tagrisso FAQ

Tagrisso is a tablet that is swallowed. You will take your Tagrisso dose once a day with or without food. You should try to take it around the same time every day. Depending on the treatments you have previously tried for your lung cancer, you may take Tagrisso for 3 years or for as long as possible. If you have certain side effects, your health care provider might change your dose, pause your doses, or stop them all together. Your health care provider will talk with you about how long you can expect to take Tagrisso.

Tagrisso can cause harm to an unborn baby. Your health care provider will discuss options for contraception while you take Tagrisso. If you can become pregnant, it is important that you use effective contraception for 6 weeks after your final dose of Tagrisso. If you are male or were assigned male at birth and have a partner who can get pregnant, it is important to use effective contraception for 4 months after your final dose of Tagrisso. If you and your partner are or are planning to become pregnant, talk with your health care provider about your options. Tagrisso can cause very serious side effects. These include lung problems, heart problems, eye problems, skin problems, and blood and bone marrow problems. It’s important to tell your health care provider if you experience any side effects but especially if you have a cough, shortness of breath, racing heartbeat, blurred vision, fever, or blistering and peeling of your skin.

The manufacturer of Tagrisso has a copay savings program for eligible people.

The FDA approved Tagrisso based on clinical trials for EGFR-mutated lung cancer in several different scenarios. Tagrisso was studied in people who had lung cancer with an EGFR mutation who had previously had surgery to remove their tumor and may or may not have had chemotherapy. Tagrisso was compared with a placebo treatment in a clinical trial called ADAURA. (A placebo is a fake treatment that is given that has no medicine.) Tagrisso worked better in treating EGFR mutated lung cancer than the placebo. The clinical trial included 682 people who used one of the two treatments. They were followed to see how long it took for their lung cancer to return after having surgery or chemotherapy. This measurement was called disease-free survival (DFS). The median DFS was not reached, meaning more than 50% of patients were still on treatment without cancer when the data was analyzed, compared to 27.5 months for placebo. This means that half of the people who received placebo had disease return within 27.5 months of starting treatment. This clinical trial also looked at overall survival (OS), which looked at how long people were alive after starting treatment with Tagrisso or placebo. The OS was reported as a 5-year survival rate, meaning how many people were still alive 5 years after starting treatment. The 5-year OS in people who received Tagrisso was 88% compared to 78% for the people who received placebo. This means that at 5 years, 88% of people who received Tagrisso were still alive. Tagrisso was studied in people who had EGFR-mutated lung cancer who had not received chemotherapy for lung cancer that was metastatic. Tagrisso was compared against another kinase inhibitor targeting EGFR in a clinical trial called FLAURA. Tagrisso worked better in treating EGFR-mutated lung cancer than the other medicines (erlotinib or gefitinib, which are also kinase inhibitors). The clinical trial included 556 people who used either Tagrisso or another kinase inhibitor treatment. They were followed to see how long it took for their lung cancer to progress, meaning that the cancer grew or spread. This measurement is called progression-free survival (PFS). The median PFS was 18.9 months for Tagrisso compared to 10.2 months for one of the other treatments. This means that half of the patients who took Tagrisso did not have their cancer progress for at least 18.9 months. This study also looked at median overall survival, which measured how long half of the people in the study who received a certain medicine survived after starting to use the medicine. People who took Tagrisso in the study had a median overall survival of 38.6 months, while people who used one of the other treatments had a median overall survival of 31.8 months. Tagrisso was studied in combination with other medicines, pemetrexed and a platinum-based chemotherapy, in people who had EGFR-mutated lung cancer who had not received chemotherapy for lung cancer that was advanced. The combination of Tagrisso with pemetrexed and chemotherapy was compared against Tagrisso alone in a clinical trial called FLAURA2. The Tagrisso combination worked better at treating advanced EGFR-mutated lung cancer than Tagrisso alone. The clinical trial included 557 people who used either Tagrisso with other medications or just Tagrisso. They were followed to see the progression-free survival (PFS). The median PFS was 25.5 months for Tagrisso in combination with other medicines compared to 16.7 months for Tagrisso alone. This means that half of the patients who took Tagrisso in combination with other medicines did not have their cancer progress for at least 25.5 months. Tagrisso was also studied in people who had EGFR mutated lung cancer who had received at least one previous treatment that had to include a treatment targeted at EGFR. All of the people in this trial had to have a specific EGFR mutation known as T790M and have NSCLC that had spread to other parts of the body (known as metastatic cancer). Tagrisso was compared against chemotherapy in a clinical trial called AURA3. Tagrisso worked better in treating EGFR-mutated lung cancer that had previously been treated than chemotherapy. The clinical trial included 419 people who used either Tagrisso or chemotherapy. They were followed to see the progression-free survival (PFS). The median PFS was 10.1 months for Tagrisso compared to 4.4 months for chemotherapy. This means that half of the patients who took Tagrisso did not have their cancer progress for at least 10.1 months. This study also looked at median overall survival, which measured how long half of the people in the study who received a certain medicine survived after starting to use the medicine. People who took Tagrisso in the study had a median overall survival of 26.8 months while people who used chemotherapy had a median overall survival of 22.5 months.

