Palonosetron Accord

Palonosetron Accord is a medicine used to prevent nausea (feeling sick) and vomiting caused by chemotherapy (medicines to treat cancer). It is used in adults and children 1 month of age or older for chemotherapy with medicines that are either a strong trigger of nausea and vomiting (such as cisplatin) or a moderate trigger (such as cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin or carboplatin).

Palonosetron Accord contains the active substance palonosetron. It is a ‘generic medicine’. This means that Palonosetron Accord is similar to a ‘reference medicine’ already authorised in the European Union (EU) called Aloxi.

Palonosetron Accord should only be given before chemotherapy. It is available as a solution for injection or infusion (drip) into a vein, which should be given by a healthcare professional about 30 minutes before the start of chemotherapy. In adults, the recommended dose is 250 micrograms, injected into a vein over 30 seconds. It may be given with a corticosteroid (another type of medicine that can be used to prevent nausea and vomiting) to increase the effect. In children, the solution should be given by infusion into a vein over 15 minutes at a dose of 20 micrograms per kilogram body weight.

The medicine can only be obtained with a prescription.

The active substance in Palonosetron Accord, palonosetron, is a ‘5HT3 antagonist’. This means that it stops a chemical in the body called 5-hydroxytryptamine (5HT, also known as serotonin) from attaching to 5HT3 receptors in the gut. When 5HT attaches to these receptors, it normally causes nausea and vomiting. By blocking these receptors, Palonosetron Accord prevents the nausea and vomiting that often happen after chemotherapy.

The company provided data from the published literature on palonosetron. No additional studies were needed as Palonosetron Accord is a generic medicine that is given by injection and contains the same active substance as the reference medicine, Aloxi.

Because Palonosetron Accord is a generic medicine, its benefits and risks are taken as being the same as the reference medicine’s.

The Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) concluded that, in accordance with EU requirements, Palonosetron Accord has been shown to be comparable to Aloxi. Therefore, the CHMP’s view was that, as for Aloxi, the benefit outweighs the identified risk. The Committee recommended that Palonosetron Accord be approved for use in the EU.

A risk management plan has been developed to ensure that Palonosetron Accord is used as safely as possible. Based on this plan, safety information has been included in the summary of product characteristics and the package leaflet for Palonosetron Accord, including the appropriate precautions to be followed by healthcare professionals and patients.

The European Commission granted a marketing authorisation valid throughout the European Union for Palonosetron Accord on 26 May 2016.

For more information about treatment with Palonosetron Accord, read the package leaflet (also part of the EPAR) or contact your doctor or pharmacist.