Tofacitinib
(toe'' fa sye' ti nib)
Xeljanz®
Xeljanz® XR
Taking tofacitinib may decrease your ability to fight infection and increase the risk that you will get a serious infection, including severe fungal, bacterial, or viral infections that spread through the body. These infections may need to be treated in a hospital and may cause death. Tell your doctor if you often get any type of infection or if you think you may have any type of infection now. This includes minor infections (such as open cuts or sores), infections that come and go (such as cold sores), and chronic infections that do not go away. Also tell your doctor if you have or have ever had diabetes, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a lung disease, or any other condition that affects your immune system. You should also tell your doctor if you live or have ever lived in areas such as the Ohio or Mississippi river valleys where severe fungal infections are more common. Ask your doctor if you are not sure if these infections are common in your area. Tell your doctor if you are taking medications that decrease the activity of the immune system such as the following: abatacept (Orencia); adalimumab (Humira); anakinra (Kineret); azathioprine (Azasan, Imuran); certolizumab (Cimzia); cyclosporine (Gengraf, Neoral, Sandimmune); etanercept (Enbrel); golimumab (Simponi); infliximab (Remicade); methotrexate (Otrexup, Rasuvo, Trexall); rituximab (Rituxan); steroids including dexamethasone, methylprednisolone (Medrol), prednisolone (Prelone), and prednisone (Rayos); tacrolimus (Astagraf, Envarsus XR, Prograf); and tocilizumab (Actemra).
Your doctor will monitor you for signs of infection during and after your treatment. If you have any of the following symptoms before you begin your treatment or if you experience any of the following symptoms during or shortly after your treatment, call your doctor immediately: fever; sweating; chills; muscle aches; painful or difficult swallowing; cough; shortness of breath; weight loss; warm, red, or painful skin; painful rash; headache, sensitivity to light, neck stiffness, confusion; frequent, painful, or burning feeling during urination; stomach pain; diarrhea; or excessive tiredness.
You may already be infected with tuberculosis (TB; a serious lung infection) but not have any symptoms of the disease. In this case, using tofacitinib may make your infection more serious and cause you to develop symptoms. Your doctor will perform a skin test to see if you have an inactive TB infection before you begin your treatment with tofacitinib. If necessary, your doctor will give you medication to treat this infection before you start using tofacitinib. Tell your doctor if you have or have ever had TB, if you have lived in or visited a country where TB is common, or if you have been around someone who has TB. If you have any of the following symptoms of TB, or if you develop any of these symptoms during your treatment, call your doctor immediately: cough, coughing up bloody mucus, weight loss, loss of muscle tone, or fever.
Taking tofacitinib in larger than recommended doses may cause serious or life-threatening heart problems during your treatment. Tell your doctor if you are 50 years of age or older or if you smoke, and if you have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or diabetes. Take tofacitinib exactly as directed. Do not take more of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor.
Taking tofacitinib may increase the risk that you will develop a lymphoma (cancer that begins in the blood cells that fight infection) or other types of cancers, including skin cancer. Some people who took tofacitinib with other medications after they had a kidney transplant developed a condition that caused their bodies to produce too many white blood cells. Tell your doctor if you have or have ever had any type of cancer or have had a kidney transplant.
Taking tofacitinib in larger than recommended doses may increase the risk of life-threatening blood clots. Tell your doctor if you are 50 years of age or older and are at risk of heart or blood vessel disease. Also, tell your doctor if you have ever had a blood clot in your legs, arms, or lungs, or in the arteries. Take tofacitinib exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor. If you experience any of the following symptoms stop taking tofacitinib and call your doctor right away: sudden shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, chest pain, swelling of a leg or arm, leg pain, redness, discoloration, or warmth in the legs or arms.
Your doctor or pharmacist will give you the manufacturer's patient information sheet (Medication Guide) when you begin treatment with tofacitinib and each time you refill your prescription. Read the information carefully and ask your doctor or pharmacist if you have any questions. You can also visit the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website (http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm085729.htm) or the manufacturer's website to obtain the Medication Guide.