Please see Important Safety Information throughout this video.
Please see Full Prescribing Information, including Medication Guide, on www.VENCLEXTA.com or at www.rxabbvie.com/pdf/venclexta.pdf.
JOHN: I met Laura in high school. We’re high school sweethearts.
LAURA: It took almost three months to get a date with this guy, and I was a cheerleader.
JOHN: But she had a great personality. That’s why I loved her more than anything.
Individual results may vary.
JOHN: My name is John, by the way. I’m 61 years old, and I’m a CLL patient.
In a clinical study of 432 people with previously untreated CLL, the primary measurement of the study showed the chance of disease worsening or death was 67% lower with VENCLEXTA + GAZYVA® (obinutuzumab) (216 people) than with the chemotherapy antibody regimen (216 people).
The study had not yet been able to determine the median time that patients lived without their disease worsening because more than half of patients were both alive and had not yet experienced worsening of their disease. The median duration of follow-up for PFS was 28 months (range: 0-36 months).
JOHN: You know, when you’re progression-free, every day is a new day.
JOHN: Before I was even diagnosed with CLL, you know, we were pretty busy people.
LAURA: We used to each train about 18 dogs a year.
JOHN: We’ve had some pretty good accomplishments. I know Laura, she’s been to Westminster with one of her dogs. We’ve got some champions. Work for us is our joy.
JOHN: When you are diagnosed with cancer, you have to understand that you’re going to make a choice that’s going to affect your life.
JOHN: And the specialist that I chose, he had the ability to invite me in and make me a partner—ask me the right questions, and then offer me good information. And then help me digest that information. He helped me decide on a treatment goal. It was really important to have a treatment that could help me accomplish that.
JOHN: The appeal with VENCLEXTA was the fact that it was fixed-duration, chemo-free therapy that had a completion date—mine was 12 months.
JOHN: If you’ve got to take a drug all your life, it gets very expensive. I set up a calendar and I just marked the days off.
JOHN: Pretty soon, I wasn’t taking VENCLEXTA anymore.
JOHN: They did let me know that there was a possibility that I would have some adverse reactions. The one that they talked about that would have been severe would have been tumor lysis syndrome.
JOHN: But it didn’t become an issue for me.
JOHN: Ever since I completed the treatment my blood labs have shown that I’m progression-free. I was definitely in remission.
JOHN: When they can’t find any cancer in your blood, that’s a good feeling.
JOHN: My perspective on living with CLL right now is, it’s almost normal. I don’t think about it like I used to. It makes me want to continue to have objectives and plans.
LAURA: When our granddaughter comes over, she’s like, “Hi Grandpa. Let’s go take a walk.”
JOHN: The conversation is no longer about CLL. My brothers will call me up and ask me, you know, “You wanna go do this?” or “You wanna go do that?” When you feel good, you take advantage of it. You try not to waste a moment.
Important Safety Information
What is the most important information I should know about VENCLEXTA?
VENCLEXTA can cause serious side effects, including:
Tumor lysis syndrome (TLS). TLS is caused by the fast breakdown of cancer cells. TLS can cause kidney failure, the need for dialysis treatment, and may lead to death. Your healthcare provider will do tests to check your risk of getting TLS before you start taking VENCLEXTA. You will receive other medicines before starting and during treatment with VENCLEXTA to help reduce your risk of TLS. You may also need to receive intravenous (IV) fluids into your vein. Your healthcare provider will do blood tests to check for TLS when you first start treatment and during treatment with VENCLEXTA. It is important to keep your appointments for blood tests. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any symptoms of TLS during treatment with VENCLEXTA, including fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, confusion, shortness of breath, seizures, irregular heartbeat, dark or cloudy urine, unusual tiredness, or muscle or joint pain.
Drink plenty of water during treatment with VENCLEXTA to help reduce your risk of getting TLS. Drink 6 to 8 glasses (about 56 ounces total) of water each day, starting 2 days before your first dose, on the day of your first dose of VENCLEXTA, and each time your dose is increased.
Your healthcare provider may delay, decrease your dose, or stop treatment with VENCLEXTA if you have side effects. When restarting VENCLEXTA after stopping for 1 week or longer, your healthcare provider may again check for your risk of TLS and change your dose.
Who should not take VENCLEXTA?
Certain medicines must not be taken when you first start taking VENCLEXTA and while your dose is being slowly increased because of the risk of increased TLS.
Before taking VENCLEXTA, tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditions, including if you:
What should I avoid while taking VENCLEXTA?
You should not drink grapefruit juice or eat grapefruit, Seville oranges (often used in marmalades), or starfruit while you are taking VENCLEXTA. These products may increase the amount of VENCLEXTA in your blood.
What are the possible side effects of VENCLEXTA?
VENCLEXTA can cause serious side effects, including:
Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have a fever or any signs of an infection during treatment with VENCLEXTA.
The most common side effects of VENCLEXTA when used in combination with obinutuzumab or rituximab or alone in people with CLL or SLL include low white blood cell counts; low platelet counts; low red blood cell counts; diarrhea; nausea; upper respiratory tract infection; cough; muscle and joint pain; tiredness; and swelling of your arms, legs, hands, and feet.
VENCLEXTA may cause fertility problems in males. This may affect your ability to father a child. Talk to your healthcare provider if you have concerns about fertility.
These are not all the possible side effects of VENCLEXTA. For more information, ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist.
You are encouraged to report side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA.
Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1‑800‑FDA‑1088.
If you cannot afford your medication, contact genentech-access.com/patient/brands/venclexta for assistance.
Please see Full Prescribing Information, including Medication Guide on www.VENCLEXTA.com or at www.rxabbvie.com/pdf/venclexta.pdf
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