ETOPOPHOS™ 100 mg Powder for Solution for Injection
Etoposide (as phosphate)
- Keep this leaflet. You may need to read it again.
- If you have any further questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
- This medicine has been prescribed for you only. Do not pass it on to others. It may harm them, even if their signs of illness are the same as yours.
- If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. See section 4.
1. What ETOPOPHOS is and what it is used for
2. What you need to know before you are given ETOPOPHOS
3. How you will be given ETOPOPHOS
4. Possible side effects
5. How to store ETOPOPHOS
6. Contents of the pack and other information
The name of your medicine is ETOPOPHOS.
Each vial contains etoposide phosphate equivalent to etoposide 100 mg as the active ingredient.
Etoposide phosphate belongs to a group of medicines called cytostatics which are used in the treatment of cancer.
ETOPOPHOS is used in the treatment of certain types of cancer in adults:
- testicular cancer
- small cell lung cancer
- cancer of the blood (acute myeloid leukaemia)
- tumour in the lymphatic system (Hodgkin’s lymphoma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma)
- reproductive system cancers (gestational trophoblastic neoplasia and ovarian cancer)
ETOPOPHOS is used in the treatment of certain types of cancers in children:
- cancer of the blood (acute myeloid leukaemia)
- tumour in the lymphatic system (Hodgkin’s lymphoma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma)
The exact reason why you have been prescribed ETOPOPHOS is best discussed with your doctor.
- If you are allergic to etoposide or any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6).
- If you have recently been given a live vaccine, including yellow fever vaccine.
- If you are breast-feeding or planning to breast-feed.
If any of the above affects you, or if you are unsure if they do, tell your doctor who will be able to advise you.
Talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse before receiving ETOPOPHOS:
- if you have any infections.
- if you have had radiotherapy or chemotherapy recently.
- if you have low levels of a protein called albumin in your blood.
- if you have liver or kidney problems.
Effective anti-cancer treatment can destroy cancer cells rapidly in large numbers. On very rare occasions this may cause harmful amounts of substances from these cancer cells to be released into the blood. If this happens it can cause problems with the liver, kidney, heart or blood, which may result in death if not treated.
In order to prevent this, your doctor will need to do regular blood tests to monitor the level of these substances during treatment with this medicine.
This medicine can cause a reduction in the level of some blood cells, which could cause you to suffer from infections, or may mean that your blood doesn’t clot as well as it should if you cut yourself. Blood tests will be taken at the start of your treatment, and before each dose you take, to make sure that this isn’t happening.
If you have reduced liver or kidney function, your doctor may also want you to take regular blood tests to monitor these levels.
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken or might take any other medicines. This is especially important:
- If you are taking a medicine called ciclosporin (a drug used to reduce the activity of the immune system).
- If you are being treated with cisplatin (a medicine used to treat cancer)
- If you are taking phenytoin or any other medicines used to treat epilepsy
- If you are taking warfarin (a medicine used to prevent blood clots from forming)
- If you have recently been given any live vaccines
- If you are taking phenylbutazone, sodium salicylate or aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid)
- If you are taking any anthracyclines (a group of medicines used to treat cancer)
- If you are taking any drugs with a similar mechanism of action as ETOPOPHOS
If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking this medicine.
ETOPOPHOS must not be used during pregnancy unless clearly indicated by your doctor.
You must not breastfeed while you are receiving ETOPOPHOS.
Both male patients and female patients of child-bearing age should use an effective contraceptive method (e.g., the barrier method or condoms) during treatment and for at least 6 months after the end of treatment with ETOPOPHOS.
Male patients treated with ETOPOPHOS are advised not to father a child during treatment and for up to 6 months after treatment. In addition, men are advised to seek counselling on sperm preservation before starting treatment.
Both male and female patients who are considering having a child after having treatment with ETOPOPHOS should discuss this with their doctor or nurse.
No studies on the effects on the ability to drive and use machines have been performed. However, if you feel tired, sick to your stomach, dizzy or light-headed you should not do so until you have discussed it with your doctor.
This medicine contains less than 1 mmol sodium (23 mg) per 100 mg vial, that is to say essentially ‘sodium-free’.
ETOPOPHOS will be given to you by a doctor or nurse. It will be given as a slow infusion into a vein. This may take between 30 to 60 minutes.
