Levoleucovorin

Levoleucovorin
Adult Indications & Dosage
Pediatric Indications & Dosage
Contraindications
Warnings & Precautions
Adverse Reactions
Drug Interactions
Use in Specific Populations
Administration & Monitoring
Overdosage
Pharmacology
Clinical Studies
How Supplied
Images
Patient Counseling Information
Precautions with Alcohol
Brand Names
Look-Alike Names

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Aparna Vuppala, M.B.B.S. [2]

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Overview

Levoleucovorin is an chemotherapeutic adjuvant that is FDA approved for the treatment of after high-dose methotrexate therapy in osteosarcoma and also indicated to diminish the toxicity and counteract the effects of impaired methotrexate elimination and of inadvertent overdosage of folic acid antagonists. Common adverse reactions include alopecia , dermatitis, diarrhea, loss of appetite , nausea , stomatitis, hypersensitivity reaction.

Adult Indications and Dosage

FDA-Labeled Indications and Dosage (Adult)

• Levoleucovorin® is a folate analogue
• Levoleucovorin rescue is indicated after high-dose methotrexate therapy in osteosarcoma .
• Levoleucovorin is also indicated to diminish the toxicity and counteract the effects of impaired methotrexate elimination and of inadvertent overdosage of folic acid antagonists .
• Levoleucovorin is indicated for use in combination chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil in the palliative treatment of patients with advanced metastatic colorectal cancer.

Limitations of Use

• Levoleucovorin is not approved for pernicious anemia and megaloblastic anemias secondary to the lack of vitamin B12. Improper use may cause a hematologic remission while neurologic manifestations continue to progress.

Administration Guidelines

• Levoleucovorin is dosed at one-half the usual dose of racemic d,l-leucovorin.

• Levoleucovorin is indicated for intravenous administration only. Do not administer intrathecally.

Co-administration of Levoleucovorin with other agents

• Due to the risk of precipitation, do not co-administer Levoleucovorin with other agents in the same admixture.

Levoleucovorin Rescue After High-Dose methotrexate Therapy

• The recommendations for Levoleucovorin rescue are based on a methotrexate dose of 12 grams/m2administered by intravenous infusion over 4 hours (see methotrexate package insert for full prescribing information). Levoleucovorin rescue at a dose of 7.5 mg (approximately 5 mg/m2) every 6 hours for 10 doses starts 24 hours after the beginning of the methotrexate infusion.

• serum creatinine and methotrexate levels should be determined at least once daily. Levoleucovorin administration, hydration, and urinary alkalinization (pH of 7.0 or greater) should be continued until the methotrexate level is below 5 x 10-8 M (0.05 micromolar). The Levoleucovorin dose should be adjusted or rescue extended based on the following guidelines.

This image is provided by the National Library of Medicine.

• Patients who experience delayed early methotrexate elimination are likely to develop reversible renal failure. In addition to appropriate Levoleucovorin therapy, these patients require continuing hydration and urinary alkalinization, and close monitoring of fluid and electrolyte status, until the serum methotrexate level has fallen to below 0.05 micromolar and the renal failure has resolved.

• Some patients will have abnormalities in methotrexate elimination or renal function following methotrexate administration, which are significant but less severe than the abnormalities described in the table above. These abnormalities may or may not be associated with significant clinical toxicity. If significant clinical toxicity is observed, Levoleucovorin rescue should be extended for an additional 24 hours (total of 14 doses over 84 hours) in subsequent courses of therapy. The possibility that the patient is taking other medications which interact with methotrexate (e.g., medications which may interfere with methotrexate elimination or binding to serum albumin) should always be reconsidered when laboratory abnormalities or clinical toxicities are observed.

• Delayed methotrexate excretion may be caused by accumulation in a third space fluid collection (i.e., ascites, pleural effusion), renal insufficiency, or inadequate hydration. Under such circumstances, higher doses of Levoleucovorin or prolonged administration may be indicated.

• Although Levoleucovorin may ameliorate the hematologic toxicity associated with high-dose methotrexate , Levoleucovorin has no effect on other established toxicities of methotrexate such as the nephrotoxicity resulting from drug and/or metabolite precipitation in the kidney.

