Drug interactions
Daunorubicin + Trastuzumab
Severity: Major
Daunorubicin and Trastuzumab: major interaction.
Last updated
For healthcare professionals — reference only. This page is a brief summary, not medical advice and not a substitute for official labeling or clinical judgement. Always verify before prescribing or dispensing.
Summary
Trastuzumab causes cardiac dysfunction, and anthracyclines such as daunorubicin cause cumulative dose-related cardiomyopathy. Used together or in close sequence, the risk of symptomatic heart failure and reduced ejection fraction is clearly higher than with either drug alone.
What this interaction means in plain words
Daunorubicin and Trastuzumab can interact in a way that may be serious. Using them together is sometimes necessary, but it needs a deliberate decision by the prescriber, a plan for monitoring, and clear advice on the warning signs to watch for.
Daunorubicin belongs to Oncology; Trastuzumab belongs to Oncology.
Why it happens
Additive cardiotoxicity: anthracycline myocyte injury combined with impaired HER2-dependent cardiomyocyte survival signaling.
What to do
Avoid concurrent use where possible and keep a long interval between anthracycline and trastuzumab. Assess LVEF before and regularly during treatment, and stop trastuzumab if significant decline occurs.
What to ask your pharmacist
- Does the benefit of taking both outweigh the risk in my case?
- Do I need any blood test, ECG or other check while on both?
- What early warning signs should I watch for, and what should I do if they appear?
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Other interactions of Daunorubicin
- Adenovirus types 4 and 7 live + Daunorubicin Contraindicated
- Belatacept + Daunorubicin Major
- Cyclosporine + Daunorubicin Major
- Cyclosporin + Daunorubicin Major
- Daunorubicin + Dengue vaccine Major
- Daunorubicin + Etrasimod Major
Other interactions of Trastuzumab
Frequently asked questions
Can I take Daunorubicin with Trastuzumab?
MediHelp rates the interaction as major. Daunorubicin and Trastuzumab can interact in a way that may be serious. Using them together is sometimes necessary, but it needs a deliberate decision by the prescriber, a plan for monitoring, and clear advice on the warning signs to watch for. Trastuzumab causes cardiac dysfunction, and anthracyclines such as daunorubicin cause cumulative dose-related cardiomyopathy. Used together or in close sequence, the risk of symptomatic heart failure and reduced ejection fraction is clearly higher than with either drug alone.
How serious is the interaction between Daunorubicin and Trastuzumab?
MediHelp rates it major, on a four-level scale (minor, moderate, major, contraindicated) based on published labels and references. What to do, in brief: Avoid concurrent use where possible and keep a long interval between anthracycline and trastuzumab. Assess LVEF before and regularly during treatment, and stop trastuzumab if significant decline occurs.
What other medicines interact with Daunorubicin?
MediHelp also lists interactions of Daunorubicin with, for example, Adenovirus types 4 and 7 live, Belatacept, Cyclosporine. The full list is on the Daunorubicin page.
Full monographs, dosing and an interaction checker in the MediHelp app
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