The dose you receive will be specific to you, which the doctor will calculate. The usual dose, based on etoposide, is 50 to 100mg/m2 body surface area daily for 5 days in a row, or 100 to 120 mg/m2 body surface area on days 1, 3 and 5. This course of treatment may then be repeated, depending on the results of blood tests, but this will not be for at least 21 days after the first course of treatment.
For children being treated for cancer of the blood or lymphatic system the dose used is 75 to 150 mg/m2 body surface area daily for 2 to 5 days.
The doctor may sometimes prescribe a different dose particularly if you are receiving, or have received, other treatments for your cancer or if you have kidney problems.
As ETOPOPHOS is given to you by a doctor or nurse, overdose is unlikely. However, if this does occur your doctor will treat any symptoms that follow.
If you have any further questions on the use of this medicine, ask your doctor, pharmacist or nurse.
Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.
Tell your doctor or nurse immediately if you get any of the following symptoms: swelling of your tongue or throat, breathing difficulties, fast heartbeat, flushing of the skin or a rash. These may be signs of a severe allergic reaction.
Severe liver, kidney or heart damage from a condition called tumour lysis syndrome, caused by harmful amounts of substances from the cancer cells getting into the blood stream, has been seen sometimes when ETOPOPHOS is taken along with other drugs used to treat cancer.
Possible side effects experienced with ETOPOPHOS are:
Very common side effects (affecting more than 1 in 10 people)
- blood disorders (this is why you will be having blood tests between courses of treatment)
- temporary hair loss
- nausea and vomiting
- abdominal pain
- loss of appetite
- changes in skin colour (pigmentation)
- constipation
- feeling weak (asthenia)
- generally feeling unwell (malaise)
- damage to the liver (hepatotoxicity)
- increased liver enzymes
- jaundice (increased bilirubin)
Common side effects (affecting between 1 in 10 and 1 in 100 people)
- acute leukaemia
- irregular heart beat (arrhythmia), or a heart attack (myocardial infarction)
- dizziness
- diarrhoea
- reactions at the site of infusion
- severe allergic reactions
- high blood pressure
- low blood pressure
- sore lips, mouth or throat ulcers
- skin problems such as itching or rash
- inflammation of a vein
- infection (including infections seen in patients with a weakened immune system, e.g. a lung infection called pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia)
Uncommon side effects (affecting between 1 in 100 and 1 in 1000 people)
- tingling or numbness in hands and feet
- bleeding
Rare side effects (affecting between 1 in 1,000 and 1 in 10,000 people)
- acid reflux
- flushing
- difficulty swallowing
- a change in the way things taste
- convulsions (seizure)
- fever
- sleepiness or tiredness
- breathing problems
- temporary blindness
- serious reactions of the skin and/or mucous membranes which may include painful blisters and fever, including extensive detachment of the skin (Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis)
- a sunburn-like rash that may occur on skin that has previously been exposed to radiotherapy and can be severe (radiation recall dermatitis)
Not known (frequency cannot be estimated from the available data)
- tumour lysis syndrome (complications of substances released from treated cancer cells entering the blood)
- face and tongue swelling
- infertility
- difficulty breathing
- acute renal failure
If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the Yellow card Scheme Website www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard or search for MHRA Yellow Card in the Google Play or Apple App Store. By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.
Store in a refrigerator (2°C - 8°C).
Store in the original package in order to protect from light.
Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children.
Do not use this medicine after the expiry date which is stated on the carton and vial after EXP. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month.
Do not throw away any medicines via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to throw away medicines you no longer use. These measures will help protect the environment.
- The active substance is etoposide phophate. Each vial contains etoposide phosphate equivalent to etoposide 100 mg.
- The other ingredients are sodium citrate and Dextran 40.
ETOPOPHOS is a white to off-white dry powder.
It is supplied in a glass vial with a butyl rubber stopper and flip-off aluminium seal.
100 mg powder for solution for infusion is supplied in packs of 1, 5, 10, 20 or 25 vials
Not all pack sizes may be marketed.
Marketing Authorisation Holder:
Neon Healthcare Limited
8 The Chase
John Tate Road
Hertford
SG13 7NN
United Kingdom
Manufacturer:
Latina Pharma S.p.A.
Via del Murillo No. 7
04013 Sermoneta
Latina
Italy
Prestige Promotion Verkaufsförderung & Werbeservice GmbH
Borsigstraße 2
63755 Alzenau
Germany
This leaflet was last revised in April 2026.
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