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 »

Taking Nexavar

Obtaining Nexavar

Nexavar is available by prescription only through specialty pharmacies. You cannot fill your Nexavar prescription through a retail pharmacy.

Get more information on obtaining Nexavar »

Taking Nexavar: what you need to know

Before taking Nexavar:

You should speak to your doctor right away if you think that you are pregnant because Nexavar may cause birth defects or death of an unborn baby
- Women should not get pregnant while undergoing treatment with Nexavar and for at least 2 weeks after stopping treatment
- Tell your doctor if you are planning to become pregnant
- Both men and women should use effective birth control measures while taking Nexavar and for at least 2 weeks after stopping treatment
- Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or planning to breastfeed
- Do not take Nexavar if you have a specific type of lung cancer (squamous cell) and receive carboplatin and paclitaxel
You should also tell your health care team about your health conditions, including allergies, heart problems including a problem called congenital long QT syndrome or chest pain, bleeding, high blood pressure, kidney or liver problems in addition to cancer, and any other conditions you may have
You should tell your health care team about all medications you are taking (including any prescription or nonprescription medications, vitamins, or herbal supplements). Also, talk to your health care team before taking any new medication. Nexavar and certain other medicines can interact with each other and cause serious side effects
Especially, tell your health care team if you take:
- warfarin (Coumadin^®)
- neomycin
- St. John’s Wort
- dexamethasone
- phenytoin (Fosphenytoin sodium, Dilantin^®, Phenytek^®)
- carbamazepine (Carbatrol^®, Equetro^®, Tegretol^®, Teril^®, Epitol^®)
- rifampin (Rifater^®, Rifamate^®, Rifadin^®)
- rifabutin (Mycobutin^®)
- phenobarbital
If you need to have a surgical or dental procedure, you should inform your health care team that you are taking Nexavar
Let your health care team know if you have any known allergies to any ingredient in Nexavar

How to take Nexavar:

Take Nexavar exactly as prescribed by your doctor
Nexavar tablets are taken by mouth
Nexavar should always be taken as directed by your health care team
It is usually taken as two 200-mg tablets twice daily for a total of 4 pills a day
Take Nexavar without food (at least 1 hour before or 2 hours after a meal)
If you miss a dose of Nexavar, skip the missed dose and take your next dose at your regular time. Do not try to "catch up" or double your dose of Nexavar
Call your health care team right away if you take more than your prescribed dose
Patients stay on Nexavar for as long as their doctor thinks it is helping them or until a side effect occurs that prompts their doctor to interrupt or stop treatment

Call 1.866.NEXAVAR (1.866.639.2827) Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 8 PM ET and a REACH^® Program counselor will help you:

Contact insurance companies and answer questions about insurance coverage for Nexavar and the Medicare Part D drug benefit
Find and apply for patient assistance or alternate sources of coverage and payment for Nexavar, if needed
Send your prescription to a specialty pharmacy that will fill your prescription and arrange for delivery of Nexavar to you

Remember, you will need to contact the specialty pharmacy or the REACH Program each month to make sure you receive your refill on time.

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.