Blinatumomab

Indications and Usage

Blinatumomab is FDA approved to treat adults and children with

• Relapsed or refractory B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)  
• B-cell precursor ALL who are in remission but still have minimal residual disease (MRD). 

Side effects needing medical attention

Fever, headache, swelling of tissues, fever with a low number of white blood cells, nausea, low potassium, fatigue, constipation, diarrhea and tremor.

Blinatumomab carries a boxed warning alerting patients and health care professionals that some clinical trial participants had problems with low blood pressure and difficulty breathing (cytokine release syndrome) at the start of the first treatment, experienced a short period of difficulty with thinking (encephalopathy) or other side effects in the nervous system.