Dosage & Administration
The recommended dosage of WELIREG is 120 mg administered orally once daily with or without food.
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Welireg Prescribing Information
- Exposure to WELIREG during pregnancy can cause embryo-fetal harm.
- Verify pregnancy status prior to the initiation of WELIREG.
- Advise patients of these risks and the need for effective non-hormonal contraception. WELIREG can render some hormonal contraceptives ineffective [see Warnings and Precautions (5.3), Drug Interactions (7.2), Use in Specific Populations (8.1, 8.3)].
von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease
WELIREG is indicated for treatment of adult patients with von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease who require therapy for associated renal cell carcinoma (RCC), central nervous system (CNS) hemangioblastomas, or pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNET), not requiring immediate surgery.
1.2 Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC)
WELIREG is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) with a clear cell component following a programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1) or programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitor and a vascular endothelial growth factor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (VEGF-TKI).
Recommended Dosage
The recommended dosage of WELIREG is 120 mg administered orally once daily until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. WELIREG should be taken at the same time each day and may be taken with or without food.
Advise patients to swallow tablets whole. Do not chew, crush, or split WELIREG prior to swallowing.
If a dose of WELIREG is missed, it can be taken as soon as possible on the same day. Resume the regular daily dose schedule for WELIREG the next day. Do not take extra tablets to make up for the missed dose.
If vomiting occurs any time after taking WELIREG, do not retake the dose. Take the next dose on the next day.
Dosage Modifications for Adverse Reactions
Dosage modifications for WELIREG for adverse reactions are summarized in Table 1.
The recommended dose reductions are:
- First dose reduction: WELIREG 80 mg orally once daily
- Second dose reduction: WELIREG 40 mg orally once daily
- Third dose reduction: Permanently discontinue
| Adverse Reaction | Severity | Dosage Modification |
|---|---|---|
| Anemia [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1)] | Hemoglobin <8 g/dL or transfusion indicated |
|
| Life-threatening or urgent intervention indicated |
| |
| Hypoxia [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2)] | Decreased oxygen saturation with exercise (e.g., pulse oximeter <88%) |
|
| Decreased oxygen saturation at rest (e.g., pulse oximeter <88% or PaO2 ≤55 mm Hg) or urgent intervention indicated |
| |
| Life-threatening or recurrent symptomatic hypoxia |
| |
| Other Adverse Reactions [see Adverse Reactions (6)] | Grade 3 |
|
| Grade 4 |
|
Tablets: 40 mg, blue, oval shaped, film-coated, debossed with “177” on one side and plain on the other side.
Pregnancy
Risk Summary
Based on findings in animal studies, WELIREG can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman. There are no available data on the use of WELIREG in pregnant women to inform the drug-associated risk. In an animal reproduction study, oral administration of belzutifan to pregnant rats during the period of organogenesis caused embryo-fetal lethality, reduced fetal body weight, and fetal skeletal malformations at maternal exposures ≥0.2 times the human exposure (AUC) at the recommended dose of 120 mg daily (see Data). Advise pregnant women and females of reproductive potential of the potential risk to a fetus.
The background risk of major birth defects and miscarriage for the indicated population is unknown. In the U.S. general population, the estimated background risk of major birth defects and miscarriage in clinically recognized pregnancies is 2–4% and 15–20%, respectively.
Data
Animal Data
In a pilot embryo-fetal development study, pregnant rats received oral doses of 6, 60, or 200 mg/kg/day of belzutifan during the period of organogenesis. Belzutifan caused embryo-fetal lethality at doses ≥60 mg/kg/day (approximately 1 time the human exposure at the recommended dose based on AUC). Reduced fetal body weights, fetal rib malformations, and reduced skeletal ossification occurred at doses of 6 and 60 mg/kg/day (approximately ≥0.2 times the human exposure at the recommended dose based on AUC).
Lactation
Risk Summary
There are no data on the presence of belzutifan or its metabolites in human milk or their effects on the breastfed child or on milk production. Because of the potential for serious adverse reactions in a breastfed child, advise women not to breastfeed during treatment with WELIREG and for 1 week after the last dose.
Females and Males of Reproductive Potential
WELIREG can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman [see Use in Specific Populations (8.1)].
Pregnancy Testing
Verify the pregnancy status of females of reproductive potential prior to initiating treatment with WELIREG.
Contraception
Females
Advise females of reproductive potential to use effective non-hormonal contraception during treatment with WELIREG and for 1 week after the last dose. WELIREG can render some hormonal contraceptives ineffective [see Drug Interactions (7.2)].
Males
Advise males with female partners of reproductive potential to use effective contraception during treatment with WELIREG and for 1 week after the last dose.
Infertility
Based on findings in animals, WELIREG may impair fertility in males and females of reproductive potential [see Nonclinical Toxicology (13.1)]. The reversibility of the effect on fertility is unknown.
Pediatric Use
Safety and effectiveness of WELIREG have not been established in pediatric patients.
Geriatric Use
Of the patients who received WELIREG in LITESPARK-004, 3.3% were ≥65 years old [see Clinical Studies (14.1)] Clinical trials of WELIREG in patients with VHL did not include sufficient numbers of patients aged 65 and older to determine whether they respond differently from younger patients.
Of the 372 patients who received WELIREG for advanced RCC in LITESPARK-005, 62% of patients younger than 65 years, 28% of patients were 65 to 74 years, and 10% were 75 years and over. No overall difference in efficacy was reported between patients who were ≥65 years of age and younger patients. Dose interruptions occurred in 48% of patients ≥65 years of age and in 34% of younger patients. Dose reductions occurred in 18% of patients ≥65 years of age and in 10% of younger patients.
Renal Impairment
No dosage modification of WELIREG is recommended in patients with mild (eGFR 60-89 mL/min/1.73 m2 estimated by MDRD) and moderate (eGFR 30-59 mL/min/1.73 m2) renal impairment [see Clinical Pharmacology (12.3)]. WELIREG has not been studied in patients with severe (eGFR 15-29 mL/min/1.73 m2) renal impairment.
Hepatic Impairment
No dosage modification of WELIREG is recommended in patients with mild [total bilirubin ≤ upper limit of normal (ULN) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) > ULN or total bilirubin >1 to 1.5 x ULN and any AST] hepatic impairment. WELIREG has not been studied in patients with moderate or severe hepatic impairment (total bilirubin >1.5 x ULN and any AST) [see Clinical Pharmacology (12.3)].
Dual UGT2B17 and CYP2C19 Poor Metabolizers
Patients who are dual UGT2B17 and CYP2C19 poor metabolizers have higher belzutifan exposures, which may increase the incidence and severity of adverse reactions of WELIREG. Closely monitor for adverse reactions in patients who are dual UGT2B17 and CYP2C19 poor metabolizers [see Warnings and Precautions (5), Adverse Reactions (6), Clinical Pharmacology (12.5)].
None.