Dosing Recommendations for Inadvertent methotrexate Overdosage

• Levoleucovorin rescue should begin as soon as possible after an inadvertent overdosage and within 24 hours of methotrexate administration when there is delayed excretion. As the time interval between antifolate administration [e.g., methotrexate ] and Levoleucovorin rescue increases, Levoleucovorin’s effectiveness in counteracting toxicity may decrease. Levoleucovorin 7.5 mg (approximately 5 mg/m2 ) should be administered IV every 6 hours until the serum methotrexate level is less than 10-8 M.

• serum creatinine and methotrexate levels should be determined at 24 hour intervals. If the 24 hour serum creatinine has increased 50% over baseline or if the 24 hour methotrexate level is greater than 5 x 10-6 M or the 48 hour level is greater than 9 x 10-7 M, the dose of Levoleucovorin should be increased to 50 mg/m2 IV every 3 hours until the methotrexate level is less than 10-8 M. Hydration (3 L/day) and urinary alkalinization with NaHCO3 should be employed concomitantly. The bicarbonate dose should be adjusted to maintain the urine pH at 7.0 or greater.

Levoleucovorin Administration in Combination with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)

• The following regimens have been used historically for the treatment of colorectal cancer:

• Levoleucovorin is administered at 100 mg/m2 by slow intravenous injection over a minimum of 3 minutes, followed by 5-FU at 370 mg/m2 by intravenous injection.
• Levoleucovorin is administered at 10 mg/m2 by intravenous injection followed by 5-FU at 425 mg/m2 by intravenous injection.

• 5-FU and Levoleucovorin should be administered separately to avoid the formation of a precipitate.

• Treatment is repeated daily for five days. This five-day treatment course may be repeated at 4 week (28-day) intervals, for 2 courses and then repeated at 4 to 5 week (28 to 35 day) intervals provided that the patient has completely recovered from the toxic effects of the prior treatment course.

• In subsequent treatment courses, the dosage of 5-FU should be adjusted based on patient tolerance of the prior treatment course. The daily dosage of 5-FU should be reduced by 20% for patients who experienced moderate hematologic or gastrointestinal toxicity in the prior treatment course, and by 30% for patients who experienced severe toxicity. For patients who experienced no toxicity in the prior treatment course, 5-FU dosage may be increased by 10%. Levoleucovorin dosages are not adjusted for toxicity.

Reconstitution and Infusion Instructions

Levoleucovorin for Injection

• Prior to intravenous injection, the 50 mg vial of Levoleucovorin for Injection is reconstituted with 5.3 mL of 0.9% Sodium Chloride Injection, USP to yield a levoleucovorin concentration of 10 mg per mL. Reconstitution with Sodium Chloride solutions with preservatives (e.g. benzyl alcohol) has not been studied. The use of solutions other than 0.9% Sodium Chloride Injection, USP is not recommended.
• The reconstituted 10 mg per mL levoleucovorin contains no preservative. Observe strict aseptic technique during reconstitution of the drug product.
• Saline reconstituted levoleucovorin solutions may be further diluted, immediately, to concentrations of 0.5 mg/mL to 5 mg/mL in 0.9% Sodium Chloride Injection, USP or 5% Dextrose Injection, USP. Initial reconstitution or further dilution using 0.9% Sodium Chloride Injection, USP may be held at room temperature for not more than a total of 12 hours. Dilutions in 5% Dextrose Injection, USP may be held at room temperature for not more than 4 hours.
• Visually inspect the reconstituted solution for particulate matter and discoloration, prior to administration. CAUTION: Parenteral drug products should be inspected visually for particulate matter and discoloration prior to administration, whenever solution and container permit. Do not use if cloudiness or precipitate is observed.
• No more than 16 mL of reconstituted solutions (160 mg of levoleucovorin) should be injected intravenously per minute, because of the calcium content of the levoleucovorin solution.

