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Drug Formulary

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dostarlimab

( dos-TAR-lih-mab )

Other Name(s): Jemperli

Appearance: colourless to yellow solution, mixed into larger bags of fluids

dostarlimab patient.pdf

dostarlimab pour le patient.pdf

dostarlimab

Pronunciation:

dos-TAR-lih-mab

Other Name(s):

Jemperli

Appearance:

colourless to yellow solution, mixed into larger bags of fluids

This handout gives general information about this cancer medication.

You will learn:

who to contact for help
what the medication is
how it is given
what to expect while on medication

This handout was created by Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario) together with patients and their caregivers who have also gone through cancer treatment. It is meant to help support you through your cancer treatment and answer some of your questions.

This information does not replace the advice of your health care team. Always talk to your health care team about your treatment.

Who do I contact if I have questions or need help?

My cancer health care provider is: _____________________________________________

During the day I should contact: _______________________________________________

Evenings, weekends and holidays: _____________________________________________

This page gives general information about this cancer medication.

You will learn:

who to contact for help
what the medication is
how it is given
what to expect while on this medication

This information was created by Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario) together with patients and their caregivers who have also gone through cancer treatment. It is meant to help support you through your cancer treatment and answer some of your questions.

This information does not replace the advice of your health care team. Always talk to your health care team about your treatment.

What is this treatment for?

This medication is used to treat endometrial cancer (cancer of the lining of the womb).
Dostarlimab is an immunotherapy drug. For more information on immunotherapy, click here.

What should I do before I start this treatment?

Tell your health care team if you have or had significant medical condition(s), especially if you have / had:

immune system conditions (such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn's, rheumatoid arthritis or lupus), or if you are taking medications that weaken your immune system (e.g. prednisone)
problems with your hormone producing glands (such as thyroid, pituitary, adrenal glands)
diabetes
liver, kidney or lung problems
serious skin reactions with other cancer medications
an organ or stem cell transplant, or
any allergies

Remember To:

Tell your health care team about all of the other medications you are taking.
Keep taking other medications that have been prescribed for you, unless you have been told not to by your health care team.

You will have a blood test to check for hepatitis B before starting treatment. See the Hepatitis B and Cancer Medications pamphlet for more information.

How is this treatment given?

This medication is given through an IV (injected into a vein). Talk to your health care team about your treatment schedule.
If you miss your treatment appointment, talk to your health care team to find out what to do.

DO this while on treatment

DO check with your health care team before getting any vaccinations, surgery, dental work or other medical procedures.

DO consider asking someone to drive you to and from the hospital on your treatment days. You may feel drowsy or dizzy after your treatment.

DO tell your health care team about ANY new symptom you develop. You may need urgent medical treatment.

DO tell your health care team about any serious infections that you have now or have had in the past.

DO NOT do this while on treatment

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DO NOT take any other medications, such as vitamins, over-the-counter (non-prescription) drugs, or natural health products without checking with your health care team.

DO NOT start any complementary or alternative therapies, such as acupuncture or homeopathic medications, without checking with your health care team.

DO NOT use tobacco products (such as smoking cigarettes or vaping) or drink alcohol while on treatment without talking to your health care team first. Smoking and drinking can make side effects worse and make your treatment not work as well.

DO this while on treatment

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DO check with your health care team before getting any vaccinations, surgery, dental work or other medical procedures.

DO consider asking someone to drive you to and from the hospital on your treatment days. You may feel drowsy or dizzy after your treatment.

DO tell your health care team about ANY new symptom you develop. You may need urgent medical treatment.

DO tell your health care team about any serious infections that you have now or have had in the past.

DO NOT do this while on treatment

Stop Icon

DO NOT take any other medications, such as vitamins, over-the-counter (non-prescription) drugs, or natural health products without checking with your health care team.

DO NOT start any complementary or alternative therapies, such as acupuncture or homeopathic medications, without checking with your health care team.

DO NOT use tobacco products (such as smoking cigarettes or vaping) or drink alcohol while on treatment without talking to your health care team first. Smoking and drinking can make side effects worse and make your treatment not work as well.

Will this treatment interact with other medications or natural health products?

Although this medication is unlikely to interact with other medications, vitamins, foods and natural health products, tell your health care team about all of your:

prescription and over-the-counter (non-prescription) medications and all other drugs, such as cannabis/marijuana (medical or recreational)
natural health products such as vitamins, herbal teas, homeopathic medicines, and other supplements

Check with your health care team before starting or stopping any of them.

