The following serious adverse reactions are described below and elsewhere in the labeling:

• Bone Marrow Suppression [see WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS]
• Mucositis [see WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS]
• Dermatologic Reactions [see WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS]
• Tumor Lysis Syndrome [see WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS]
• Hepatic Toxicity [see WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS]

The most common adverse reactions observed in patients with peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) treated with FOLOTYN were mucositis, thrombocytopenia, nausea, and fatigue.

Clinical Trials Experience

Because clinical studies are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical studies of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical studies of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice.

The safety of FOLOTYN was evaluated in 111 PTCL patients in a single-arm clinical study in which patients received a starting dose of 30 mg/m² once weekly for 6 weeks in 7-week cycles. The median duration of treatment was 70 days (range 1-540 days).

Most Frequent Adverse Reactions

Table 4 summarizes the most frequent adverse reactions, regardless of causality, using the National Cancer Institute-Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (NCI CTCAE, version 3.0).

Table 4 : Adverse Reactions Occurring in PTCL Patients (Incidence ≥ 10% of patients)

Serious Adverse Events

Forty-four percent of patients (n = 49) experienced a serious adverse event while on study or within 30 days after their last dose of FOLOTYN. The most common serious adverse events (> 3%), regardless of causality, were pyrexia, mucositis, sepsis, febrile neutropenia, dehydration, dyspnea, and thrombocytopenia. One death from cardiopulmonary arrest in a patient with mucositis and febrile neutropenia was reported in this trial. Deaths from mucositis, febrile neutropenia, sepsis, and pancytopenia occurred in 1.2% of patients treated on all FOLOTYN trials at doses ranging from 30 to 325 mg/m².

Discontinuations

Twenty-three percent of patients (n = 25) discontinued treatment with FOLOTYN due to adverse reactions. The adverse reactions reported most frequently as the reason for discontinuation of treatment were mucositis (6%, n = 7) and thrombocytopenia (5%, n = 5).

Dose Modifications

The target dose of FOLOTYN was 30 mg/m² once weekly for 6 weeks in 7-week cycles. The majority of patients (69%, n = 77) remained at the target dose for the duration of treatment. Overall, 85% of scheduled doses were administered.

Post Marketing Experience

Because these reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure.

Dermatologic Reactions

Toxic epidermal necrolysis, sometimes fatal, has been reported during post-marketing use of FOLOTYN. Fatal cases have been reported following the first dose of FOLOTYN, including when a reduced dose is given, and have been reported in patients with end-stage renal disease undergoing dialysis [see WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS, Use In Specific Populations, and CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY].

Read the Folotyn (pralatrexate solution for intravenous injection) Side Effects Center for a complete guide to possible side effects »

No formal clinical assessments of pharmacokinetic drug-drug interactions between FOLOTYN and other drugs have been conducted. The effect of co-administration of the uricosuric drug probenecid (an inhibitor of multiple transporter systems including the multidrug resistance-associated protein 2 (MRP2) efflux transporter) on pralatrexate pharmacokinetics was investigated in a Phase 1 clinical study. Co-administration of increasing doses of probenecid resulted in delayed clearance of pralatrexate and a commensurate increase in exposure [see CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY].

When administering FOLOTYN to patients receiving probenecid or other drugs that may affect relevant transporter systems (eg, NSAIDs), monitor patients closely for signs of systemic toxicity due to increased drug exposure.

Last reviewed on RxList: 6/7/2012
This monograph has been modified to include the generic and brand name in many instances.