Drug Administration approved Tarceva for the first-line treatment of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients whose tumors have epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) exon 19 deletions or exon 21 (L858R) substitution mutations. This indication for Tarceva was approved concurrently with the cobas EGFR Mutation Test, a companion diagnostic test for patient selection.
- pancreatic cancer that has spread to nearby tissue or other parts of the body. Tarceva is used with gemcitabine (Gemzar).
This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.
Grapefruit and grapefruit juice may interact with Tarceva and lead to potentially dangerous effects. Discuss the use of grapefruit products with your doctor.
Tarceva is in a class of medications called kinase inhibitors. It works by blocking the action of an abnormal protein that signals cancer cells to multiply. This helps slow or stop the spread of cancer cells.
Tarceva is used to treat nonsmall cell lung cancer that has spread to nearby tissues or to other parts of the body in patients who have already been treated with at least one other chemotherapy medication and have not gotten better. Erlotinib is also used in combination with another medication (gemcitabine [Gemzar]) to treat pancreatic cancer that has spread to nearby tissues or to other parts of the body.
Tell your doctor if you are allergic to Tarceva, any other medications, or any of the ingredients in erlotinib tablets.
Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take including prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
Tell your doctor if you are being treated or have recently been treated with chemotherapy or radiation therapy (treatment for cancer that uses waves of high energy particles to kill cancer cells).
Tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions especially if you have or have ever had lung disease or infection, stomach ulcers, diverticular disease (condition in which abnormal pouches form in the large intestine and may become inflamed), or liver or kidney disease.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant, or if you are breastfeeding. You should not become pregnant while you are taking Tarceva and for at least 2 weeks after your treatment. Talk to your doctor about birth control methods that you can use during your treatment. If you become pregnant while taking Tarceva, call your doctor immediately. This medication may harm the fetus.
Tell your doctor if you use tobacco products. Cigarette smoking may decrease the effectiveness of this medication.
Tarceva may cause side effects. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:
- diarrhea
- loss of appetite
- nausea
- vomiting
- heartburn
- gas
- constipation
- stomach pain
- mouth sores
- weight loss
- extreme tiredness
- headache
- bone or muscle pain
- depression
- anxiety
- numbness, burning, or tingling of the hands or feet
- swelling of the arms, hands, feet, ankles, or lower legs
- darkening of skin
- hair loss
- changes in the appearance of the hair and nails
Some side effects can be serious. If you experience any of these symptoms, call your doctor immediately:
- rash (may look like acne and may affect the skin on the face, upper chest, or back)
- blistering, peeling, dry, or cracked skin
- itching, tenderness, or burning of the skin
- shortness of breath
- cough
- fever or chills
- growth of eyelashes on the inside of the eyelid
- dry, red, painful, or irritated eyes
- blurred vision
- chest pain or pressure
- pain in the arms, neck, or upper back
- rapid, irregular, or pounding heartbeat
- slow or difficult speech
- dizziness or faintness
- weakness or numbness of an arm or leg
- unusual bruising or bleeding
- black and tarry or bloody stools
- vomit that is bloody or looks like coffee grounds
- sunken eyes
- dry mouth
- decreased urination
- dark urine
- pale or yellow skin
- redness, warmth, pain, tenderness, or swelling in one leg
Tarceva may cause other side effects. Call your doctor if you have any unusual problems while taking this medication.
Serious, life-threatening side effects can occur with this medication including:
- Lung inflammation
- Kidney failure
- Liver failure
- GI perforation (a hole in the digestive tract)
- Skin reactions
- Heart attack and stroke
- Low red blood cell counts
- Eye problems
Contact your doctor right away if you have any of the following signs or symptoms:
- a new or worsened skin rash
- severe or long-lasting diarrhea, nausea, decreased appetite, or vomiting
- difficulty breathing
- a new or worsened cough
- eye irritation
Tarceva is a prescription medicine approved for use in the treatment of nonsmall cell lung cancer that has spread to nearby tissues or to other parts of the body in patients who have already been treated with at least one other chemotherapy medication and have not gotten better.
Tarceva is also used in combination with another medication (gemcitabine [Gemzar]) to treat pancreatic cancer that has spread to nearby tissues or to other parts of the body.
This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.
Tarceva is available in 25 mg, 100 mg, and 150 mg tablets.
