panitumumab

Action and Spectrum

Actions and Spectrum: 

Panitumumab blocks the signals which promotes cancer cells to grow protein called epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) on the cancer cell surface.  

Drug Interaction

Adverse Reaction

Frequency defined   

10%   

Erythema    

Acneiform dermatitis Pruritus   

Hypomagnesemia   

Fatigue   

Abdominal pain   

Skin exfoliation   

Nausea   

Rash   

Constipation    

Cough      

Peripheral edema   

1-10%   

Abdominal pain   

Pulmonary embolism   

Hypomagnesemia  

Black Box Warning

Black Box Warning:  

 None  

Contraindication / Caution

Contraindication/Caution:  

Contraindications  

Hypersensitivity  

Cautions  

Renal impairment  

Hepatic impairment  

Pregnancy and breastfeeding 

Pregnancy / Lactation

Pregnancy Warnings: 

Pregnancy category: N/A 

Lactation: Excretion of the drug into the human breast milk is unknown 

Pregnancy categories: 

• Category A: Satisfactory and well-controlled studies show no evidence of risk to the fetus in the first trimester or in the later trimester. 
• Category B: No evidence of risk to fetus found in animal reproduction studies and there are not enough studies on pregnant women. 
• Category C: Adverse effects on the fetus found with evidence in animal reproduction studies and no adequate evidence for an effect in humans, care must be taken for potential risks in pregnant women. 
• Category D: There is adequate data available with sufficient evidence of human fetal risk from various platforms, but despite potential risks may be used only in emergency cases for potential benefits. 
• Category X: Drugs listed in this category clearly outweigh risks over benefits. These category drugs should be prohibited for pregnant women. 
• Category N: There is no data available for the drug under this category. 

Pharmacology

Pharmacology:  

Panitumumab is a human monoclonal antibody which attached to the human epidermal growth factor receptor.  

It competes to stop the receptor from self-activating when exposed to it signaling molecules.  

Pharmacodynamics:  

EGFR is a glycoprotein within the receptor tyrosine kinase subfamily, is present in normal tissues and elevated in specific cancers. Panitumumab selectively binds to EGFR which disrupts ligand binding.  

Pharmacokinetics:   

Limited information is available on ADME.  

Adminstartion

Administration:  

It is administered intravenously.  

Patient Information Leaflet

Generic Name: panitumumab (Rx)  

Pronounced: pan-i-tu-mum-ab  

Why do we use panitumumab?  

Panitumumab is a drug used to treat specific forms of colorectal cancer, especially when the disease has spread to other areas of the body (metastatic colorectal cancer). It works by targeting the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) found on the surface of cancer cells, interfering with signals that promote their growth and division, thereby helping to slow or halt tumor progression.