Levoleucovorin Injection

• Levoleucovorin contains no preservative. Observe strict aseptic technique during reconstitution of the drug product.
• Levoleucovorin solutions may be further diluted to concentrations of 0.5 mg/mL in 0.9% Sodium Chloride Injection, USP or 5% Dextrose Injection, USP. The diluted solution using 0.9% Sodium Chloride Injection, USP or 5% Dextrose Injection, USP may be held at room temperature for not more than 4 hours.
• Visually inspect the diluted solution for particulate matter and discoloration, prior to administration. CAUTION: Parenteral drug products should be inspected visually for particulate matter and discoloration prior to administration, whenever solution and container permit. Do not use if cloudiness or precipitate is observed.
• No more than 16 mL of Levoleucovorin Injection (160 mg of levoleucovorin) should be injected intravenously per minute, because of the calcium content of the levoleucovorin solution.

Off-Label Use and Dosage (Adult)

Guideline-Supported Use

There is limited information regarding Off-Label Guideline-Supported Use of Levoleucovorin in adult patients.

Non–Guideline-Supported Use

There is limited information regarding Off-Label Non–Guideline-Supported Use of Levoleucovorin in adult patients.

Pediatric Indications and Dosage

FDA-Labeled Indications and Dosage (Pediatric)

There is limited information regarding FDA-Labeled Use of Levoleucovorin in pediatric patients.

Off-Label Use and Dosage (Pediatric)

Guideline-Supported Use

There is limited information regarding Off-Label Guideline-Supported Use of Levoleucovorin in pediatric patients.

Non–Guideline-Supported Use

There is limited information regarding Off-Label Non–Guideline-Supported Use of Levoleucovorin in pediatric patients.

Contraindications

• Levoleucovorin is contraindicated for patients who have had previous allergic reactions attributed to folic acid or folinic acid.

Warnings

Rate of Administration

• Because of the Ca++ content of the levoleucovorin solution, no more than 16 mL (160 mg of levoleucovorin) should be injected intravenously per minute.

Potential for Enhanced Toxicity with 5-fluorouracil

• Levoleucovorin enhances the toxicity of 5-fluorouracil . Deaths from severe enterocolitis, diarrhea, and dehydration have been reported in elderly patients receiving weekly d,l-leucovorin and 5-fluorouracil . When these drugs are administered concurrently in the palliative treatment of advanced colorectal cancer, the dosage of 5-FU must be lower than usually administered. Although the toxicities observed in patients treated with the combination of Levoleucovorin and 5-FU are qualitatively similar to those observed with 5-FU alone, gastrointestinal toxicities (particularly stomatitis and diarrhea) are observed more commonly and may be of greater severity and of prolonged duration in patients treated with the combination.

• In the first Mayo/NCCTG controlled trial, toxicity, primarily gastrointestinal, resulted in 7% of patients requiring hospitalization when treated with 5-FU alone or 5-FU in combination with 200 mg/m2 of d,l-leucovorin and 20% when treated with 5-FU in combination with 20 mg/m2 of d,l-leucovorin. In the second Mayo/NCCTG trial, hospitalizations related to treatment toxicity also appeared to occur more often in patients treated with the low dose d,l-leucovorin/5-FU combination than in patients treated with the high dose combination – 11% versus 3%. Therapy with Levoleucovorin and 5-FU must not be initiated or continued in patients who have symptoms of gastrointestinal toxicity of any severity, until those symptoms have completely resolved. Patients with diarrhea must be monitored with particular care until the diarrhea has resolved, as rapid clinical deterioration leading to death can occur. In an additional study utilizing higher weekly doses of 5-FU and d,l-leucovorin, elderly and/or debilitated patients were found to be at greater risk for severe gastrointestinal toxicity.

• Seizures and/or syncope have been reported rarely in cancer patients receiving d,l-leucovorin, usually in association with fluoropyrimidine administration, and most commonly in those with CNS metastases or other predisposing factors. However, a causal relationship has not been established.

Potential for interaction with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole

• The concomitant use of d,l-leucovorin with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole for the acute treatment of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in patients with HIV infection was associated with increased rates of treatment failure and morbidity in a placebo-controlled study.