Active ingredient: erlotinib hydrochloride
Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Especially tell your doctor if you take:
- bevacizumab (Avastin)
- anticoagulants (‘blood thinners’) such as warfarin (Coumadin)
- certain antifungals such as itraconazole (Sporanox), ketoconazole (Nizoral), and voriconazole (Vfend)
- carbamazepine (Tegretol)
- ciprofloxacin (Cipro, Proquin XR)
- clarithromycin (Biaxin)
- HIV protease inhibitors such as atazanavir (Reyataz), indinavir (Crixivan), nelfinavir (Viracept), ritonavir (Norvir), and saquinavir (Fortovase, Invirase)
- H2 blockers such as cimetidine (Tagamet), famotidine (Pepcid), nizatidine (Axid), and ranitidine (Zantac)
- benzoyl peroxide (in Epiduo, in BenzaClin, in Benzamycin, others)
- midazolam (Versed)
- nefazodone
- nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn)
- oral steroids such as dexamethasone (Decadron, Dexone), methylprednisolone (Medrol), and prednisone (Deltasone)
- phenobarbital (Luminal, Solfoton)
- phenytoin (Dilantin)
- proton pump inhibitors such as esomeprazole (Nexium), lansoprazole (Prevacid), omeprazole (Prilosec), pantoprazole (Protonix), and rabeprazole (AcipHex)
- rifabutin (Mycobutin)
- rifampin (Rifadin, Rimactane)
- rifapentine
- taxane medications for cancer such as docetaxel (Taxotere) and paclitaxel (Abraxane, Taxol)
- telithromycin (Ketek)
- St. John’s wort
- tobacco products. Cigarette smoke may decrease Tarceva blood concentrations and may reduce Tarceva’s effectiveness.
This is not a complete list of Tarceva drug interactions. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.
Keep this and all medications out of reach of children.
Store Tarceva at room temperature and away from excess heat and moisture (not in the bathroom).
Tarceva comes as a tablet to take by mouth. It is usually taken on an empty stomach once a day, at least 1 hour before or 2 hours after eating a meal or snack. Take Tarceva at around the same time every day. Take Tarceva exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor.
Your doctor may decrease your dose of Tarceva during your treatment. This depends on how well the medication works for you and the side effects you experience. Talk to your doctor about how you are feeling during your treatment. Continue to take Tarceva even if you feel well. Do not stop taking Tarceva without talking to your doctor.
If you forget to take a dose, take the next dose at your regular time the next day. Do not take a double dose to make up for a missed one.
Avoid unnecessary or prolonged exposure to sunlight and wear protective clothing, sunglasses, and sunscreen. Exposure to sunlight increases the risk that you will develop a rash during your treatment with Tarceva.
Tarceva may cause rashes and other skin problems. To protect your skin, use a mild alcohol-free moisturizer, wash your skin with mild soap, and remove cosmetics with a mild cleanser.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. You should not become pregnant while you are taking Tarceva and for at least 2 weeks after your treatment. Talk to your doctor about birth control methods that you can use during your treatment. If you become pregnant while taking Tarceva, call your doctor immediately. This medication may harm the fetus.
Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if Tarceva is excreted in human breast milk or if it will harm your nursing baby.
Tarceva comes as a tablet to take by mouth. It is usually taken on an empty stomach once a day, at least 1 hour before or 2 hours after eating a meal or snack. Take Tarceva at around the same time every day. Take Tarceva exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor.
Your doctor may decrease your dose of Tarceva during your treatment. This depends on how well the medication works for you and the side effects you experience. Talk to your doctor about how you are feeling during your treatment. Continue to take Tarceva even if you feel well. Do not stop taking Tarceva without talking to your doctor.
If you forget to take a dose, take the next dose at your regular time the next day. Do not take a double dose to make up for a missed one.
Avoid unnecessary or prolonged exposure to sunlight and wear protective clothing, sunglasses, and sunscreen. Exposure to sunlight increases the risk that you will develop a rash during your treatment with Tarceva.
Tarceva may cause rashes and other skin problems. To protect your skin, use a mild alcohol-free moisturizer, wash your skin with mild soap, and remove cosmetics with a mild cleanser.
Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)
The recommended daily dose of Tarceva for non-small cell lung cancer is 150 mg taken on an empty stomach at least one hour before or two hours after a meal. Treatment should continue until disease progression or serious side effects require discontinuation.
Pancreatic Cancer
The recommended daily dose of Tarceva for pancreatic cancer is 100 mg taken on an empty stomach at least one hour before or two hours after a meal, in combination with gemcitabine. Treatment should continue until disease progression or serious side effects require discontinuation.
Tell your doctor if you are allergic to Tarceva, any other medications, or any of the ingredients in erlotinib tablets.
Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take including prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
Tell your doctor if you are being treated or have recently been treated with chemotherapy or radiation therapy (treatment for cancer that uses waves of high energy particles to kill cancer cells).
Tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions especially if you have or have ever had lung disease or infection, stomach ulcers, diverticular disease (condition in which abnormal pouches form in the large intestine and may become inflamed), or liver or kidney disease.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant, or if you are breastfeeding.
Tell your doctor if you use tobacco products. Cigarette smoking may decrease the effectiveness of this medication.
If you take too much Tarceva, call your local Poison Control Center or seek emergency medical attention right away.