Treatment
How is ANKTIVA Administered?
ANKTIVA and BCG are combined in one syringe and administered directly into the bladder through a tube called a catheter. The procedure is performed by a urologist (or qualified health care provider) once a week for six weeks. This is the same process as when BCG is administered alone. The post-treatment directions are like those for after BCG treatment as well. A second treatment course may be administered if the tumor does not shrink at three months.
ANKTIVA is given by a urologist or other healthcare provider in their clinic. The urologist will also manage care after treatment, so conveniently, your healthcare team remains the same.
What Should You Expect When Taking ANKTIVA?
During your treatment you should:
- Wear comfortable clothes. The treatment will last for at least 1 hour and you will need to hold the medicine in your bladder for two hours after it is administered.
- Avoid using the restroom until your treatment is done.
- Let your healthcare provider know if you have any cramping or feel like you urgently need to urinate.
After your treatment:
- For the first 24 hours following treatment, your urine may have a red color, which may be blood in the urine. Report any prolonged, red-colored urine to your healthcare provider.
- You may experience discomfort, pain, or burning when urinating; if these symptoms persist, report them to your healthcare provider.
- Be sure to drink water (stay hydrated) following treatment.
- Schedule your next appointment, which is the following week if you are receiving the once-a-week treatment for 6 weeks, and at about 3 months from the first dose.
Remember to stay in regular contact with your healthcare team. They can answer any questions you may have about the ANKTIVA treatment process.
What To Expect After ANKTIVA Treatment
Some side effects may occur after taking ANKTIVA. The most common side effects of ANKTIVA include:
- fatigue
- nausea
- discomfort when urinating
- diarrhea
- blood (red color) in your urine
Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects if they continue for more than 2 days after treatment
You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
You may also report side effects to ANKTIVA at 1-877-ANKTIVA (1-877-265-8482).
Please see Important Safety Information throughout and full Prescribing Information for ANKTIVA.
Other Important Things To Consider:
- Because ANKTIVA plus BCG is administered once a week for 6 weeks, plan to be able to go to your health care provider’s clinic during this time period.
- After your first 6-week round of treatment, your doctor will want to monitor how well ANKTIVA is working, typically at 12 weeks (3 months) from the start of treatment.
- If your NMIBC is not completely gone, you and your doctor may decide to try a second 6-week round of treatment; this is called re-induction.
- To assure ANKTIVA plus BCG keeps working, maintenance treatments are recommended, but are optional. These occur once a week for 3 weeks at about 4, 7, 10, 13 and 19 months after the first dose.
- Before treatment and after treatment to see if ANKTIVA plus BCG is working, your healthcare professional will typically use a cystoscope – a thin, tube-like instrument with a light that allows the doctor to view the inside of your bladder – to look for bladder cancer. They may also take a sample of tissue for study to see if the cancer is gone.
Getting Started with ANKTIVA for Patients
A patient-friendly overview of how ANKTIVA plus BCG work together, as well as what patients should expect before and after treatment
Patient Stories
Read about patients who participated in the clinical trials for ANKTIVA
Irv’s Journey
He was first diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2016, when on Thanksgiving day, he had several concerning symptoms including blood in his urine. Several tumors on the interior surface of his bladder were removed by his local urologist, who treated him with BCG. Unfortunately, he failed to respond and the tumors came back. He was afraid he was going to lose his bladder.
Wayne’s Journey
Wayne has lived a rich life with his wife, two daughters, and three grandchildren. He describes himself as someone who “just likes people”. When he was first told, “you might have a tumor in your bladder”, he became very concerned, especially when he learned his first treatment with BCG wasn’t working. Wayne feels lucky that a friend told him about a clinical trial for patients like himself who were not cured by BCG alone.
ANKTIVA Resources
Learn more about the clinical story of ANKTIVA
Future Oncology
A plain language review of the published findings on the Phase 1b BCG-naïve and Phase 2/3 BCG-unresponsive studies (QUILT 3.032).
ANKTIVA is a Novel Treatment for NMIBC CIS Patients Unresponsive to BCG
For more information, please call 1-877-ANKTIVA