Adverse Reactions

Clinical Trials Experience

• Since clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. The following table presents the frequency of adverse reactions which occurred during the administration of 58 courses of high-dose methotrexate 12 grams/m2 followed by Levoleucovorin rescue for osteosarcoma in 16 patients age 6-21. Most patients received Levoleucovorin 7.5 mg every 6 hours for 60 hours or longer beginning 24 hours after completion of methotrexate .

This image is provided by the National Library of Medicine.

• The incidence of adverse reactions may be underestimated because not all patients were fully evaluable for toxicity for all cycles in the clinical trials. Leukopenia and thrombocytopenia were observed, but could not be attributed to high-dose methotrexate with Levoleucovorin rescue because patients were receiving other myelosuppressive chemotherapy.

Clinical Studies in Combination with 5-FU in Colorectal Cancer

• A randomized controlled trial conducted by the North Central Cancer Treatment Group (NCCTG) in patients with advanced colorectal cancer failed to show superiority of a regimen of 5-FU + levoleucovorin to 5-FU + d,l-leucovorin in overall survival. Patients were randomized to 5-FU 370 mg/m2 intravenously and levoleucovorin 100 mg/m2 intravenously, both daily for 5 days, or with 5-FU 370 mg/m2 intravenously and d,l-leucovorin 200 mg/m2 intravenously, both daily for 5 days. Treatment was repeated week 4 and week 8, and then every 5 weeks until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. The following table presents the most frequent adverse reactions which occurred in patients in the 2 treatment arms.

This image is provided by the National Library of Medicine.

Postmarketing Experience

• Since adverse reactions from spontaneous reports are provided voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to estimate reliably their frequency or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure. Spontaneously reported adverse reactions collected by the WHO Collaborating Center for International Drug Monitoring in Uppsala Sweden have yielded seven cases where levoleucovorin was administered with a regimen of methotrexate . The events were dyspnea, pruritus, rash, temperature change and rigors. For 217 adverse reactions (108 reports) where levoleucovorin was a suspected or interacting medication, there were 40 occurrences of “possible allergic reactions.”

• In an analysis where calcium levoleucovorin was reported as the primary suspect drug and fluorouracil (FU) was reported as a concomitant medication, possible allergic reactions were reported among 47 cases (67 events).

Drug Interactions

• Folic acid in large amounts may counteract the antiepileptic effect of phenobarbital, phenytoin and primidone, and increase the frequency of seizures in susceptible children. It is not known whether folinic acid has the same effects. However, both folic and folinic acids share some common metabolic pathways. Caution should be taken when taking folinic acid in combination with anticonvulsant drugs.

• Preliminary human studies have shown that small quantities of systemically administered leucovorin enter the CSF, primarily as its major metabolite, 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHFA). In humans, the CSF levels of 5-MTHFA remain 1-3 orders of magnitude lower than the usual methotrexate concentrations following intrathecal administration.

• Levoleucovorin increases the toxicity of 5-fluorouracil

Use in Specific Populations

Pregnancy

Pregnancy Category (FDA): C

• Animal reproduction studies have not been conducted with Levoleucovorin. It is not known whether Levoleucovorin can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman or can affect reproduction capacity. Levoleucovorin should be given to a pregnant woman only if clearly needed.

Pregnancy Category (AUS): There is no Australian Drug Evaluation Committee (ADEC) guidance on usage of Levoleucovorin in women who are pregnant.

Labor and Delivery

There is no FDA guidance on use of Levoleucovorin during labor and delivery.

Nursing Mothers

• It is not known whether this drug is excreted in human milk. Because many drugs are excreted in human milk, and because of the potential for serious adverse reactions in nursing infants from Levoleucovorin, a decision should be made whether to discontinue nursing or discontinue the drug, taking into account the importance of the drug to the mother.

Pediatric Use

There is no FDA guidance on the use of Levoleucovorin with respect to pediatric patients.

Geriatic Use

• Clinical studies of Levoleucovorin in the treatment of osteosarcoma did not include subjects aged 65 and over to determine whether they respond differently from younger subjects.

• In the NCCTG clinical trial of Levoleucovorin in combination with 5-FU in advanced colorectal cancer, adverse reactions were consistent with 5-FU related toxicity and were similar for patients age 65 and older and for patients younger than age 65.

