From the Research
Eligard (leuprolide acetate) should be administered every 6 months for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer, as this dosing schedule has been shown to be the most cost-effective and have comparable efficacy and safety to other formulations 1. The most common dosing schedules for Eligard are the 3-month (22.5 mg) and 6-month (45 mg) formulations.
- The 6-month formulation is the most cost-effective option, with average total annual costs ranging from €788 to €1839 in different European countries 1.
- The efficacy of the 6-month formulation is comparable to other formulations, with 93.4% of patients achieving suppression of serum testosterone to ≤ 50 ng/dl from week 4 through week 48 2.
- The safety profile of the 6-month formulation is also similar to other formulations, with the most frequent adverse event being flushing (58.3%) and injection site reactions reported in 24.5% of patients 2.
- It is essential to receive each dose on schedule to maintain consistent hormone suppression and minimize the risk of treatment failure.
- Some patients may experience side effects such as hot flashes, fatigue, or injection site reactions, but these can be managed with appropriate medical care.
- The 6-month formulation of Eligard has been shown to demonstrate rapid and sustained testosterone suppression through 12 months and is well tolerated 2.