Talk to your health care team BEFORE taking or using these :

Anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen (Advil^® or Motrin^®), naproxen (Aleve^®) or Aspirin^®.
Over-the-counter products such as dimenhydrinate (Gravol^®)
Natural health products such as St. John’s Wort
Supplements such as vitamin C
Grapefruit juice
Alcoholic drinks
Tobacco
All other drugs, such as marijuana or cannabis (medical or recreational)

What to do if you feel unwell, have pain, a headache or a fever

Always check your temperature to see if you have a fever before taking any medications for fever or pain (such as acetaminophen (Tylenol^®) or ibuprofen (Advil^®)).
- Fever can be a sign of infection that may need treatment right away.
- If you take these medications before you check for fever, they may lower your temperature and you may not know you have an infection.

How to check for fever:

Keep a digital (electronic) thermometer at home and take your temperature if you feel hot or unwell (for example, chills, headache, mild pain).

You have a fever if your temperature taken in your mouth (oral temperature) is:
- 38.3°C (100.9°F) or higher at any time
OR
- 38.0°C (100.4°F) or higher for at least one hour.

If you do have a fever:

Try to contact your health care team. If you are not able to talk to them for advice, you MUST get emergency medical help right away.
Ask your health care team for the Fever pamphlet for more information.

If you do not have a fever but have mild symptoms such as headache or mild pain:

Ask your health care team about the right medication for you. Acetaminophen (Tylenol^®) is a safe choice for most people.

Talk to your health care team before you start taking ibuprofen (Advil^®, Motrin^®), naproxen (Aleve^®) or ASA (Aspirin^®), as they may increase your chance of bleeding or interact with your cancer treatment.

Talk to your health care team if you already take low dose aspirin for a medical condition (such as a heart problem). It may still be safe to take.

How will this treatment affect sex, pregnancy and breastfeeding?

Talk to your health care team about:

How this treatment may affect your sexual health
How this treatment may affect your ability to have a baby, if this applies to you

This treatment may harm an unborn baby. Tell your health care team if you or your partner are pregnant, become pregnant during treatment, or are breastfeeding.

If there is any chance of pregnancy happening, you and your partner together must use 2 effective forms of birth control at the same time until 4 months after your last treatment dose. Talk to your health care team about which birth control options are best for you.

Do not breastfeed while on this treatment and for at least 4 months after your last dose.

What are the side effects of this treatment?

Dostarlimab makes your immune system work harder. Your immune system is what fights infections and your cancer.

When your immune system is working harder, you may have side effects in your bowels, liver, lungs, skin, kidneys, hormones and other organs.

These side effects may be mild or may become serious or life-threatening in rare cases.

They may happen during your treatment or weeks to months after your treatment ends.

Some things to watch for are:

diarrhea
a new cough
problems with breathing
rash
any other new symptom

If you have side effects, you must talk to your health care team right away. You may need urgent treatment.

The following table lists side effects that you may have when getting dostarlimab treatment. The table is set up to list the most common side effects first and the least common last. It is unlikely that you will have all of the side effects listed and you may have some that are not listed.

Read over the side effect table so that you know what to look for and when to get help. Refer to this table if you experience any side effects while on dostarlimab treatment.

Common Side Effects (25 to 49 out of 100 people)
Side effects and what to do	When to contact health care team
Anemia (low red blood cells) (May be severe) What to look for? You may feel more tired or weaker than normal. Pale skin and cold hands and feet. You may feel short of breath, dizzy or lightheaded. This may occur in days to weeks after your treatment starts. What to do? If your health care team has told you that you have anemia (low red blood cells): Rest often and eat well. Light exercise, such as walking may help. You may need medication or a blood transfusion. If it is very bad, your doctor may need to make changes to your treatment regimen.	Talk to your health care team if it does not improve or if it is severe
Nausea and vomiting (Generally mild) What to look for? Nausea is feeling like you need to throw up. You may also feel light-headed. You may feel nausea within hours to days after your treatment. What to do? To help prevent nausea: It is easier to prevent nausea than to treat it once it happens. If you were given anti-nausea medication(s), take them as prescribed, even if you do not feel like throwing up. Drink clear liquids and have small meals. Get fresh air and rest. Do not eat spicy, fried foods or foods with a strong smell. Limit caffeine (like coffee, tea) and avoid alcohol. If you have nausea or vomiting: Take your rescue (as-needed) anti-nausea medication(s) as prescribed. Ask your health care team for the Nausea & Vomiting pamphlet for more information. Talk to your health care team if: nausea lasts more than 48 hours vomiting lasts more than 24 hours or if it is severe	Talk to your healthcare team if nausea lasts more than 48 hours or vomiting lasts more than 24 hours
Diarrhea What to look for? Loose, watery, unformed stool (poo) that may happen days to weeks after you get your treatment. What to do? If you have diarrhea: Take anti-diarrhea medication if your health care team prescribed it or told you to take it. Do not eat foods or drinks with artificial sweetener (like chewing gum or ‘diet’ drinks), coffee and alcohol, until your diarrhea has stopped. Eat many small meals and snacks instead of 2 or 3 large meals. Drink at least 6 to 8 cups of liquids each day, unless your health care team has told you to drink more or less. Talk to your health care team if you can’t drink 6 to 8 cups of liquids each day when you have diarrhea. You may need to drink special liquids with salt and sugar, called Oral Rehydration Therapy. Ask your health care team for the Diarrhea pamphlet for more information. In rare cases, your diarrhea may be severe due to inflammation of the intestines if: You have blood in your stool (poo) or You have more than 4 bowel movements (going poo) a day (if that is not normal for you) If this happens, talk to your health care team or go to the emergency room right away.	Talk to your health care team for advice. Talk to your health care team. If you are unable to talk to the team for advice, you must get emergency medical help right away