Gender

There is no FDA guidance on the use of Levoleucovorin with respect to specific gender populations.

Race

There is no FDA guidance on the use of Levoleucovorin with respect to specific racial populations.

Renal Impairment

There is no FDA guidance on the use of Levoleucovorin in patients with renal impairment.

Hepatic Impairment

There is no FDA guidance on the use of Levoleucovorin in patients with hepatic impairment.

Females of Reproductive Potential and Males

There is no FDA guidance on the use of Levoleucovorin in women of reproductive potentials and males.

Immunocompromised Patients

There is no FDA guidance one the use of Levoleucovorin in patients who are immunocompromised.

Administration and Monitoring

Administration

• Intravenous

Monitoring

There is limited information regarding Monitoring of Levoleucovorin in the drug label.

IV Compatibility

There is limited information regarding IV Compatibility of Levoleucovorin in the drug label.

Overdosage

• No data are available for overdosage with levoleucovorin.

Pharmacology

There is limited information regarding Levoleucovorin Pharmacology in the drug label.

Mechanism of Action

Levoleucovorin effects during high-dose methotrexate therapy

• Levoleucovorin is the pharmacologically active isomer of 5-formyl tetrahydrofolic acid. Levoleucovorin does not require reduction by the enzyme dihydrofolate reductase in order to participate in reactions utilizing folates as a source of “one-carbon” moieties. Administration of levoleucovorin can counteract the therapeutic and toxic effects of folic acid antagonists such as methotrexate , which act by inhibiting dihydrofolate reductase.

Levoleucovorin effects in combination with 5-fluorouracil

• Levoleucovorin can enhance the therapeutic and toxic effects of fluoropyrimidines used in cancer therapy such as 5-fluorouracil . 5-fluorouracil is metabolized to 5-fluoro-2'-deoxyuridine-5'-monophosphate (FdUMP), which binds to and inhibits thymidylate synthase (an enzyme important in DNA repair and replication). Levoleucovorin is readily converted to another reduced folate, 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate, which acts to stabilize the binding of FdUMP to thymidylate synthase and thereby enhances the inhibition of this enzyme.

Structure

• Levoleucovorin is the levo isomeric form of racemic d,l-leucovorin, present as the calcium salt. Levoleucovorin is the pharmacologically active isomer of leucovorin [(6-S)-leucovorin].

• Levoleucovorin for Injection and Levoleucovorin Injection contain levoleucovorin calcium, which is one of several active, chemically reduced derivatives of folic acid. It is useful as antidote to the inhibition of dihydrofolate reductase by methotrexate . This compound has the chemical designation calcium (6S)-N-{4-(2-amino-5-formyl-1,4,5,6,7,8-hexahydro-4-oxo-6-pteridinyl)methyl] amino]benzoyl}-L-glutamate pentahydrate. The molecular weight is 601.6 and the structural formula is:

This image is provided by the National Library of Medicine.

• Its molecular formula is: C20H21CaN7O7 . 5 H2O.

• Levoleucovorin for Injection is supplied as a sterile lyophilized powder consisting of 64 mg levoleucovorin calcium pentahydrate (equivalent to 50 mg levoleucovorin) and 50 mg mannitol per 50 mg vial. Sodium hydroxide and/or hydrochloric acid are used to adjust the pH during manufacture. It is intended for intravenous administration after reconstitution with 5.3 mL of sterile 0.9% Sodium Chloride Injection, USP

• Levoleucovorin Injection is supplied as a sterile solution of either 175 mg levoleucovorin in 17.5 mL or 250 mg levoleucovorin in 25 mL. Each mL contains levoleucovorin calcium pentahydrate equivalent to 10 mg levoleucovorin and 8.3 mg sodium chloride. Sodium hydroxide is used for pH adjustment to pH 8.0 (6.5 to 8.5).

Pharmacodynamics

• Levoleucovorin is actively and passively transported across cell membranes. In vivo, levoleucovorin is converted to 5-methyltetrahydrofolic acid (5-methyl-THF), the primary circulating form of active reduced folate. Levoleucovorin and 5-methyl-THF are polyglutamated intracellularly by the enzyme folylpolyglutamate synthetase. Folylpolyglutamates are active and participate in biochemical pathways that require reduced folate.

