Lumakras (Sotorasib)
Complete patient guide for uses, dosage, side effects, and safety information
Prescription RequiredQuick Facts
What Is Lumakras Used For?
Lumakras is a targeted cancer treatment specifically designed for patients with a particular type of lung cancer that has a specific genetic mutation.
Primary Uses
Lumakras treats non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that is caused by an abnormal protein called KRAS G12C. It can only be prescribed if you have been previously treated for your lung cancer with other medicines, and your cancer is advanced or has spread to other parts of your body.
How It Works
Lumakras works by binding to the KRAS G12C protein and blocking its function in tumor cells. This may slow down or stop the growth of your lung cancer by targeting the specific abnormal protein that causes the cancer growth.
Personalized Treatment: Your doctor will test your tumor to make sure Lumakras is right for your specific type of cancer before prescribing it.
How to Take Lumakras
Take Lumakras exactly as your healthcare provider tells you. The medication can be taken with or without food at about the same time each day.
Dosage Instructions
The recommended starting dose is 8 tablets taken together once every day. Your healthcare provider may decrease your dose depending on how well you tolerate it. Swallow tablets whole – do not break, crush or chew them. If you cannot swallow whole tablets, place your daily dose in 120 mL of room temperature tap water, gently swirl until tablets disperse, and drink immediately. Rinse the glass with additional water and drink to ensure you get the full dose.
What If You Miss a Dose?
If you forget to take your dose and it is less than 6 hours late, take the dose as soon as you remember. If it is more than 6 hours late, skip the missed dose and take your next dose at the usual time the next day. If you vomit after taking a dose, do not take an extra dose – just take your next dose at the regular scheduled time.
Important: Never take a double dose to make up for a missed dose. If you need to take an antacid medicine, take Lumakras either 4 hours before or 10 hours after the antacid.
Available Tablet Strengths
Side Effects
Like all medications, this medicine can cause side effects. Most are mild and temporary, but some require medical attention.
Common Side Effects
These side effects occur relatively frequently and usually don’t require emergency care:
- Diarrhea
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Stomach pain or discomfort
- Fatigue (feeling tired)
- Abnormal levels of liver enzymes in blood tests
Seek immediate medical attention if you experience:
- Liver problems: pain or tenderness on right side of stomach, yellowing of skin or eyes (jaundice), dark or tea-colored urine, light-colored stools, tiredness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, bleeding, bruising, loss of appetite
- Lung inflammation: new or worsening shortness of breath, cough, or fever
Important Warnings
Before starting Lumakras, your doctor needs to know about your medical history and current health conditions to ensure this medication is safe for you.
Who Should Not Take Lumakras
Do not use Lumakras if you are allergic to sotorasib or any of the ingredients listed in the medication. Always check the ingredients to make sure you can use this medicine safely.
Medical Conditions to Discuss
Tell your healthcare provider if you have liver problems, lung or breathing problems, or an intolerance to some sugars such as lactose, or a rare genetic disorder such as galactosaemia, glucose-galactose intolerance, or congenital lactase deficiency.
Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
The effects of Lumakras in pregnant women are not known. Your healthcare provider will help you weigh the benefits against the risks if you are pregnant. Do not breastfeed during treatment with Lumakras and for 1 week after the final dose, as it is not known if the ingredients pass into breast milk. Tell your doctor immediately if you become pregnant while taking Lumakras.
Provisional Approval: This medicine has provisional approval in Australia based on promising preliminary study results. More evidence is required to fully confirm the benefit and safety of the medicine.
Drug Interactions
Some medicines may interfere with how Lumakras works, and Lumakras may affect how other medicines work. Always tell your healthcare provider about all medicines you are taking.
- Rifampin (antibiotic for tuberculosis)
- Epilepsy medicines: phenytoin, carbamazepine, phenobarbital
- St. John’s wort (herbal depression treatment)
- Enzalutamide (prostate cancer medicine)
- Stomach acid reducers: esomeprazole, lansoprazole, omeprazole, pantoprazole, rabeprazole, famotidine, nizatidine
- Digoxin (heart failure medicine)
- Pain medicines: alfentanil, fentanyl
- Organ rejection prevention: cyclosporin, sirolimus, everolimus, tacrolimus
- Cholesterol medicines: simvastatin, atorvastatin
- Midazolam (seizure/sedative medicine)
- Heart rhythm medicines: amiodarone
- Blood thinners: rivaroxaban, apixaban
Alcohol & Driving
Lumakras should not significantly affect your daily activities, but it’s important to be aware of how the medication affects you personally.
Alcohol
There is no specific information available about the effects of drinking alcohol while taking Lumakras. Tell your doctor if you drink alcohol so they can provide appropriate guidance.
Driving and Operating Machinery
Lumakras has no marked influence on your ability to drive and use machines. However, be careful before you drive or use any machines or tools until you know how Lumakras affects you personally.
Storage
Store Lumakras tablets below 30°C in the original carton. Keep the pack in a cool, dry place away from moisture, heat, or sunlight. Do not store in the bathroom, near a sink, in the car, or on window sills. Keep away from children and dispose of any unwanted or expired medicine at any pharmacy for safe disposal.
Overdose Information
If you think you have taken too much Lumakras, seek urgent medical attention immediately. Phone the Poisons Information Centre (13 11 26), contact your healthcare provider, or go to the Emergency Department at your nearest hospital. Take the Lumakras pack with you, even if there are no signs of discomfort or poisoning.
Frequently Asked Questions
The source doesn’t specify exact timing, but your doctor will monitor your progress with regular appointments and tests to check how well the medicine is working for your specific cancer.
Yes, Lumakras can be taken with or without food. Take it at about the same time each day for best results.
Place your daily dose of 8 tablets in 120 mL of room temperature tap water, gently swirl until they disperse into small pieces, drink immediately, then rinse the glass with additional water and drink that too to ensure you get the full dose.
Do not change your dose or stop taking Lumakras unless your healthcare provider tells you to. Always speak to your doctor before deciding to stop taking this medicine.
There is no specific information available about the effects of drinking alcohol while taking Lumakras. Tell your doctor if you drink alcohol so they can provide appropriate guidance.
If you vomit after taking a dose, do not take an extra dose. Simply take your next dose at your regular scheduled time.
Store Lumakras below 30°C in the original carton, in a cool dry place away from moisture, heat, or sunlight. Keep away from children and don’t store in bathrooms, cars, or on window sills.
Important Disclaimer
This information is intended for general educational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider or pharmacist before starting, stopping, or changing any medication.
If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or emergency services immediately.