Before taking Jakafi® (ruxolitinib), tell your Healthcare Professional about all the medications, vitamins, and herbal supplements you are taking and all your medical conditions, including if you have an infection, have or had tuberculosis (TB) or have been in close contact with someone who has TB, have or had hepatitis B, have or had liver or kidney problems, are on dialysis, have high cholesterol or triglycerides, had skin cancer, or have any other medical condition.
Especially tell your Healthcare Professional if you take medicines for fungal infections, bacterial infections, or HIV/AIDS. Taking Jakafi with certain other medicines may affect how Jakafi works. Women should not take Jakafi while pregnant or planning to become pregnant, or if breast-feeding.
Professional Perspective:
How Do I Take Jakafi?
Find out how patients can work with their Healthcare Professional to ensure they are prescribed the dose of Jakafi that is appropriate for their particular circumstances.
Your Healthcare Professional will determine the appropriate dose of Jakafi for you by taking several factors into account, including:
Jakafi comes in different dosage strengths— 5 mg, 10 mg, 15 mg, 20 mg, and 25 mg—as shown below. This is because different people need different doses and dosing may change during treatment.
Bottles and tablets shown are not actual size.
Be sure to take the dose you were prescribed and as often as prescribed, following your Healthcare Professional’s instructions. If you take more than the prescribed dose, call your Healthcare Professional or go to the nearest hospital emergency department right away. Take the bottle of Jakafi with you.
For most patients with polycythemia vera (PV) who have already taken a medicine called hydroxyurea and it did not work well enough or they could not tolerate it, the recommended starting dose of Jakafi is 10 mg, taken twice daily by mouth. Your Healthcare Professional may reduce the starting dose of Jakafi if you have liver or kidney problems or if you are taking certain medications. For most people with PV, a Healthcare Professional will check blood counts before and regularly during treatment.
If your response to Jakafi is not adequate and your blood counts are not too low, your Healthcare Professional may raise your dose. If your blood counts get too low, your Healthcare Professional may lower your dose. In some instances, your Healthcare Professional may have to temporarily stop your treatment with Jakafi.
Take Jakafi exactly as instructed by your Healthcare Professional. For most patients, the starting dose of Jakafi is 1 tablet taken twice a day by mouth. In certain cases, a Healthcare Professional may start a patient at a lower dose or temporarily reduce the dose of Jakafi to once a day. It is important to take each dose of Jakafi as prescribed.
Always follow your Healthcare Professional’s directions. In certain cases, your Healthcare Professional may start you at a lower dose or temporarily reduce your dose of Jakafi to once a day. Always follow your Healthcare Professional’s directions.
Be sure you take your medicine at about the same time each day. It may help you remember to take your Jakafi if you take it at the same time as you perform another daily activity, like brushing your teeth.
Do not drink grapefruit juice while taking Jakafi. Grapefruit juice can affect the amount of Jakafi in your blood. You can take Jakafi with or without food.
If you miss a dose of Jakafi, take your next dose as scheduled. Do not take an additional dose. If you take too much Jakafi, call your Healthcare Professional or go to the nearest hospital emergency room right away. Take the bottle of Jakafi with you.
You will not be able to pick up Jakafi at a local pharmacy. Jakafi will come to you from a specialty pharmacy.
It is important that you let your local pharmacist know that you are taking Jakafi, and it is also important to tell the specialty pharmacy about any other medicines, vitamins, and supplements you are taking. That way your pharmacist can help you avoid any possible interactions between drugs.
For more information about getting your Jakafi prescription filled, contact IncyteCARES for Jakafi at 1-855-452-5234 or visit IncyteCARES.com/Jakafi.
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Jakafi is a prescription medicine used to treat adults with polycythemia vera who have already taken a medicine called hydroxyurea and it did not work well enough or they could not tolerate it.
Jakafi is used to treat adults with certain types of myelofibrosis.
Jakafi is used to treat adults and children 12 years of age and older with acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) who have taken corticosteroids and they did not work well enough.