Pharmacokinetics

• The pharmacokinetics of levoleucovorin after intravenous administration of a 15 mg dose was studied in healthy male volunteers. After rapid intravenous administration, serum total tetrahydrofolate (total-THF) concentrations reached a mean peak of 1722 ng/mL. Serum (6S)-5-methyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrofolate concentrations reached a mean peak of 275 ng/mL and the mean time to peak was 0.9 hours. Themean terminal half-life for total-THF and (6S)-5-methyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrofolate was 5.1 and 6.8 hours, respectively.

• A pharmacokinetic study was conducted in 40 healthy subjects who received a single intravenous dose of either Levoleucovorin (200 mg/m2 ) or racemic d,l-leucovorin (400 mg/m2), each administered as a 2-hour infusion in a crossover design. Results indicate that the 90% confidence interval for the geometric mean ratios for both AUC0-inf and Cmax were within the standard limit of 80-125% for both l-leucovorin and l-5-methyl-THF. Therefore, the exposure to l-leucovorin and 5-methyl-THF (AUC0-inf and Cmax) was comparable whether it was administered as Levoleucovorin or as d,l-leucovorin. The geometric mean AUC0-infvalues for levoleucovorin were 30719 ng.h/mL and 31296 ng.h/mL for Levoleucovorin and d,l-leucovorin, respectively. The geometric mean Cmax values for levoleucovorin were 10895 ng/mL and 11301 ng/mL for Levoleucovorin and d,l-leucovorin, respectively. The geometric mean AUC0-inf values for 5-methyl-THF were 52105 ng.h/mL and 50137 ng.h/mL for Levoleucovorin and d,l-leucovorin, respectively. The geometric mean Cmax values for 5-methyl-THF were 4930 ng/mL and 4658 ng/mL for Levoleucovorin and d,l-leucovorin, respectively.

Use of Levoleucovorin in combination with 5-fluorouracil

• A published cross study comparison showed that the mean dose-normalized steady-state plasma concentrations for both levoleucovorin and 5-methyl-THF were comparable whether 5-FU (370 mg/m2/day IV bolus) was given in combination with levoleucovorin (250 mg/m2 and 1000 mg/m2 as a continuous IV infusion for 5.5 days, N=9) or in combination with d,l-leucovorin (500 mg/m2 as a continuous IV infusion for 5.5 days, N=6).

Nonclinical Toxicology

Carcinogenesis, Mutagenesis, Impairment of Fertility

• No studies have been conducted to evaluate the potential of levoleucovorin for carcinogenesis, mutagenesis and impairment of fertility.

Animal Toxicology and/or Pharmacology

• The acute intravenous LD50 values in adult mice and rats were 575 mg/kg (1725 mg/m2) and 378 mg/kg (2268 mg/m2), respectively. Signs of sedation, tremors, reduced motor activity, prostration, labored breathing, and/or convulsion were observed in these studies. Anticipated human dose for each administration is approximately 5 mg/m2 for high-dose methotrexate therapy which represents a 3-log safety margin.

Clinical Studies

High-Dose methotrexateTherapy

• The safety and efficacy of Levoleucovorin rescue following high-dose methotrexate were evaluated in 16 patients age 6-21 who received 58 courses of therapy for osteogenic sarcoma. High-dose methotrexate was one component of several different combination chemotherapy regimens evaluated across several trials. methotrexate 12 g/m2 IV over 4 hours was administered to 13 patients, who received Levoleucovorin 7.5 mg every 6 hours for 60 hours or longer beginning 24 hours after completion of methotrexate . Three patients received methotrexate 12.5 g/m2 IV over 6 hours, followed by Levoleucovorin 7.5 mg every 3 hours for 18 doses beginning 12 hours after completion of methotrexate . The mean number of Levoleucovorin doses per course was 18.2 and the mean total dose per course was 350 mg. The efficacy of Levoleucovorin rescue following high-dose methotrexate was based on the adverse reaction profile.

