BREYANZI is a prescription medicine used to treat a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma:
- Large B cell lymphoma, when:
- your first treatment has not worked or your cancer returned within a year of your first treatment, OR...Read more
See links below for full Prescribing Information, including Boxed WARNINGS and Medication Guide.
*The treatment process includes blood collection, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell creation, administration, and side-effect monitoring.
Not actual patients or care partner.
Please see full Prescribing Information, including Boxed WARNINGS and
Medication Guide.
Indications
BREYANZI is a prescription medicine used to treat a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma:
- Large B cell lymphoma, when:
- your first treatment has not worked or your cancer returned within a year of your first treatment, OR
- your first treatment has not worked or your cancer returned after the first treatment, and you are not eligible for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation because of medical conditions or age, OR
- two or more kinds of treatment have not worked or stopped working.
BREYANZI is different than other cancer medicines because it is made from your own white blood cells, which have been genetically modified to recognize and attack your lymphoma cells.
Important Safety Information
What is the most important information I should know about BREYANZI?
BREYANZI may cause side effects that are life-threatening and can lead to death. Call your healthcare provider or get emergency help right away if you get any of the following:
difficulty breathing
fever (100.4°F/38°C or higher)
chills/shaking chills
confusion
severe nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
fast or irregular heartbeat
dizziness/lightheadedness
severe fatigue or weakness
It is important that you tell your healthcare providers that you have received BREYANZI
and to show them your BREYANZI Patient Wallet Card. Your healthcare provider may
give you other medicines to treat your side effects.
Full Prescribing Information, including Boxed WARNINGS and Medication Guide
DOWNLOAD
Before getting BREYANZI, tell your healthcare provider about all your medical problems, including if you have or have had:
Neurologic problems
(such as seizures, stroke, or memory loss)Lung or breathing problems
Heart problems
Liver problems
Kidney problems
A recent or active infection
Tell your healthcare provider about all the medications you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
How will I receive BREYANZI?
BREYANZI is made from your own white blood cells, so your blood will be collected by a process called leukapheresis.
It takes about 3-4 weeks from the time your cells are received at the manufacturing site and are available to be shipped back to your healthcare provider, but the time may vary.
Before you get BREYANZI, you will get 3 days of chemotherapy to prepare your body.
When your BREYANZI is ready, your healthcare provider will give it to you through a catheter placed into your vein (intravenous infusion). BREYANZI is given as infusions of 2 different cell types.
You will receive infusions of one cell type, immediately followed by the other cell type.
The time for infusion will vary but will usually be less than 15 minutes for each of the 2 cell types.
During the first week after infusion, you will be monitored daily by the facility where you received your treatment.
You should plan to stay within 2 hours of the location where you received your treatment for at least 4 weeks after getting BREYANZI. Your healthcare provider will check to see that your treatment is working and help you with any side effects that may occur.
You may be hospitalized for side effects. Your healthcare provider will discharge you if your side effects are under control, and it is safe for you to leave the hospital.
Your healthcare provider will want to do blood tests to follow your progress. It is important that you do have your blood tested. If you miss an appointment, call your healthcare provider as soon as possible to reschedule.
What should I avoid after receiving BREYANZI?
Do not drive, operate heavy machinery, or do other activities that could be dangerous if you are not mentally alert, for at least 8 weeks after you get BREYANZI. This is because the treatment can cause temporary memory and coordination problems, including sleepiness, confusion, dizziness, and seizures.
Do not donate blood, organs, tissues, or cells for transplantation.
What are the possible or reasonably likely side effects of BREYANZI?
The most common side effects of BREYANZI are:
fatigue
difficulty breathing
fever (100.4°F/38°C or higher)
chills/shaking chills
confusion
difficulty speaking or slurred speech
severe nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
headache
dizziness/lightheadedness
fast or irregular heartbeat
swelling
low blood pressure
muscle pain
BREYANZI can increase the risk of life-threatening infections that may lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you develop fever, chills, or any signs or symptoms of an infection.
BREYANZI can lower one or more types of your blood cells (red blood cells, white blood cells, or platelets). After treatment, your healthcare provider will test your blood to check for this. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get a fever, are feeling tired, or have bruising or bleeding.
BREYANZI may increase your risk of getting cancers including certain types of blood cancers. Your healthcare provider should monitor you for this.
Having BREYANZI in your blood may cause a false-positive HIV test result by some commercial tests.
These are not all the possible side effects of BREYANZI. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. For more information, go to BREYANZI.com or call
1-888-805-4555. You may report side effects to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Please see full Prescribing Information, including Boxed WARNINGS and Medication Guide.
Nick’s Breyanzi® story
Nick’s Breyanzi® story
I remember watching while they were
putting the CAR T cells into me. I felt
hopeful that things were going to start
turning around. This was our fresh start.
—Nick
Fighting fire with technology: A new treatment for DLBCL
Burning buildings didn’t faze Nick. Heights? No problem. When some people run from a problem, Nick suited up and ran toward it—especially if it meant saving someone else’s life. And yet after being diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), the ever-optimistic firefighter was almost stopped in his tracks.
His fight began at a time in his life when everything seemed to be unfolding exactly as he planned. Nick was living out his dream: Working as a firefighter and married to the love of his life, Rachel. At age 31, they were looking forward to starting their family and building their lives together.
Then Nick felt a bump below his collarbone. When more bumps appeared, he made an appointment with his doctor. “I hid our suspicions from the chief and my brothers at the firehouse,” he says. “I didn’t want them to question my ability to work and mark me as sick.”
