IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

NEXAVAR may cause birth defects or death of an unborn baby. Avoid becoming pregnant while taking NEXAVAR and for at least 2 weeks after stopping your treatment. Men and women should use birth control during and at least 2 weeks after NEXAVAR therapy. Call your doctor right away if you become pregnant. Do not breastfeed while taking NEXAVAR as this medication may be passed through breast milk. Before starting NEXAVAR, tell your doctor if you have allergies; heart problems or chest pain; bleeding or bruising problems. continue reading below »

Possible Side Effects

Nexavar may cause serious side effects, including:

Decreased blood flow to the heart and heart attack. Get emergency help right away and call your doctor if you have symptoms such as chest pain, palpitations, shortness of breath, feeling light-headed or faint, nausea, vomiting, or sweating a lot
Bleeding problems. Nexavar may increase your chance of bleeding. Tell your doctor if you have any bleeding while taking Nexavar
High blood pressure. Your blood pressure should be checked weekly during the first 6 weeks of treatment with Nexavar. If you have high blood pressure, it should be checked regularly and any high blood pressure should be treated while you are taking Nexavar
A skin problem called hand-foot skin reaction. This causes redness, pain, swelling, or blisters on the palms of your hands or soles of your feet. If you get this side effect, your doctor may change your dose or stop treatment for some time
Perforation of the bowel. Tell your doctor right away if you get high fever, nausea, vomiting, or severe abdominal pain
Possible wound healing problems. If you need to have a surgical or dental procedure, tell your doctor that you are taking Nexavar. Nexavar may need to be stopped until your wound heals after some types of surgery
Changes in the electrical activity of your heart called QT prolongation. QT prolongation can cause irregular heartbeats that can be life-threatening. Tell your doctor right away if you feel faint, lightheaded, dizzy, or feel your heart beating irregularly or fast while taking Nexavar
Birth defects or death of an unborn baby

If you experience any symptom that bothers you or does not go away, contact your doctor or health care team, or seek medical attention as soon as possible.

Other side effects of Nexavar may include:

Rash, redness, itching, or peeling of your skin
Hair thinning or patchy hair loss
Diarrhea (frequent and/or loose bowel movements)
Nausea or vomiting
Loss of appetite
Abdominal pain
Tiredness
Weight loss

These are not all the side effects of Nexavar. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information. Most side effects typically occur early in treatment. Please talk to your doctor about how to help manage your side effects such as skin reactions, diarrhea, and fatigue. Ask your doctor if Nexavar is a good option for the treatment of your type of kidney cancer called advanced renal cell carcinoma.

Remember: your health care team is the best source of information regarding you and your health.

How your doctor may manage side effects

Your health care team has different ways to help manage the side effects of Nexavar. One approach your doctor may take is to change your dose or stop your treatment temporarily. This is a common way to manage certain side effects. It is generally not a cause for concern, but be sure to discuss any questions that you have with your doctor. In fact, changing your dose or stopping your treatment temporarily may be the best way to get you back on therapy. However, some patients may need to permanently stop treatment with Nexavar due to side effects.

Download additional materials:

What Do I Need to Know About My Nexavar Therapy? brochure »

Indication

NEXAVAR is an anticancer medicine used to treat a certain type of kidney cancer called advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC), or a certain type of liver cancer known as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), when it cannot be treated with surgery.

Important Safety Information

Do not take Nexavar if you have a specific type of lung cancer (squamous cell) and receive carboplatin and paclitaxel. Before starting NEXAVAR, tell your doctor if you have: allergies; heart problems (including a problem called congenital long QT syndrome) or chest pain; bleeding or bruising problems; high blood pressure; or kidney or liver problems. NEXAVAR may interact with certain other medicines so tell your doctor about all medicines you take including prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, vitamins, or herbal supplements. It is especially important to tell your doctor if you take warfarin (Coumadin).

NEXAVAR may cause serious side effects, including:

– decreased blood flow to the heart and heart attack. Get emergency help if you have chest pain, shortness of breath, feel lightheaded or faint, have nausea or vomiting, or you are sweating a lot.
– bleeding problems. Tell your doctor if you have any bleeding or easy bruising while taking NEXAVAR.
– high blood pressure. Your blood pressure should be checked every week during the first 6 weeks of starting therapy and then regularly, thereafter. If your blood pressure is high, it may need to be treated.
– a skin problem called hand-foot skin reaction. This causes redness, pain, swelling or blisters on the palms of your hands and soles of your feet. Your doctor may change your dose or stop treatment for a while.
– perforation of the bowel. Tell your doctor right away if you get high fever, nausea, vomiting or abdominal pain.
– wound healing problems. If you have a surgical or dental procedure, tell your doctor you are taking NEXAVAR. Your treatment may be stopped until after your surgery or until your wound heals.
– changes in the electrical activity of your heart called QT prolongation. QT prolongation can cause irregular heartbeats that can be life-threatening. Tell your doctor right away if you feel faint, lightheaded, dizzy, or feel your heart beating irregularly or fast while taking Nexavar.

The most common side effects with NEXAVAR may include: rash, redness, itching or peeling skin; hair thinning or loss; diarrhea; nausea/vomiting; mouth sores; weakness; loss of appetite; numbness, tingling or pain in hands and feet; abdominal pain; tiredness; or weight loss. Tell your doctor if you have any side effects that bother you or do not go away.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1.800.FDA.1088. For important risk and use information, please see the patient prescribing information.