RITUXAN (Rituximab) Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

Aggressive Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma: Before & After TherapyAggressive Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma: Before and After Therapy

 

What should I tell my doctor before treatment with RITUXAN?

Tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions, including if you:

  • had a severe infusion reaction to RITUXAN in the past.
  • have an infection or have an infection that will not go away or that keeps coming back.
  • have or had hepatitis (liver) infection. If so, your doctor should check you closely for signs of hepatitis infection during treatment with RITUXAN and for several months after treatment ends.
  • are scheduled to receive any vaccinations. You should not receive live vaccines after you receive RITUXAN.
  • have heart or lung problems.
  • are pregnant or planning to become pregnant. It is not known if RITUXAN can harm your unborn baby.
  • are breastfeeding. It is not known if RITUXAN passes into human breast milk. You should not breastfeed while being treated with RITUXAN and after finishing treatment, until blood tests show that there is no RITUXAN in your blood.

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, or herbal supplements.

How do I receive RITUXAN?

  • RITUXAN is given through a needle placed in a vein (IV or intravenous infusion) in your arm. Talk to your doctor about how you will receive RITUXAN.
  • Your doctor may prescribe medicines before each infusion of RITUXAN to reduce side effects of infusions (such as fever and chills).
  • Your doctor should do regular blood tests to check for side effects to RITUXAN.

Before each RITUXAN treatment, your doctor or nurse will ask you questions about your general health to make sure that RITUXAN is still right for you. Tell your doctor or nurse about any new symptoms and symptoms that get worse over a few days or that will not go away.

What are the possible side effects of RITUXAN?

RITUXAN can cause serious side effects including:

  • Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML)
    • PML is a rare brain infection. PML usually causes death or severe disability.
    • Call your doctor right away if you notice any new or worsening medical problems, such as a new or sudden change in thinking, walking, strength, vision, or other problems that have lasted over several days.
    • PML usually happens in patients with weakened immune systems.
    • PML can occur during treatment with RITUXAN or after treatment has finished.
    • There is no known treatment, prevention, or cure for PML.
  • Infusion reactions. Tell your doctor or get medical treatment right away if you get hives, swelling, dizziness, blurred vision, drowsiness, headache, cough, wheezing, or have trouble breathing while receiving or after receiving RITUXAN.
  • Tumor Lysis Syndrome (TLS). TLS is caused by the fast breakdown of certain types of cancer cells. TLS can cause kidney failure and the need for dialysis treatment. Patients receiving RITUXAN for Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (NHL) may get TLS. Your doctor will check you for TLS.
  • Severe skin reactions.Tell your doctor or get medical treatment right away if you get any of these symptoms: painful sores on your skin or in your mouth, ulcers, blisters, or peeling skin while receiving or after receiving RITUXAN.

RITUXAN can cause other serious and life-threatening side effects, including:

  • Hepatitis B virus reactivation. Tell your doctor if you had hepatitis B virus or are a carrier of hepatitis B virus. Receiving RITUXAN could cause the hepatitis B virus to become an active infection again. This may cause serious liver problems and death. People with active liver disease due to hepatitis B should stop receiving RITUXAN.
  • Heart problems. Tell your doctor about any heart problems you have including chest pain (angina) and irregular heart beats. RITUXAN can cause chest pain and irregular heart beats which may require treatment.
  • Infections. RITUXAN can increase your chances for getting infections. Call your doctor right away if you have a cough that will not go away, fever, chills, congestion, or any flu-like symptoms while receiving RITUXAN. These symptoms may be signs of a serious infection.
  • Stomach and bowel problems. Serious stomach and bowel problems have been seen when RITUXAN has been used with anti-cancer medicines in some patients with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Call your doctor right away if you have any stomach area pain during treatment with RITUXAN.

Common side effects during RITUXAN infusions include:

  • fever
  • chills and shakes
  • itching
  • cough
  • throat irritation or tightness
  • headache
  • nausea
  • hives
  • sneezing

Other side effects with RITUXAN include:

  • aching joints
  • upper respiratory tract infection
  • decreased blood cell counts
  • lung problems

Tell your doctor about any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away. These are not all of the possible side effects with RITUXAN. Ask your doctor for more information.

Remember that results may be different for different people. Read the Medication Guide for a summary of the most important information about RITUXAN. Be sure to ask your oncologist which treatment options are right for you.

 

Safety Information

INDICATIONS

RITUXAN® (rituximab) is indicated for the treatment of patients with:

  • Relapsed or refractory, low-grade or follicular, CD20-positive, B-cell NHL as a single agent
  • Previously untreated follicular, CD20-positive, B-cell NHL in combination with CVP chemotherapy
  • Non-progressing (including stable disease), low-grade, CD20-positive B-cell NHL, as a single agent, after first-line CVP chemotherapy
  • Previously untreated diffuse large B-cell, CD20-positive NHL in combination with CHOP or other anthracycline-based chemotherapy regimens

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

RITUXAN can cause serious side effects, some of which can be life-threatening, including: Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML), infusion reactions, Tumor Lysis Syndrome (TLS), and severe skin reactions. Other serious and life-threatening side effects with RITUXAN include: hepatitis B virus reactivation, heart problems, infections, and stomach and bowel problems. Common side effects during RITUXAN infusions include: fever, headache, chills and shakes, nausea, itching, hives, cough, sneezing, and throat irritation or tightness.

Tell your doctor about any side effects that bother you or that do not go away. These are not all of the possible side effects with RITUXAN. Ask your doctor for more information.

Please read the Medication Guide in HTML or PDF versions for more information.