Indications
Treatment of prostate carcinoma in the metastatic stage in combination with an analogue of luteinizing hormone releasing factor (RF LH) or surgical castration.
Contraindications
- Hypersensitivity to bicalutamide or other components of the drug
- simultaneous treatment with terfenadine, astemizole or cisapride
- contraindicated for use in women.
Interaction with other drugs and other types of interactions
The simultaneous use of bicalutamide with terfenadine, astemizole, cisapride and cyclosporine is contraindicated. Caution should be exercised when cyclosporine and calcium channel blockers are co-administered. It may be necessary to reduce the dose of these drugs, especially if there are signs of increased drug effects and side effects resulting from its use. When using cyclosporine, it is recommended to carefully monitor its plasma concentration and the patient’s clinical condition after starting or stopping treatment with bicalutamide. Caution should also be exercised when simultaneous use of substances that can inhibit the oxidation of bicalutamide, that is, drugs containing ketoconazole or cimetidine. This may cause an increase in the level of bicalutamide in the blood plasma and the occurrence of adverse reactions. Bicalutamide is capable of releasing the coumarin anticoagulant warfarin when combined with proteins. It is necessary to carefully monitor prothrombin time when prescribing bicalutamide to patients undergoing coumarin treatment.
There is no evidence of pharmacodynamic or pharmacokinetic interaction between bicalutamide and RF LH agonists.
