Posology : מינונים

4.2      Posology and method of administration

Gemcitabine should only be prescribed by a physician qualified in the use of anti-cancer chemotherapy.

Recommended posology

Non-small cell lung cancer
Single-agent use: Adults: The recommended dose of gemcitabine is 1,000 mg/m2, given by 30- minute intravenous infusion. This should be repeated once weekly for 3 weeks, followed by a 1-week rest period. This 4-week cycle is then repeated. Dosage reduction is applied based upon the amount of toxicity experienced by the patient.

Combination use
Adults: Gemcitabine in combination with cisplatin: The recommended dose for gemcitabine is 1,250 mg/m2 body surface area given as a 30 -minute intravenous infusion on Days 1 and 8 of the treatment cycle (21 days). Dosage reduction with each cycle or within a cycle may be applied based upon the grade of toxicity experienced by the patient.
Cisplatin has been used at doses between 75-100 mg/m2 once every 3 weeks.

Breast cancer
Combination use
Adults: Gemcitabine in combination with paclitaxel is recommended using paclitaxel (175 mg/m2) administered on Day 1 over approximately 3 hours as an intravenous infusion, followed by gemcitabine (1,250 mg/m2) as a 30-minute intravenous infusion on Days 1 and 8 of each 21-day cycle. Dose reduction with each cycle or within a cycle may be applied based upon the amount of toxicity experienced by the patient. Patients should have an absolute granulocyte count of at least 1,500 (x 106/l) prior to initiation of gemcitabine + paclitaxel combination.

Pancreatic cancer
Adults: The recommended dose of gemcitabine is 1,000 mg/m2, given by 30-minute intravenous infusion. This should be repeated once weekly for up to 7 weeks followed by a week of rest. Subsequent cycles should consist of injections once weekly for 3 consecutive weeks out of every 4 weeks. Dosage reduction is applied based upon the grade of toxicity experienced by the patient.

Bladder cancer
Combination use
Adults: The recommended dose for gemcitabine is 1,000 mg/m2, given by 30-minute infusion.
The dose should be given on days 1, 8 and 15 of each 28-day cycle in combination with cisplatin. Cisplatin is given at a recommended dose of 70 mg/m2 on day 1 following gemcitabine or day 2 of each 28-day cycle. This 4-week cycle is then repeated. Dosage reduction with each cycle or within a cycle may be applied based upon the amount of toxicity experienced by the patient.

Ovarian cancer
Combination use
Adults: Gemcitabine in combination with carboplatin is recommended using gemcitabine 1,000 mg/m2 administered on Days 1 and 8 of each 21-day cycle as a 30-minute intravenous infusion. After gemcitabine, carboplatin will be given on Day 1 consistent with a target Area 
under curve (AUC) of 4.0 mg/mlꞏmin. Dosage reduction with each cycle or within a cycle may be applied based upon the amount of toxicity experienced by the patient.

Monitoring for toxicity and dose modification due to toxicity

Dose modification due to non-haematological toxicity
Periodic physical examination and checks of renal and hepatic function should be made to detect non-haematological toxicity.


Dosage reduction with each cycle or within a cycle may be applied based upon the grade of toxicity experienced by the patient. In general, for severe (Grade 3 or 4) non-haematological toxicity, except nausea/vomiting, therapy with gemcitabine should be withheld or decreased depending on the judgment of the treating physician. Doses should be withheld until toxicity has resolved in the opinion of the physician.

For cisplatin, carboplatin, and paclitaxel dosage adjustment in combination therapy, please refer to the corresponding Summary of Product Characteristics.

Dose modification due to haematological toxicity
Initiation of a cycle
For all indications, the patient must be monitored before each dose for platelet and granulocyte counts. Patients should have an absolute granulocyte count of at least 1,500 (x 106/l) and platelet account of 100,000 (x 106/l) prior to the initiation of a cycle.

Within a cycle
Dose modifications of gemcitabine within a cycle should be performed according to the following tables:

Dose modification of gemcitabine within a cycle for bladder cancer, NSCLC and pancreatic cancer, given in monotherapy or in combination with cisplatin Absolute granulocyte            Platelet count                   Percentage of standard 6 count                           (x 10 /l)                        dose of gemcitabine (%) (x 106/l)
> 1,000       and               > 100,000                        100
500 – 1,000 or                  50,000 – 100,000                 75 < 500 or                        < 50,000                         Omit dose * *      Treatment omitted will not be re-instated within a cycle before the absolute granulocyte count reaches at least 500 (x 106/l) and the platelet count reaches 50,000 (x 106/l).

Dose modification of gemcitabine within a cycle for breast cancer, given in combination with paclitaxel
Absolute granulocyte        Platelet count                 Percentage of standard count                       (x 106/l)                      dose of gemcitabine (%) 6
(x 10 /l)
≥ 1,200       and           > 75,000                       100
1,000 – < 1,200      or     50,000 – 75,000                75
700 – < 1,000 and           ≥ 50,000                       50
< 700 or                    < 50,000                       Omit dose* 

*       Treatment omitted will not be re-instated within a cycle. Treatment will start on Day 1 of the next cycle once the absolute granulocyte count reaches at least 1,500 (x106/l) and the platelet count reaches 100,000 (x106/l).


Dose modification of gemcitabine within a cycle for ovarian cancer, given in combination with carboplatin
Absolute granulocyte            Platelet count                  Percentage of standard 6 count                           (x 10 /l)                       dose of gemcitabine (%) (x 106/l)
> 1,500         and             ≥ 100,000                       100 1000 – 1,500 or                 75,000 – 100,000                50 < 1000 or                       < 75,000                        Omit dose* *       Treatment omitted will not be re-instated within a cycle. Treatment will start on Day 1 of the next cycle once the absolute granulocyte count reaches at least 1,500 (x106/l) and the platelet count reaches 100,000 (x106/l).

Dose modifications due to haematological toxicity in subsequent cycles, for all indications The gemcitabine dose should be reduced to 75% of the original cycle initiation dose, in the case of the following haematological toxicities:

Absolute granulocyte count < 500 x 106/l for more than 5 days
Absolute granulocyte count < 100 x 106/l for more than 3 days
Febrile neutropaenia
Platelets < 25,000 x 106/l
Cycle delay of more than 1 week due to toxicity

Method of administration
Gemcitabine is tolerated well during infusion and may be administered ambulant. If extravasation occurs, generally the infusion must be stopped immediately and started again in another blood vessel. The patient should be monitored carefully after the administration.

For instructions on dilution, see section 6.6.

Special populations
Patients with renal or hepatic impairment
Gemcitabine should be used with caution in patients with hepatic or renal impairment as there is insufficient information from clinical studies to allow for clear dose recommendations for these patient populations (see sections 4.4 and 5.2).

Older people (> 65 years)
Gemcitabine has been well tolerated in patients over the age of 65. There is no evidence to suggest that dose adjustments, other than those already recommended for all patients, are necessary in older people (see section 5.2).

Paediatric population (< 18 years)
Gemcitabine is not recommended for use in children under 18 years of age due to insufficient data on safety and efficacy.