The total safety data base is composed of 921 patients treated with ABELCET® (5 patients were enrolled twice and counted as separate patients), of whom 775 were treated with 5 mg/kg/day. Of these 775 patients, 194 patients were treated in four comparative studies; 25 were treated in open-label, non-comparative studies; and 556 patients were treated in an open-label, emergency-use program. Most had underlying hematologic neoplasms, and many were receiving multiple concomitant medications. Of the 556 patients treated with ABELCET®, 9% discontinued treatment due to adverse events regardless of presumed relationship to study drug.

In general, the adverse events most commonly reported with ABELCET® were transient chills and/or fever during infusion of the drug.^[1]

The following adverse events have also been reported in patients using ABELCET® in open-label, uncontrolled clinical studies. However, the causal association between these adverse events and ABELCET® is uncertain.

Body as a whole: malaise, weight loss, deafness, injection site reaction including inflammation

Allergic: bronchospasm, wheezing, asthma, anaphylactoid and other allergic reactions

Cardiopulmonary: cardiac failure, pulmonary edema, shock, myocardial infarction, hemoptysis, tachypnea, thrombophlebitis, pulmonary embolus, cardiomyopathy, pleural effusion, arrhythmias including ventricular fibrillation.

Dermatological: maculopapular rash, pruritus, exfoliative dermatitis, erythema multiforme

Gastrointestinal: acute liver failure, hepatitis, jaundice, melena, anorexia, dyspepsia, cramping, epigastric pain, veno-occlusive liver disease, diarrhea, hepatomegaly, cholangitis, cholecystitis

Hematologic: coagulation defects, leukocytosis, blood dyscrasias including eosinophilia

Musculoskeletal: myasthenia, including bone, muscle, and joint pains

Neurologic: convulsions, tinnitus, visual impairment, hearing loss, peripheral neuropathy, transient vertigo, diplopia, encephalopathy, cerebral vascular accident, extrapyramidal syndrome and other neurologic symptoms

Urogenital: oliguria, decreased renal function, anuria, renal tubular acidosis, impotence, dysuria

Serum electrolyte abnormalities: hypomagnesemia, hyperkalemia, hypocalcemia, hypercalcemia

Liver function test abnormalities: increased AST, ALT, alkaline phosphatase, LDH

Renal function test abnormalities: increased BUN

Other test abnormalities: acidosis, hyperamylasemia, hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia, hyperuricemia, hypophosphatemia

To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Sigma-Tau Pharmaceuticals, Inc. at 1-888-393-4584 or by email at drugsafety@sigmatau.com or contact the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/safety/medwatch.

Adapted from the FDA Package Insert.