A PET scan found cancer in Nick’s bones and riddled throughout his body. As his condition continued to deteriorate, he was admitted to the hospital. There, he was finally diagnosed with DLBCL.
I hid our suspicions from the chief and my brothers at the firehouse. I didn’t want them to question my ability to work and mark me as sick.
When Nick’s final round of chemo ended, his friends and family celebrated. They thought the nightmare was behind them. But the following month when Nick returned for a follow-up PET scan, it showed a spot on his liver. The cancer was still there.
A different approach
Again, Nick and Rachel consulted with his oncologist to determine the next step. Nick signed up for a clinical trial and saw almost immediate results. He had a clear scan. It was the miracle they hoped for. “Everyone was so happy!” says Nick. “My doctor was pleased, but he knew we had to do a stem cell transplant or it would come back.”
While he was preparing for the transplant, Nick saw a report on the news about CAR T cell therapy, which is made from a patient’s own white blood cells. If the stem cell transplant failed, could CAR T cell therapy be an option for him?
Everyone was so happy! My doctor was pleased, but he knew we had to do a stem cell transplant or it would come back.
Lucky numbers
His transplant went well, and Rachel and Nick began to make plans for the summer. “We were ready to end our journey with cancer,” says Nick. “But a PET scan showed a spot in the middle of my chest. The DLBCL was back.”
Because he had received at least 2 previous treatments that didn't work or stopped working, Nick asked his oncologist about a CAR T cell therapy clinical trial. They discussed the trial that would later lead to the approval of Breyanzi, and they discussed side effects that can be life-threatening and can lead to death, including cytokine release syndrome and neurologic toxicity. They also discussed other common side effects, such as fatigue, severe nausea, severe diarrhea, and infections. Nick and his oncologist felt Breyanzi was the right choice for him, and he put his name on the list. He was number 21.
See additional Breyanzi Important Safety Information.
We were ready to end our journey with cancer. But a PET scan showed a spot in the middle of my chest. The DLBCL was back.
In the meantime, Nick and Rachel decided to move forward with their baby plans. While Nick waited for his place in the Breyanzi clinical trial, Rachel started the in vitro process.
Soon they received some wonderful, well-timed news: Rachel was pregnant. Then a few weeks later more good news came: Nick’s number was called for CAR T. He was next in line for the trial.
Breyanzi experience
To prepare for Breyanzi, Nick underwent another round of chemo. Although it took a toll on his body and spirit, the potential of the new therapy helped pull him through those difficult days.
At last, the day arrived for Nick to receive his Breyanzi treatment. “I remember watching while they were putting the CAR T cells into me, and I was looking at Rachel the entire time,” Nick says. “I felt hopeful that things were going to start turning around. This was our fresh start. Nothing else mattered except us and what was occurring at that moment.”
Nick remained in the hospital to be monitored and treated for side effects. The doctors monitored his bloodwork closely and confirmed his progress. Side effects with Breyanzi treatment will vary from patient to patient. Breyanzi can cause side effects that may be life-threatening and can lead to death, such as cytokine release syndrome and neurologic toxicities. Because of the risk of cytokine release syndrome, neurologic toxicity, and other side effects, patients like Nick must remain at, or close to, where they received treatment for at least 4 weeks after the infusion for side effect monitoring.
I felt hopeful that things were going to start turning around. This was our fresh start. Nothing else mattered except us and what was occurring at that moment.
Nick returned home after being monitored for side effects, and Rachel and Nick found out they were having a girl. Nick painted the nursery pink, and they spent days strolling around baby stores picking out baby clothes and furniture. Rachel and Nick joined their families around the table filled with gratitude for the possibilities that seemed in reach. Over time, Nick felt well enough to return to work at the firehouse.
Then, a PET scan revealed the news they prayed for: Nick’s cancer was in remission. But the test that Nick was interested in was day 100. That was the scan where the cancer showed up last time. “I knew my remission might not last,” says Nick. “A lot weighed on that scan. Part of me said it was too good to be true.” After the 100-day scan, his oncologist came in with good news. The scan was clear.
Circle of life
Nick and Rachel welcomed their daughter, Julia. His next scan was scheduled for the following week. Now, with so much more to live for, the news that he was still in remission brought a renewed appreciation for life and for Breyanzi.
While Nick’s scan showed that he was in remission, it does not mean he is cancer-free. Nick continues to be monitored for possible disease recurrence and long-term side effects from CAR T cell therapy.
Today, Nick is fully focused on the future as he watches Julia grow up and continues to give back to his community as a firefighter and a cancer survivor. And he’s found a way to merge his 2 passions by mentoring firefighters who are diagnosed with cancer. “It’s so important to find the silver lining,” he says. “Acknowledge your fears and talk about them, but stay optimistic. There are several options in cancer treatment out there. Stay open to the possibilities.”
Acknowledge your fears and talk about them, but stay optimistic. There are several options in cancer treatment out there. Stay open to the possibilities.
See more stories from others treated with Breyanzi
Karla’s Story
"When Breyanzi was given to me as an option, I was unsure. And now that I've done it, I know I did the right thing for me. I'm the living, breathing proof of it. It worked for me."
View StoryBill’s Story
“My wife looked over at me and said, ‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ and I said, ‘Yes.’”
Read MoreDan’s Story
“When I heard about CAR T cell therapy,
I had a lot of faith
and a lot of hope.”
Nick’s Story
“Acknowledge your fears and talk about them, but stay optimistic. Stay open to the possibilities.”
Read MoreDavid’s Story
“You have to hope that there is a chance. That’s what CAR T cell therapy was for me.”
Read More