Less Common Side Effects (10 to 24 out of 100 people)
Side effects and what to do	When to contact health care team
Mild joint, muscle pain or cramps What to look for? New pain in your muscles or joints, muscle cramps, or feeling achy. What to do? Take pain medication (acetaminophen or opioids such as codeine, morphine, hydromorphone, oxycodone) as prescribed. Read the above section: "What should I do if I feel unwell, have pain, a headache or a fever?" before taking acetaminophen (Tylenol®), ibuprofen (Advil®, Motrin®), naproxen (Aleve®) or Aspirin. These medications may hide an infection that needs treatment or they may increase your risk of bleeding. Rest often and try light exercise (such as walking) as it may help. Ask your health care team for the Pain pamphlet for more information.	Talk to your health care team if it does not improve or if it is severe
Rash What to look for? Your skin may look red and feel warm, like a sunburn. Your skin may have bumps, itch, burn, sting or feel very tender when touched. What to do? To prevent and treat dry skin: Use fragrance-free skin moisturizer. Protect your skin from the sun and the cold. Use sunscreen with UVA and UVB protection and a SPF of at least 30. Avoid perfumed products and lotions that contain alcohol. Drink 6 to 8 cups of non-alcoholic, non-caffeinated liquids each day, unless your health care team has told you to drink more or less. In rare cases, rash may be severe if: The rash covers more than a third of your skin (for example your whole trunk, or an arm AND a leg) or The rash causes your skin to blister or peel. If this happens, talk to your health care team or go to the emergency room right away.	Talk to your health care team for advice. Talk to your health care team. If you are unable to talk to the team for advice, you must get emergency medical help right away.
Flu-like symptoms You may feel like you have the flu for a few days after you receive your treatment. This is part of your body's response to immunotherapy. These flu-like symptoms may not be a sign of an infection. What to look for? Feeling warm, with or without fever Chills (feeling like you are cold and cannot get warm) Body aches or pains What to do? Check your temperature to see if you have a fever. Read the above section "What should I do if I feel unwell, have pain, a headache or a fever?" If you do have a fever, try to speak to your health care team. If you are unable to talk to them for advice, you MUST get emergency medical help right away.	Talk to your health care team if it does not improve or if it is severe.
Low thyroid activity Thyroid changes may happen weeks to months after you receive your treatment. Your health care team may check your thyroid activity regularly with a blood test. What to look for? Unusual weight gain A lack of energy or feeling tired Getting cold easily Dry skin, nails or hair that breaks easily Constipation (having bowel movements (poo) less often than normal) What to do? Your health care team may give you prescription medication to treat your underactive (low) thyroid. If you have weight changes along with any of the other symptoms listed, talk to your health care team as soon as possible.	Talk to your health care team as soon as possible (office hours)

Other rare, but serious side effects are possible with this treatment.

If you have any of the following, talk to your cancer health care team or get emergency medical help right away:

New cough, chest pain, trouble breathing, shortness of breath or coughing up blood
Peeing more than normal and feeling very thirsty
Signs of an allergy such as severe rash, swollen lips, face or tongue, chest and throat tightness, during or shortly after the drug is given
Rare immune problems after an organ or stem cell transplant (if this applies to you). Your health care team may discuss these with you.

For more information on how to manage your symptoms ask your health care provider, or visit: https://www.cancercareontario.ca/symptoms.

Notes

December 2024 New medication information sheet

The information set out in the medication information sheets, regimen information sheets, and symptom management information (for patients) contained in the Drug Formulary (the "Formulary") is intended to be used by health professionals and patients for informational purposes only. The information is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, drug interactions or side effects of a certain drug, nor should it be used to indicate that use of a particular drug is safe, appropriate or effective for a given condition.

A patient should always consult a healthcare provider if he/she has any questions regarding the information set out in the Formulary. The information in the Formulary is not intended to act as or replace medical advice and should not be relied upon in any such regard. All uses of the Formulary are subject to clinical judgment and actual prescribing patterns may not follow the information provided in the Formulary.

dostarlimab

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