Jakafi is also used to treat adults and children 12 years of age and older with chronic GVHD who have taken one or two types of treatments and they did not work well enough.
Jakafi can cause serious side effects, including:
Low blood counts: Jakafi® (ruxolitinib) may cause low platelet, red blood cell, and white blood cell counts. If you develop bleeding, stop taking Jakafi and call your healthcare provider. Your healthcare provider will do a blood test to check your blood counts before you start Jakafi and regularly during your treatment. Your healthcare provider may change your dose of Jakafi or stop your treatment based on the results of your blood tests. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you develop or have worsening symptoms such as unusual bleeding, bruising, tiredness, shortness of breath, or a fever.
Infection: You may be at risk for developing a serious infection during treatment with Jakafi. Tell your healthcare provider if you develop any of the following symptoms of infection: chills, nausea, vomiting, aches, weakness, fever, painful skin rash or blisters.
Cancer: Some people have had certain types of non-melanoma skin cancers during treatment with Jakafi. Your healthcare provider will regularly check your skin during your treatment with Jakafi. Tell your healthcare provider if you develop any new or changing skin lesions during treatment with Jakafi.
Increases in cholesterol: You may have changes in your blood cholesterol levels during treatment with Jakafi. Your healthcare provider will do blood tests to check your cholesterol levels about every 8 to 12 weeks after you start taking Jakafi, and as needed.
Increased risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attack, stroke or death in people who have cardiovascular risk factors and who are current or past smokers while using another JAK inhibitor to treat rheumatoid arthritis: Get emergency help right away if you have any symptoms of a heart attack or stroke while taking Jakafi, including: discomfort in the center of your chest that lasts for more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back, severe tightness, pain, pressure, or heaviness in your chest, throat, neck, or jaw, pain or discomfort in your arms, back, neck, jaw, or stomach, shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort, breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or vomiting, feeling lightheaded, weakness in one part or on one side of your body, slurred speech.
Increased risk of blood clots: Blood clots in the veins of your legs (deep vein thrombosis, DVT) or lungs (pulmonary embolism, PE) have happened in people taking another JAK inhibitor for rheumatoid arthritis and may be life-threatening. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any signs and symptoms of blood clots during treatment with Jakafi, including: swelling, pain, or tenderness in one or both legs, sudden, unexplained chest or upper back pain, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing.
Possible increased risk of new (secondary) cancers: People who take another JAK inhibitor for rheumatoid arthritis have an increased risk of new (secondary) cancers, including lymphoma and other cancers. People who smoke or who smoked in the past have an added risk of new cancers.
The most common side effects of Jakafi include: for certain types of myelofibrosis (MF) and polycythemia vera (PV) – low platelet or red blood cell counts, bruising, dizziness, headache, and diarrhea; for acute GVHD – low platelet counts, low red or white blood cell counts, infections, and swelling; and for chronic GVHD – low red blood cell or platelet counts and infections including viral infections.
These are not all the possible side effects of Jakafi. Ask your pharmacist or healthcare provider for more information. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects.
Before taking Jakafi, tell your healthcare provider about: all the medications, vitamins, and herbal supplements you are taking and all your medical conditions, including if you have an infection, have or had low white or red blood cell counts, have or had tuberculosis (TB) or have been in close contact with someone who has TB, had shingles (herpes zoster), have or had hepatitis B, have or had liver or kidney problems, are on dialysis, have high cholesterol or triglycerides, had cancer, are a current or past smoker, had a blood clot, heart attack, other heart problems or stroke, or have any other medical condition. Take Jakafi exactly as your healthcare provider tells you. Do not change your dose or stop taking Jakafi without first talking to your healthcare provider.
Women should not take Jakafi while pregnant or planning to become pregnant. Do not breastfeed during treatment with Jakafi and for 2 weeks after the final dose.
Please see the Full Prescribing Information, which includes a more complete discussion of the risks associated with Jakafi.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
You may also report side effects to Incyte Medical Information at 1-855-463-3463.
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