Tagrisso will start working as soon as you take your first dose. Your health care provider will usually do a scan to see how your cancer is responding to the treatment 6 weeks after you start taking the medicine. They may choose to do the scan earlier or later than 6 weeks if they believe it is the right choice for you. Your health care provider will usually do regular blood tests or other tests to monitor how Tagrisso is working in your body. These tests will monitor your blood counts such as white blood cells, neutrophils, and platelets so that your health care provider knows you can safely continue to take Tagrisso. If you have certain side effects such as a cough or shortness of breath, your health care provider may do additional tests to make sure it is safe for you to continue to take Tagrisso.

Lung cancer that has an EGFR mutation may be able to be treated by Tagrisso. It may be used in certain people by itself before or after surgery to remove a tumor or in combination with other medicines to treat lung cancer.

EGFR is a protein on the surface of cells and helps cells to grow and multiply. Tagrisso is a type of medicine called a kinase inhibitor. It attaches to the mutant EGFR protein and turns the protein off. This causes EGFR to quit sending the signal to cells to grow and multiply, which causes the cells to die and can cause tumors to shrink in size.

Side effects are common with medicines that treat cancer, including Tagrisso. It is important to tell your health care provider about any side effects you have during or after taking Tagrisso. They can help to determine if your side effects are serious or provide more information to help you manage the side effects. Your health care provider may instruct you to take certain medicines if you have certain side effects. For example, if you have diarrhea while taking Tagrisso, your health care provider may suggest that you drink electrolyte replacement liquids, increase the amount of fluids you drink, and take an anti-diarrheal medication. If you are taking Tagrisso along with pemetrexed and platinum-based chemotherapy, your health care provider will usually instruct you to take certain medicines before your infusion to help prevent the most common side effects: nausea and vomiting. These are usually caused by the chemotherapy infusions. It is important to follow their instructions. In addition to taking any medicines before your infusion, you can ask your health care provider what else you can do to prevent or treat common side effects. For example, you can help to prevent and treat nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea by eating bland foods and having multiple small meals throughout the day instead of three large meals. If you have certain side effects while you take Tagrisso, your health care provider may need to change your dose of medicine, pause your infusions, or even stop your medicine altogether. This will depend on the side effect you experience and how severe it is and what treatment it needs. If your Tagrisso dose needs to be lowered, the medicine will continue to work in your body. If your medicine is paused, your health care provider might restart the medication at the same dose or at a lower dose once your side effect gets better.

Tagrisso is a kind of targeted therapy. It targets certain cancer cells, which is different than how chemotherapy or immunotherapy drugs work. Chemotherapy drugs kill cells that are rapidly growing and multiplying. But chemotherapy drugs can’t tell the difference between cancer cells and healthy cells that are rapidly growing and multiplying. This can lead to many side effects. Immunotherapy drugs help your immune system recognize the presence of cancer cells. This helps your body attack the cancer cells, similar to the way your body fights a bacterial or viral infection. If you have other questions about how Tagrisso is different from other types of treatment, talk with your doctor.

Throughout your treatment, your doctor will order scans (such as a CT scan) or other tests to check how well the drug is working for you. You won’t be able to feel Tagrisso working in your body. You’ll likely keep taking Tagrisso for as long as your scans and tests show that the cancer is not growing or spreading. But you could stop taking it sooner if your side effects are too bothersome or severe to continue treatment.

It’s a good idea to avoid grapefruit and grapefruit juice while you’re taking Tagrisso. Grapefruit may interact with the drug, which can raise your risk of side effects. Some herbal teas or dietary supplements may also affect Tagrisso. Before consuming these products during your Tagrisso treatment, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Tagrisso is a type of targeted therapy. The drug’s mechanism of action (how it works) is to target certain proteins on cancer cells. When it attaches to these proteins, Tagrisso blocks the growth and spread of the cancer cells.

It varies. In studies, Tagrisso helped some people with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) live longer than those taking certain other medications. The drug may also help extend amount of time a person lives with the disease before it gets worse. Several factors can affect a person’s life expectancy with NSCLC. Examples of these factors include how advanced your cancer is, other medical conditions you may have, and how well your body tolerates cancer treatments. If you have questions about what to expect from Tagrisso treatment, talk with your doctor.

