Nubeqa

Nubeqa is a prescription medication used to treat prostate cancer that has not spread to other parts of the body and no longer responds to a medical or surgical treatment that lowers testosterone.

Nubeqa belongs to a group of drugs called androgen receptor inhibitors. These therapies work by blocking an enzyme necessary for the production of testosterone. Without testosterone, the cancer cells may either grow more slowly, or stop growing altogether.

This medication is available in tablet form to be taken twice daily with food. Swallow Nubeqa tablets whole. Do not crush or chew them.

Common side effects include tiredness, arm, leg, hand or foot pain, and rash.

Nubeqa is a prescription medicine used to treat men with prostate cancer that has not spread to other parts of the body and no longer responds to a medical or surgical treatment that lowers testosterone.

It is not known if Nubeqa is safe and effective in females. It is not known if Nubeqa is safe and effective in children.

This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Serious side effects may occur. See "Nubeqa Precautions" sections.

The most common side effects of Nubeqa include:

• feeling more tired than usual
• arm, leg, hand or foot pain
• rash
• decreased white blood cells (neutropenia)
• changes in liver function tests

Nubeqa may cause fertility problems in males, which may affect the ability to father children. Talk to your healthcare provider if you have concerns about fertility.

These are not all the possible side effects of Nubeqa.

Call your healthcare provider for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1- 800-FDA-1088.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Nubeqa may affect the way other medicines work and other medicines may affect how Nubeqa works.

Especially tell your healthcare provider if you take:

• carbamazepine
• conivaptan
• indinavir 
• itraconazole
• ketoconazole
• phenytoin
• posaconazole
• rifampin
• ritonavir
• St. John’s wort
• telithromycin

You should not start or stop any medicine before you talk with the healthcare provider that prescribed Nubeqa.

Know the medicines you take. Keep a list of them with you to show to your healthcare provider and pharmacist when you get a new medicine.

This is not a complete list of Nubeqa drug interactions. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

If you are a caregiver and you prepare Nubeqa doses for someone else, avoid touching Nubeqa tablets. Wear gloves or pour the pills directly from the container into the cap, a small cup, or directly into the patient's hand. Always wash your hands before and after giving the medication. Pregnant or nursing women should not prepare the dose.

The safety and efficacy of Nubeqa have not been established in females. Based on its mechanism of action, Nubeqa can cause fetal harm and loss of pregnancy when administered to a pregnant female.

Medications can interact with certain foods. In some cases, this may be harmful and your doctor may advise you to avoid certain foods. In the case of Nubeqa, there are no specific foods that you must exclude from your diet when receiving this medication.

Before taking Nubeqa, tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions, including if you:

• have kidney or liver problems
• are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Nubeqa can cause harm to your unborn baby and loss of pregnancy (miscarriage).
• have a partner who may become pregnant. Males who have female partners who may become pregnant should use effective birth control (contraception) during treatment and for 1 week after the last dose of Nubeqa. Talk with your healthcare provider about birth control methods.
• are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if Nubeqa passes into breast milk.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

Nubeqa is a prescription medication used to treat men with prostate cancer. It is not intended for use in women. Males who have female partners who may become pregnant should use effective birth control (contraception) during treatment and for 1 week after the last dose of Nubeqa. Talk with your healthcare provider about birth control methods.

Nubeqa can cause harm to your unborn baby and loss of pregnancy (miscarriage) in women.

Nubeqa is intended for use in men with prostate cancer.

Tell your healthcare provider if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if Nubeqa passes into breast milk. Because many medications can cross into human milk and because the possibility for serious adverse reactions in nursing infants with use of this medication, a choice should be made whether to stop nursing or stop the use of this medication. Your doctor and you will decide if the benefits outweigh the risk of using Nubeqa.

• Take Nubeqa exactly as your healthcare provider tells you.
• Your healthcare provider may change your dose if needed.
• Take your prescribed dose of Nubeqa 2 times a day with food.
• Swallow Nubeqa tablets whole.
• If you are receiving gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analog therapy, you should continue with this treatment during your treatment with Nubeqa unless you have had a surgery to lower the amount of testosterone in your body (surgical castration).
• If you miss a dose of Nubeqa, take your prescribed dose as soon as you remember before the next
• scheduled dose. Do not take 2 doses together to make up for a missed dose.

Take this medication exactly as prescibed by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully. 

The recommended dose of Nubeqa is 600 mg (two 300 mg film-coated tablets) taken orally, twice daily, equivalent to a total daily dose of 1200 mg.

If you take too much Nubeqa, call your healthcare provider or local poison control center, or seek emergency medical attention right away.

• Store Nubeqa at room temperature between 68°F to 77°F (20°C to 25°C).
• Keep the bottle tightly closed after you first open it.
• Keep Nubeqa and all medicines out of the reach of children.
• Ask your oncology team where to return any unused medication for disposal. Do not flush down the toilet or throw in the trash.