Ziv-aflibercept Side Effects

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on Jun 19, 2024.

Applies to ziv-aflibercept: intravenous solution.

Precautions

Your doctor will want to check your progress at regular visits to see if the medicine is working properly and to decide if you should continue to receive it.

Your doctor will check your blood, urine, and blood pressure on a regular basis while you are receiving this medicine. You may also need to monitor your blood pressure at home. If you notice any changes to your normal blood pressure, call your doctor right away.

Using this medicine while you are pregnant can harm your unborn baby. Use an effective form of birth control to keep from getting pregnant during treatment and for at least 1 month after the last dose. If you think you have become pregnant, tell your doctor right away.

This medicine may increase your chance of having bleeding problems. Call your doctor right away if you notice any signs of bleeding, such as bloody or black, tarry stools, blood in the urine, lightheadedness, shortness of breath, or vomiting of blood that looks like coffee grounds.

Call your doctor right away if you have severe diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, or stomach pain. These may be symptoms of a serious stomach problem.

This medicine may affect the way your body heals from cuts and wounds. Make sure any doctor or dentist who treats you knows that you are using this medicine. You may need to stop using this medicine several weeks before having surgery.

This medicine may increase your risk of having blood clots. Check with your doctor right away if you have severe headaches of sudden onset, sudden loss of coordination, pains in the chest, groin, or legs, especially calves of legs, sudden onset of shortness of breath for no apparent reason, sudden onset of slurred speech, or sudden vision changes.

Check with your doctor right away if you have a headache, seizures, confusion, blurred vision or other visual problems. These may be symptoms of a rare and serious brain condition called reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy syndrome (RPLS).

Ziv-aflibercept can temporarily lower the number of white blood cells in your blood, increasing the chance of getting an infection. It can also lower the number of platelets, which are necessary for proper blood clotting. If this occurs, there are certain precautions you can take, especially when your blood count is low, to reduce the risk of infection or bleeding:

• If you can, avoid people with infections. Check with your doctor immediately if you think you are getting an infection or if you get a fever or chills, cough or hoarseness, lower back or side pain, or painful or difficult urination.
• Check with your doctor immediately if you start to cough up blood or if you notice any unusual bleeding or bruising, black, tarry stools, blood in the urine or stools, or pinpoint red spots on your skin.
• Be careful when using a regular toothbrush, dental floss, or toothpick. Your medical doctor, dentist, or nurse may recommend other ways to clean your teeth and gums. Check with your medical doctor before having any dental work done.
• Do not touch your eyes or the inside of your nose unless you have just washed your hands and have not touched anything else in the meantime.
• Be careful not to cut yourself when you are using sharp objects such as a safety razor or fingernail or toenail cutters.
• Avoid contact sports or other situations where bruising or injury could occur.

If you plan to have children, talk with your doctor before using this medicine. Some men and women using this medicine have become infertile (unable to have children).

Serious side effects of ziv-aflibercept

Along with its needed effects, ziv-aflibercept may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.

Check with your doctor or nurse immediately if any of the following side effects occur while taking ziv-aflibercept:

Other side effects of ziv-aflibercept

Some side effects of ziv-aflibercept may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects.

Check with your health care professional if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome or if you have any questions about them:

For healthcare professionals

Applies to ziv-aflibercept: intravenous solution.

Cardiovascular adverse events

• Very common (10% or more): Hypertension (41%)
• Common (1% to 10%): Arterial thromboembolic events (ATE) (e.g., transient ischemic attack, cerebrovascular accident, angina pectoris)
• Postmarketing reports: Cardiac failure, ejection fraction decreased^[Ref]

Dermatologic

• Very common (10% or more): Palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia syndrome (11%)
• Common (1% to 10%): Skin hyperpigmentation^[Ref]

Gastrointestinal

• Very common (10% or more): Diarrhea (69%), stomatitis (50%), abdominal pain (27%), abdominal pain upper (11%)
• Common (1% to 10%): Fistulas (anal, enterovesical, enterocutaneous, colovaginal, intestinal sites), dehydration, oropharyngeal pain, hemorrhoids, rectal hemorrhage, proctalgia
• Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): GI hemorrhage, toothache^[Ref]

Genitourinary

• Common (1% to 10%): Urinary tract infection

Hematologic

• Very common (10% or more): Leukopenia (78%), neutropenia (67%), thrombocytopenia (35%), hemorrhage (38%)^[Ref]

Hypersensitivity

• Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Hypersensitivity^[Ref]

Immunologic

• Very common (10% or more): Infections (46%)
• Common (1% to 10%): Immunogenicity^[Ref]

Metabolic

• Very common (10% or more): Anorexia (32%), weight loss (32%)
• Postmarketing reports: Osteonecrosis of the jaw^[Ref]

Nervous system

• Very common (10% or more): Headache (22%)
• Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy syndrome (RPLS)^[Ref]

Other

• Very common (10% or more): Fatigue (48%), dysphonia (25%), asthenia (18%)
• Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Compromised wound healing^[Ref]

Renal

• Very common (10% or more): Proteinuria (62%), serum creatinine increased (23%)^[Ref]

Respiratory

• Very common (10% or more): Epistaxis (28%), dyspnea (12%)
• Common (1% to 10%): Rhinorrhea, nasopharyngitis^[Ref]

Hepatic

• Very common (10% or more): AST increased (62%), ALT increased (50%)^[Ref]

See also:

Further information

Ziv-aflibercept side effects can vary depending on the individual. Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances.

Note: Medication side effects may be underreported. If you are experiencing side effects that are not listed, submit a report to the FDA by following this guide.

Medical Disclaimer