FDA INVESTIGATES LEUKEMIA DRUG AFTER REPORTS OF BLOOD CLOTS

FROM:  U.S. FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION

FDA Drug Safety Communication: FDA investigating leukemia drug Iclusig (ponatinib) after increased reports of serious blood clots in arteries and veins
Safety Announcement

[10-11-2013]  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is investigating an increasing frequency of reports of serious and life-threatening blood clots and severe narrowing of blood vessels (arteries and veins) of patients taking the leukemia chemotherapy drug Iclusig (ponatinib).

Health care professionals should consider for each patient, whether the benefits of Iclusig treatment are likely to exceed the risks of treatment.

Patients taking Iclusig should seek immediate medical attention if they experience symptoms suggesting a heart attack such as chest pain or pressure, pain in their arms, back, neck or jaw, or shortness of breath; or symptoms of a stroke such as numbness or weakness on one side of the body, trouble talking, severe headache, or dizziness.

Iclusig is a prescription medicine used to treat adults diagnosed with chronic phase, accelerated phase, or blast phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) or Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), who are no longer benefiting from previous treatment or who did not tolerate other treatment.

At the time of Iclusig’s approval in December 2012, the drug label contained information about the risks of blood clots in the Boxed Warning and Warnings and Precautions sections.  In clinical trials conducted before approval, serious arterial blood clots occurred in 8 percent of Iclusig-treated patients, and blood clots in the veins occurred in 3 percent of Iclusig-treated patients.  In the most recent clinical trial data submitted by the manufacturer to FDA, at least 20 percent of all participants treated with Iclusig have developed blood clots or narrowing of blood vessels.

Data from clinical trials and postmarket adverse event reports show that serious adverse events have occurred in patients treated with Iclusig, including heart attacks resulting in death, worsening coronary artery disease, stroke, narrowing of large arteries of the brain, severe narrowing of blood vessels in the extremities, and the need for urgent surgical procedures to restore blood flow.  Other problems occurring with the drug’s use include congestive heart failure (CHF) and loss of blood flow to extremities resulting in tissue death requiring amputation.  Newly identified serious adverse reactions have also been reported involving the eyes, including decreased vision and clots in blood vessels of the eye. These adverse events were seen in all age groups treated and in those with and without cardiovascular risk factors.

FDA is providing this information to patients and health care professionals while it continues its investigation. We are actively working to further evaluate these adverse events and will notify the public when more information is available.

We urge health care professionals and patients to report side effects involving Iclusig to the FDA MedWatch program, using the information in the “Contact FDA” box at the bottom of this page.