Combination with 5-FU in Colorectal Cancer

• In a randomized clinical study conducted by the Mayo Clinic and the North Central Cancer Treatment Group (Mayo/NCCTG) in patients with advanced metastatic colorectal cancer, three treatment regimens were compared: d,l-leucovorin (LV) 200 mg/m2 and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) 370 mg/m2 versus LV 20 mg/m2 and 5-FU 425 mg/m2 versus 5-FU 500 mg/m2. All drugs were administered by slow intravenous infusion daily for 5 days repeated every 28 to 35 days. Response rates were 26% (p=0.04 versus 5-FU alone), 43% (p=0.001 versus 5-FU alone) and 10% for the high dose leucovorin, low dose leucovorin and 5-FU alone groups, respectively. Respective median survival times were 12.2 months (p=0.037), 12 months (p=0.050), and 7.7 months. The low dose LV regimen gave a statistically significant improvement in weight gain of more than 5%, relief of symptoms, and improvement in performance status. The high dose LV regimen gave a statistically significant improvement in performance status and trended toward improvement in weight gain and in relief of symptoms but these were not statistically significant.

• In a second Mayo/NCCTG randomized clinical study the 5-FU alone arm was replaced by a regimen of sequentially administered methotrexate (MTX), 5-FU, and LV. Response rates with LV 200 mg/m2 and 5-FU 370 mg/m2 versus LV 20 mg/m2 and 5-FU 425 mg/m2 versus sequential MTX and 5-FU and LV were respectively 31% (p≤0.01), 42% (p≤0.01), and 14%. Respective median survival times were 12.7 months (p≤0.04), 12.7 months (p≤0.01), and 8.4 months. No statistically significant difference in weight gain of more than 5% or in improvement in performance status was seen between the treatment arms.

• A randomized controlled trial conducted by the NCCTG in patients with advanced metastatic colorectal cancer failed to show superiority of a regimen of 5-FU + levoleucovorin to 5-FU + d,l-leucovorin in overall survival. Patients were randomized to 5-FU 370 mg/m2 intravenously and levoleucovorin 100 mg/m2 intravenously, both daily for 5 days, or with 5-FU 370 mg/m2 intravenously and d,l-leucovorin 200 mg/m2 intravenously, both daily for 5 days. Treatment was repeated week 4 and week 8, and then every 5 weeks until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

• Levoleucovorin is dosed at one-half the usual dose of racemic d,l-leucovorin.

How Supplied

• Each 50 mg single-use vial of Levoleucovorin for Injection contains a sterile lyophilized powder consisting of 64 mg levoleucovorin calcium pentahydrate (equivalent to *50 mg levoleucovorin) and 50 mg mannitol.
• 50 mg vial of freeze-dried powder – NDC 68152-101-00.

• Store at 25° C (77 °F) in carton until contents are used. Excursions permitted from 15-30° C (59-86 °F). [See USP Controlled Room Temperature]. Protect from light.

• Levoleucovorin Injection, 175 mg contains 17.5 mL sterile solution in a single-use vial. Each mL contains levoleucovorin calcium pentahydrate equivalent to 10 mg levoleucovorin and 8.3 mg sodium chloride.

• 175 mg/17.5 mL solution – NDC 68152-102-01

• Levoleucovorin Injection, 250 mg contains 25 mL sterile solution in a single-use vial. Each mL contains levoleucovorin calcium pentahydrate equivalent to 10 mg levoleucovorin and 8.3 mg sodium chloride.

• 250 mg/25 mL solution – NDC 68152-102-02

• Store in refrigerator at 2°C to 8°C (36°F to 46°F). Protect from light. Store in carton until contents are used.

Storage

There is limited information regarding Levoleucovorin Storage in the drug label.

Images

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Patient Counseling Information

There is limited information regarding Patient Counseling Information of Levoleucovorin in the drug label.

Precautions with Alcohol

• Alcohol-Levoleucovorin interaction has not been established. Talk to your doctor about the effects of taking alcohol with this medication.

Brand Names

• Fusilev®

Look-Alike Drug Names

There is limited information regarding Levoleucovorin Look-Alike Drug Names in the drug label.

Drug Shortage Status

Price

References

The contents of this FDA label are provided by the National Library of Medicine.

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