Trodelvy (sacituzumab govitecan-hziy) is a brand-name drug prescribed for certain cancers. It comes as an injection for IV infusion that’s typically given by a healthcare professional. The dosage can vary depending on what condition Trodelvy is used to treat.
Trodelvy is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat the following cancers in adults:
- urothelial cancer (such as certain bladder cancers)* that is advanced or metastatic†
- triple-negative breast cancer that is advanced or metastatic and unresectable (can’t be treated with surgery)
- HR-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer that is advanced or metastatic and unresectable
Trodelvy is approved to treat these conditions when other cancer therapy has not worked.
Trodelvy is a biologic and belongs to a drug class called antibody-drug conjugates. Trodelvy is not available in a biosimilar version.
Keep reading for specific information about the dosage of Trodelvy, including its strength and how to use the medication. For a comprehensive look at Trodelvy, see this article.
Note: This article describes typical dosages for Trodelvy provided by the drug’s manufacturer. However, your doctor will prescribe the Trodelvy dosage that’s right for you.
* Trodelvy has received accelerated approval for this use. This means that the FDA has approved Trodelvy to treat urothelial cancer based on early study data. The FDA may grant full approval at a later date after there have been more clinical trials.
† Advanced” means the cancer has spread to lymph nodes or nearby areas. “Metastatic” means the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.
This section describes the typical dosage of Trodelvy.
The following chart summarizes Trodelvy’s form, strength, and dosage. The dose is measured in milligrams (mg) per kilogram (kg) of body weight. You’ll find more information about the drug’s dosage below.
Form | Strength | Typical dosage |
powder for solution to be given as an IV infusion | 180 mg | 10 mg/kg once per week on days 1 and 8 of a 21-day treatment cycle |
Trodelvy form
Trodelvy comes as a powder in a vial. A healthcare professional will add sodium chloride to the powder to turn it into a solution. They will then give you Trodelvy as an IV infusion.
Trodelvy strength
Trodelvy is available in one strength: 180 milligrams (mg) per vial.
Typical dosages
The following information describes the dosage that is commonly used or recommended. Your doctor will determine the best dosage to fit your needs.
Trodelvy dosage for all uses
Your Trodelvy dosage will depend on your weight. Your healthcare professional will take your weight before each dose.
The recommended dose of Trodelvy is 10 mg/kilogram (kg) of body weight. For example, if you weigh 70 kg (about 154 pounds), your dose will likely be 700 mg.
The dosing schedule of Trodelvy is once per week on days 1 and 8 of a 21-day treatment cycle. You will not receive Trodelvy on any other day during the 21-day cycle. This means you will not receive Trodelvy on week 3 of treatment. The cycle may be repeated until your cancer no longer responds well to Trodelvy or you experience certain side effects.
There is no loading dose of Trodelvy. However, you will receive other medications before your Trodelvy doses to help prevent infusion reactions, nausea, and vomiting.
Your doctor may reduce your Trodelvy dosage if you experience severe diarrhea* or neutropenia.* Your doctor will determine the best dose reduction for you.
* Trodelvy has a boxed warning for this side effect. This is the most serious warning from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). For more information, see “Boxed warnings” above.
Long-term treatment
Trodelvy is meant to be used as a long-term treatment. If you and your doctor determine that Trodelvy is safe and effective for you, you’ll likely use it long term.
The Trodelvy dosage that your doctor prescribes will depend on several factors. These include:
- your weight
- how well you tolerate Trodelvy
- how well your cancer responds to Trodelvy
Other medical conditions you have can also affect your Trodelvy dosage.
Dosage adjustments
Your doctor may temporarily stop your Trodelvy treatment if you experience severe diarrhea* or neutropenia.* You may be able to continue the treatment once your side effects resolve. However, your doctor will likely decrease your Trodelvy dosage.
Your doctor may slow your infusion time if you experience an infusion reaction. If this reaction is life threatening, your doctor will stop the Trodelvy infusion and discontinue the treatment.
* Trodelvy has a boxed warning for these side effects. This is the most serious warning from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). For more information, see “Boxed warnings” above.
Trodelvy is given as an IV infusion by a healthcare professional in an infusion center, hospital, or your doctor’s office.
The first infusion will take 3 hours. If you tolerate this first infusion, your next infusions can be given over 1–2 hours.
Your doctor or another healthcare professional will monitor you during the infusion and for 30 minutes after. This is in case you have an infusion reaction.
If you miss an appointment, call your doctor or infusion center right away to reschedule. It’s important not to miss your appointments. If you miss a dose of Trodelvy, there will be less medication in your body to treat your condition.
To help make sure that you don’t miss an appointment, try using a medication reminder. This can include setting an alarm or putting the appointment in your calendar. You could also download a reminder app on your phone.
The dosage in this article is the typical dosage provided by Trodelvy’s manufacturer. If your doctor recommends this drug for you, they will prescribe the dosage that’s right for you.
If you have questions about the dosage of Trodelvy that’s right for you, talk with your doctor.
Besides learning about the dosage, you may want other information about Trodelvy. These additional articles might be helpful to you:
- More about Trodelvy. For information about other aspects of Trodelvy, refer to this article.
- Side effects. To learn about side effects of Trodelvy, see this article. You can also look at the Trodelvy prescribing information.
- Details about your condition. For details about cancer, visit our cancer hub. If you’d like to learn more about breast cancer, see our breast cancer hub and list of breast cancer articles. To learn more about urothelial cancer (such as certain bladder cancers), refer to our list of urology and nephrology articles.
Disclaimer: Medical News Today has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, and up to date. However, this article should not be used as a substitute for the knowledge and expertise of a licensed healthcare professional. You should always consult your doctor or another healthcare professional before taking any medication. The drug information contained herein is subject to change and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. The absence of warnings or other information for a given drug does not indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for all patients or all specific uses.