Herticad Dosage/Direction for Use

Before starting the treatment the doctor will determine the amount of HER2 in the tumour. Only patients with a large amount of HER2 will be treated with Trastuzumab.
Trastuzumab should only be given by a doctor or nurse. The doctor will prescribe a dose and treatment regimen that is right for the patient.
The dose of Trastuzumab depends on the body weight.
Trastuzumab intravenous formulation is not for subcutaneous use and should be given as an intravenous infusion only.
Trastuzumab intravenous formulation is given as an intravenous infusion ("drip") directly into the veins.
The first dose of treatment is given over 90 minutes and patient will be observed by a health professional while it is being given in case the patient has any side effects. If the first dose is well tolerated the next doses may be given over 30 minutes. The number of infusions the patient receives will depend on how the patient responds to the treatment. The doctor will discuss this with the patient.
For early breast cancer, metastatic breast cancer and metastatic gastric cancer, Trastuzumab is given every 3 weeks. Trastuzumab may also be given once a week for metastatic breast cancer.
If the patient stops using Trastuzumab: Do not stop using this medicine without talking to the doctor first. All doses should be taken at the right time every week or every three weeks (depending on the dosing schedule). This helps the medicine work as well as it can.
It may take up to 7 months for trastuzumab to be removed from the body. Therefore, the doctor may decide to continue to check the heart functions, even after the patient finishes treatment.
If the patient has any further questions on the use of this medicine, ask the doctor, pharmacist or nurse.