No, Tagrisso can’t cure lung cancer. Currently, there aren’t any treatments that cure cancer. Even after successful treatment, it’s possible for cancer to come back. However, clinical trials showed that Tagrisso can improve survival rates in people with certain types* of lung cancer. These results were in comparison with treatment with a placebo (treatment with no active drug). In people who took Tagrisso after surgery for lung cancer, Tagrisso was found to increase disease-free survival. (Disease-free survival is the length of time you live without your cancer coming back.) In people who took Tagrisso for metastatic lung cancer (cancer that’s spread to other parts of the body), Tagrisso was found to increase progression-free survival and overall survival. (Progression-free survival is the length of time you live without your cancer getting worse. And overall survival is the total length of time you live after starting treatment.) To find out more about what you can expect from Tagrisso treatment, talk with your doctor. For information about how Tagrisso performed in clinical trials, see the drug’s prescribing information. * For more information on the conditions that Tagrisso is approved to treat, see “Tagrisso uses” below.

No, Tagrisso is not a type of chemotherapy or immunotherapy. Instead, Tagrisso is a targeted therapy for certain types of non-small cell lung cancer. (For more information about this condition, see “Tagrisso uses” below.) Chemotherapy drugs treat cancer by killing cells that grow quickly in the body. This includes many healthy cells as well as cancer cells. As a result, chemotherapy commonly causes side effects in many parts of the body. Immunotherapy drugs treat cancer by helping your immune system find and kill cancer cells. Your immune system is your body’s natural defense against disease. Targeted therapies treat cancer by blocking specific proteins that typically help cancer cells grow and spread. Targeted therapies may have less effect on healthy cells than chemotherapy. However, serious side effects are possible with these treatments. (For more information, see “Tagrisso side effects” above.)

For some uses, Tagrisso is meant to be taken as a long-term treatment. If you and your doctor determine that Tagrisso is safe and effective for you, you’ll likely take it long term. When it’s prescribed as adjuvant therapy following surgery, Tagrisso is approved to be taken for up to 3 years. (An adjuvant therapy is a treatment that helps prevent cancer from returning. It’s usually given after surgery that’s meant to remove tumors.) For other uses, you’ll take Tagrisso until you can no longer tolerate side effects from the drug. Or you’ll take Tagrisso until it is no longer effective for your cancer. Tagrisso is taken to treat certain types of non-small cell lung cancer with epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR-positive NSCLC). (To learn more about the conditions that Tagrisso is approved to treat, see “Tagrisso uses” above.)

Tagrisso can significantly increase how long people live with certain types* of lung cancer. This is in comparison with a placebo. (A placebo is a treatment containing no active drug.) For information about how Tagrisso performed in clinical trials, see the drug’s prescribing information. Keep in mind that results from clinical trials may not predict how you will respond to Tagrisso. The results you have with Tagrisso treatment may depend on:

If you miss a dose of Tagrisso, skip the missed dose. Take your next scheduled dose as usual. Do not take two doses together or any extra doses to make up for a missed dose. Doing so can increase your risk of side effects. (For more information, see the “Tagrisso side effects” section above.) To help make sure that you don’t miss a dose, try using a medication reminder. This can include setting an alarm or using a timer. You could also download a reminder app on your phone.

After you stop taking Tagrisso, the medication will no longer have any effect on cancer cells that may still be in your body. So it’s possible that your cancer could come back or get worse after you stop treatment. To learn more about what happens after stopping Tagrisso treatment, talk with your doctor. Note: You should not stop taking Tagrisso without your doctor’s recommendation. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves prescription drugs such as Tagrisso to treat certain conditions.

No, Tagrisso should not be crushed, split, or chewed. These tablets should usually be swallowed whole. This may be easier if you take them with water or a beverage. If you have trouble swallowing Tagrisso whole, the tablet can be mixed in water. To do this, stir the tablet into 60 milliliters (mL) of non-carbonated water. Do not crush the tablet or heat the mixture. You should stir the mixture until the tablet separates into small pieces. (It won’t dissolve completely.) Then make sure you drink the mixture right away. After, you should rinse the container with 120 mL to 240 mL (about ½ to 1 cup) of water and drink it right away. This will ensure that you get your full dose of Tagrisso. Tagrisso can also be taken via nasogastric tube (a tube that goes from your nose into your stomach). Your doctor or pharmacist can explain how Tagrisso is given this way. Tagrisso isn’t safe to take during pregnancy. The drug hasn’t been studied in pregnancy. However, based on animal studies and the way it works, Tagrisso is expected to be harmful to a developing fetus. If you could become pregnant, your doctor will typically have you take a pregnancy test before you start Tagrisso treatment. This is to make sure that you’re not pregnant. If you’re pregnant or plan to become pregnant, talk with your doctor about alternative treatment options for your cancer.