Sorafenib (Nexavar) is an oral anti-cancer drug used to treat liver cancer, kidney cancer, and thyroid cancer. Sorafenib was first approved in the United States in 2005, and then in my country in 2006, which brought new treatment hope to countless cancer patients. As of the end of 2020, sorafenib has been approved for marketing in more than 100 countries around the world. We are going to talk about sorafenib cost also.

Sorafenib side effects

Although sorafenib is less toxic and better tolerated than traditional cytotoxic drugs, it still has some special adverse reactions that should be taken seriously in clinical research and application. Possible side effects include: hand-foot syndrome (dysesthesia or erythema of the hands and feet), diarrhea, hair loss, fatigue, high blood pressure, anorexia, and nausea.

Dosage: 

The dosage is 400 mg twice a day, on an empty stomach or with low-fat or medium-fat food.

How to take: Take orally, swallow with a glass of warm water.

Adverse reactions of sorafenib

1. Skin reaction

Cutaneous reactions were the most common adverse reactions and included hand-foot skin reaction (HFSR), rash, stomatitis, and cutaneous erythema and hemorrhage. The incidence of HFSR is 21% to 30%, usually occurring within 6 weeks, especially within 2 weeks, after starting treatment.

The main clinical manifestations are numbness, burning, erythema and swelling, hardening of the skin, blistering, chapped, and desquamation of the hands and feet. It is usually bilateral and mainly occurs on the palms and soles of the hands, including the corners of the skin at the bends of the fingers or toes. characteristics.

The rash usually appears within the first 2 weeks after taking the drug and often appears on the patient's face, neck, and extremities. The overall incidence rate is 16% to 40%. Severe rash can be accompanied by fever, mucosal damage, and abnormalities in blood biochemical indicators, including increased lymphocytes, liver and kidney function damage, etc.

2. Gastrointestinal reactions

Gastrointestinal reactions can manifest as diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, bloating, etc. Among them, diarrhea is the most common, with an incidence rate of 39% to 58%.

3. Cardiovascular system reactions

Hypertension is a common adverse reaction of sorafenib, with an overall incidence rate of 16.0% to 42.6%. It usually appears 3 to 4 weeks after treatment and is mostly mild to moderate.

Therefore, blood pressure changes should be closely monitored for 6 weeks before treatment. Increased blood pressure increases the patient's risk of myocardial infarction and cerebrovascular accidents, and clinical practice should be alert to the possibility of such serious adverse reactions.

4. Systemic reaction

Flu-like symptoms such as fatigue (possibly related to hypothyroidism), weight loss, headache, muscle aches, and hoarseness may occur during sorafenib treatment.

5. Liver function damage

The metabolism of sorafenib in the liver requires uridine diphosphate glucuronosyl transferase UGT enzyme. Potential competitive inhibition of UGT enzyme may affect the metabolism of bilirubin in the liver, causing an increase in bilirubin. Therefore, it is necessary to closely follow up the changes in liver function of patients during the medication period, especially the changes in serum bilirubin.

Sorafenib cost in USA, Malaysia, Philippines

Sorafenib price in USA is not economical. You will have to spend a lot on this medicine. The situation is similar in Malaysia and Philippines. If you don’t have medical insurance, the cost of this medicine is unbearable. The only option is left is generic version which is quite very affordable. o you have a new hope to extend your life with generics.

Conclusion

After sorafenib, a variety of new targeted drugs have emerged in the field of liver cancer, but they have not demonstrated superior survival benefits in head-to-head comparative studies with sorafenib. Therefore, after 10 years, sorafenib is still the only standard targeted drug recommended by domestic and foreign guidelines for the first-line treatment of advanced liver cancer. The currently popular immunotherapy has shown application potential in a variety of tumor types.

Natco is known for challenging patents in India. In 2012, it became the first company to obtain a compulsory license from Bayer for its patent-protected anti-cancer drug Sorafenib.

India is a well-known country for generic drugs and has a compulsory patent licensing policy, so the production of generic drugs is legal and protected. Indian sorafenib perfectly replicates the original Nexavar produced by Germany's Bayer. So you can take it if you can't afford the brand one. We can help you to buy sorafenib online at best cost.