Fludarabine (Oral)

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on Apr 13, 2022.

Pharmacologic Class: Antimetabolite

Uses for fludarabine

Fludarabine belongs to the group of medicines called antimetabolites. It is used to treat a type of cancer of the white blood cells called B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Fludarabine is used in patients with CLL who have already been treated with an alkylating agent (eg, bendamustine) that did not work well.

Fludarabine interferes with the growth of cancer cells, which are eventually destroyed. Since the growth of normal cells may also be affected by the medicine, other effects may also occur. Some of these may be serious and must be reported to your doctor. Other effects may not be serious but may cause concern. Some effects may occur after treatment with fludarabine has been stopped.

Before you begin treatment with fludarabine, you and your doctor should talk about the good fludarabine will do as well as the risks of using it.

Fludarabine was available only with your doctor's prescription. Oral fludarabine was withdrawn from the US market in September 2011.

Before using fludarabine

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For fludarabine, the following should be considered:

Allergies

Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to fludarabine or any other medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully.

Pediatric

Appropriate studies have not been performed on the relationship of age to the effects of fludarabine in the pediatric population. Safety and efficacy have not been established.

Geriatric

Appropriate studies performed to date have not demonstrated geriatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness of fludarabine in the elderly.

Breastfeeding

There are no adequate studies in women for determining infant risk when using this medication during breastfeeding. Weigh the potential benefits against the potential risks before taking this medication while breastfeeding.

Interactions with medicines

Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking fludarabine, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.

Using fludarabine with any of the following medicines is not recommended. Your doctor may decide not to treat you with this medication or change some of the other medicines you take.

• Measles Virus Vaccine, Live
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• Rotavirus Vaccine, Live
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• Zoster Vaccine, Live

Using fludarabine with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases. If both medicine...