Vemurafenib

FDA label, Genentech, Inc., oral, effective 2026-08-28. Full label on DailyMed

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Quoted from the FDA label. Product labels differ by manufacturer and change over time; confirm against the label for the product you are using.

Handling and access

NIOSH hazardous drug

Table 2

NIOSH lists vemurafenib as a hazardous drug. AHFS class: 10:00 antineoplastic agents.

  • Meets the NIOSH definition of a hazardous drug (carcinogenicity, developmental or reproductive toxicity, organ toxicity at low doses, or genotoxicity) without MSHI or a Group 1 or 2A carcinogen classification.
  • Only a developmental and/or reproductive hazard: precautions matter most for workers who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or trying to conceive.

Handle with the precautions your facility uses for hazardous drugs (USP <800>). NIOSH's Managing Hazardous Drug Exposures lists controls by drug form and activity.

Source: NIOSH List of Hazardous Drugs in Healthcare Settings, 2024December 2024, updates through Jul 17, 2025

Kinase Inhibitor

Dosing in kidney impairment

Renal Impairment No formal clinical study has been conducted to evaluate the effect of renal impairment on the pharmacokinetics of vemurafenib. No dose adjustment is recommended for patients with mild and moderate renal impairment based on a population pharmacokinetic analysis [see Clinical Pharmacology ]. The appropriate dose of ZELBORAF has not been established in patients with severe renal impairment.

Dosing in liver impairment

Hepatic Impairment No formal clinical study has been conducted to evaluate the effect of hepatic impairment on the pharmacokinetics of vemurafenib. No dose adjustment is recommended for patients with mild and moderate hepatic impairment based on a population pharmacokinetic analysis [see Clinical Pharmacology ]. The appropriate dose of ZELBORAF has not been established in patients with severe hepatic impairment.

Drug interactions

Check vemurafenib against a medication list
Label text (6 paragraphs)

Avoid concomitant administration of ZELBORAF with strong CYP3A4 inhibitors or inducers. ( 7.1 ) CYP1A2 Substrates: ZELBORAF can increase concentrations of CYP1A2 substrates. Avoid concomitant use of ZELBORAF with CYP1A2 substrates with a narrow therapeutic window. If coadministration cannot be avoided, monitor closely for toxicities and consider dose reduction of CYP1A2 substrates. ( 7.2 ).

7.1 Effect of Strong CYP3A4 Inhibitors or Inducers on Vemurafenib Strong CYP3A4 Inhibitors Coadministration of a strong CYP3A4 inhibitor increased vemurafenib plasma concentrations and may lead to increased toxicity. Avoid coadministration of ZELBORAF with strong CYP3A4 inhibitors. If coadministration of a strong CYP3A4 inhibitor is unavoidable, consider dose reduction of ZELBORAF, if clinically indicated. [see Dosage and Administration (2.3) , Clinical Pharmacology (12.3) ] . Strong CYP3A4 Inducers Coadministration of ZELBORAF with rifampin, a strong CYP3A4 inducer, decreased vemurafenib plasma concentrations and may result in decreased efficacy.

Avoid coadministration of ZELBORAF with strong CYP3A4 inducers (e.g., phenytoin, carbamazepine, rifampin), and replace these drugs with alternative drugs when possible. If coadministration of a strong CYP3A4 inducer is unavoidable, increase the dose of ZELBORAF by 240 mg (one tablet) as tolerated [see Dosage and Administration (2.4) , Clinical Pharmacology (12.3) ] .

7.2 Effect of Vemurafenib on CYP1A2 Substrates Coadministration of ZELBORAF with tizanidine, a sensitive CYP1A2 substrate, increased tizanidine systemic exposure by 4.7-fold. Avoid concomitant use of ZELBORAF with drugs having a narrow therapeutic window that are predominantly metabolized by CYP1A2 [see Clinical Pharmacology (12.3) ] . If coadministration cannot be avoided, monitor closely for toxicities and consider a dose reduction of concomitant CYP1A2 substrates.

7.3 Concurrent Ipilimumab Increases in transaminases and bilirubin occurred in a majority of patients who received concurrent ipilimumab and ZELBORAF [see Warnings and Precautions Section 5.6 ].

7.4 Effect of Vemurafenib on P-gp Substrates Coadministration of ZELBORAF with digoxin, a sensitive P-glycoprotein (P-gp) substrate, increased digoxin systemic exposure by 1.8-fold. Avoid concurrent use of P-gp substrates known to have narrow therapeutic indices. If use of these medications is unavoidable, consider dose reduction of P-gp substrates with narrow therapeutic indices.

Contraindications

None. None

Safety data

Reported adverse events (FAERS)

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Source: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System via openFDA

Liver injury (LiverTox)

E*

Likelihood score E*: Unlikely cause of clinically apparent liver injury.

Vemurafenib is a selective inhibitor of BRAF kinase that is used in the therapy of patients with metastatic and advanced malignant melanoma. Vemurafenib therapy is commonly associated with transient elevations in serum aminotransferase during therapy and has been linked to rare, but occasionally severe cases of clinically apparent acute liver injury.

ABCDEA: well known cause; E: unlikely cause. [HD]: high doses only.

Source: LiverTox: Vemurafenib (NIDDK, public domain)Chapter updated Jun 28, 2018

Pregnancy and lactation

Pregnancy

8.1 Pregnancy Risk Summary Based on its mechanism of action, ZELBORAF can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman [see Clinical Pharmacology (12.1) ] . There are no available data on the use of ZELBORAF in pregnant women to determine the drug-associated risk; however, placental transfer of vemurafenib to a fetus has been reported. Exposure to vemurafenib could not be achieved in animals at levels sufficient to fully address its potential toxicity in pregnant women. Advise pregnant women of the potential harm to a fetus. The estimated background risks of major birth defects and miscarriage for the indicated population(s) are unknown. In the U.S.

general population, the estimated background risk of major birth defects and miscarriage in clinically recognized pregnancies is 2-4% and 15-20%, respectively. Data Animal Data Vemurafenib showed no evidence of developmental toxicity in rat fetuses at doses up to 250 mg/kg/day (approximately 1.3 times the clinical exposure at 960 mg twice daily based on AUC) or rabbit fetuses at doses up to 450 mg/kg/day (approximately 0.6 times the clinical exposure at 960 mg twice daily based on AUC). Fetal drug levels were 3–5% of maternal levels, indicating that vemurafenib has the potential to be transmitted from the mother to the developing fetus.

Breastfeeding (LactMed)

No information is available on the clinical use of vemurafenib during breastfeeding. Because vemurafenib is more than 99% bound to plasma proteins, the amount in milk is likely to be low. However, its half-life is 57 hours and it might accumulate in the infant. The manufacturer recommends that breastfeeding be discontinued during vemurafenib therapy and for 2 weeks after the final dose.

Source: LactMed: Vemurafenib (NICHD, public domain)Revised Dec 3, 2018

Supply and cost

Drug shortage status

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Recalls (last 24 months)

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Therapeutic equivalence (Orange Book)

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