Femara (letrozole tablets)

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

Femara is only indicated in postmenopausal women. You should not take Femara if you are premenopausal. Your doctor should discuss the need for adequate birth control if you have the potential to become pregnant, if you are not sure of your postmenopausal status, or if you recently became postmenopausal. Learn more about Important Safety Information for Femara.

U.S. residents only   Small Text Size Medium Text Size Large Text Size Send Page Print Page En Espanol Visit health-care-professional Website
Home
About Femara
Femara vs. Tamoxifen
Healthy Living Tips
Patient Stories
About Breast Cancer
- Breast Anatomy
-  Breast Cancer Stages
-  Surgery
-  Treatment After Surgery
Breast Anatomy

Breast Anatomy

Anatomy of the Breast

After receiving a diagnosis of breast cancer, you're likely to have many questions about the changes that may be taking place in your breast. First, it's helpful to know the parts of the breast. Each breast has 15 to 20 sections called lobes. The lobes have smaller sections called lobules, which are the glands responsible for making milk.

Lobes and lobules are joined by thin tubes called ducts. The breast also contains blood and lymph vessels. The lymph vessels carry a colorless fluid called lymph. Lymph vessels lead to tiny, bean-shaped organs called lymph nodes. Lymph nodes are found throughout the body, including under the arm, above the collarbone, and in the chest.

Anatomy of the breast

There are many types of breast cancer, which are named by the part of the breast where they begin. Ductal carcinoma is the most common type of breast cancer. It begins in the cells of the ducts. Lobular carcinoma is another type of breast cancer. It begins in the lobes or lobules.

Learn more about Femara patient programs Learn more about Femara patient programs

*The Femara Cares Program™ Prescription Discount Card allows you to pay only $10 for your Femara prescriptions, if you are eligible. Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation will pay the rest, up to a maximum of $800 of your out-of-pocket costs in any 12-month period, toward your Femara prescriptions. This card is subject to change or termination at any time.

Not all patients will receive a total of $800 per year off their prescriptions. Total value of card determined by applicable patient co-pay or out-of-pocket cost.

The Femara Cares Program™ Prescription Discount Card is not valid for prescriptions for which payment may be made in whole or in part under federal or state healthcare programs, including but not limited to, Medicare or Medicaid, or for residents in MA. Limitations apply.

 

Indication
Femara® (letrozole) 2.5 mg tablets are approved for the adjuvant (following surgery) treatment of postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive early stage breast cancer.

Important Safety Information

Femara is only indicated in postmenopausal women. You should not take Femara if you are premenopausal. Your doctor should discuss the need for adequate birth control if you have the potential to become pregnant, if you are not sure of your postmenopausal status, or if you recently became postmenopausal. You should not take Femara if you are pregnant as it may cause harm to an unborn child. You should also discuss with your doctor what to do if you are nursing a child.

The use of Femara may cause decreases in the density of your bones, increases in bone fractures and osteoporosis. Monitoring of the density of your bones may be required.

Some patients taking Femara had an increase in cholesterol. Your doctor may require the monitoring of cholesterol in your blood.

Some women reported fatigue, dizziness and drowsiness with Femara. Until you know how it affects you, use caution before driving or operating machinery.

Some women had moderate, temporary decreases in white blood cell counts. The medical significance of this is not known.

The most serious side effects seen with Femara are bone effects (fractures, decreased bone density and osteoporosis) and increases in cholesterol. Other common side effects seen with Femara include joint pain, nausea, weight decrease, vaginal irritiation, and pain in the extremitites. Other important less commonly reported side effects include blood clots, other cancers, stroke, heart attack and endometrial cancer.

Femara is a once-daily, convenient prescription tablet. Your doctor may tell you to take Femara every other day if you have severe liver disease. Always take your medicine exactly as prescribed by your doctor.

For full prescribing information, please click here.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call
1-800-FDA-1088.