Overview
Zepzelca is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treating adults with metastatic (advanced) small cell lung cancer (SCLC) whose disease has progressed on or after platinum-based chemotherapy. It is also approved for use in combination with atezolizumab or atezolizumab and hyaluronidase-tqjs as a maintenance treatment for adults with extensive-stage SCLC that has not progressed after initial chemotherapy. Zepzelca is also known by its drug name, lurbinectedin.

Zepzelca is an alkylating drug. It works by binding to DNA in cancer cells and interfering with their ability to grow and multiply, which may help slow or stop the progression of lung cancer.

How do I take it?
Prescribing information states that Zepzelca is given as an intravenous (IV) infusion through a vein every 21 days. Each infusion lasts about 60 minutes. A central venous catheter is recommended to reduce the risk of tissue damage from the drug leaking outside the vein. Corticosteroids and serotonin agonists are given before treatment to help prevent nausea, and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) may be given to reduce the risk of infection from low white blood cell counts. Zepzelca should be administered exactly as prescribed by a healthcare provider.

Side effects
Common side effects of Zepzelca when taken alone include leukopenia, lymphopenia, and neutropenia (low white blood cell counts), fatigue, anemia, nausea, constipation, vomiting, decreased appetite, diarrhea, musculoskeletal pain (muscle and joint pain), dyspnea (shortness of breath), cough, thrombocytopenia (low platelet count), and laboratory abnormalities such as increased creatinine, glucose, alanine aminotransferase (a liver enzyme), and aspartate aminotransferase (another liver enzyme), as well as decreased albumin, sodium, and magnesium levels.

When Zepzelca is taken in combination with atezolizumab, additional common side effects may include decreased lymphocytes, platelets, hemoglobin, and neutrophils (types of blood cells), as well as nausea and fatigue or asthenia (weakness or lack of energy).

Rare but serious side effects may include myelosuppression (severe bone marrow suppression), hepatotoxicity (liver damage), extravasation (tissue damage from drug leakage during infusion), rhabdomyolysis (muscle breakdown), and embryo-fetal toxicity (harm to an unborn baby). Regular monitoring of blood counts, liver function, and muscle enzyme levels is required to detect and manage these risks.

For more information about this treatment, visit:

Zepzelca (Lurbinectedin) for Injection, for Intravenous Use — Jazz Pharmaceuticals