Crizotinib
/api/v1/drug/crizotinibMechanism of action
Sourced from openFDACrizotinib is an inhibitor of receptor tyrosine kinases including ALK, Hepatocyte Growth Factor Receptor (HGFR, c-Met), ROS1 (c-ros), and Recepteur d'Origine Nantais (RON). Translocations can affect the ALK gene resulting in the expression of oncogenic fusion proteins.
Indications
Sourced from openFDA- XALKORI is a kinase inhibitor indicated for the treatment of • adult patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors are anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) or ROS1-positive as detected by an FDA-approved test. ( 1.1 , 2.1 ) • pediatric patients 1 year of age and older and young adults with relapsed or refractory, systemic anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) that is ALK-positive.ICD-10: C34.90, C85.90
Contraindications
Sourced from openFDA- None. None.contraindicated
Dosage & administration
Sourced from openFDA• Metastatic NSCLC: The recommended dosage is 250 mg orally twice daily. ( 2.3 ) • Systemic ALCL: The recommended dosage is 280 mg/m 2 orally twice daily based on body surface area. ( 2.3 ) • Unresectable IMT: o Adult: The recommended dosage is 250 mg orally twice daily. ( 2.3 ) o Pediatric: The recommended dosage is 280 mg/m 2 orally twice daily based on body surface area. ( 2.3 ) • See full prescribing information for dosage adjustments by indication for patients with moderate or severe hepatic impairment or severe renal impairment. ( 2.7 , 2.8 ) 2.1 Patient Selection Select patients for the treatment of metastatic NSCLC with XALKORI based on the presence of ALK or ROS1 positivity in tumor specimens [see Clinical Studies (14.1 , 14.2 , 14.3) ] . Information on FDA-approved tests for the detection of ALK and ROS1 rearrangements in NSCLC is available at http://www.fda.gov/companiondiagnostics . 2.2 Recommended Testing During Treatment with XALKORI • Monitor liver function tests, including alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and total bilirubin, every 2 weeks during the first 2 months of treatment, then once a month, and as clinically indicated, with more frequent repeat testing for increased liver transaminases, alkaline phosphatase, or total bilirubin in patients who develop increased transaminases [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ] .
Warnings & precautions
Sourced from openFDA• Hepatotoxicity: Fatal hepatotoxicity has occurred. Monitor with periodic liver testing. Temporarily suspend, dose reduce, or permanently discontinue XALKORI. ( 2.2 , 2.6 , 5.1 ) • Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD)/Pneumonitis: Permanently discontinue in patients with ILD/pneumonitis. ( 2.6 , 5.2 ) • QT Interval Prolongation: Monitor electrocardiograms and electrolytes in patients who have a history of or predisposition for QTc prolongation, or who are taking medications that prolong QT. Temporarily suspend, dose reduce, or permanently discontinue XALKORI. ( 2.6 , 5.3 ) • Bradycardia: XALKORI can cause bradycardia. Monitor heart rate and blood pressure regularly. Temporarily suspend, dose reduce, or permanently discontinue XALKORI. ( 2.6 , 5.4 ) • Severe Visual Loss: XALKORI can cause visual changes including severe visual loss. Monitor and evaluate for ocular toxicity throughout treatment. Discontinue XALKORI in patients with severe visual loss. ( 2.2 , 2.6 , 5.5 ) • Gastrointestinal Toxicity in Pediatric and Young Adult Patients with ALCL or Pediatric Patients with IMT: XALKORI can cause severe nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and stomatitis. Provide standard antiemetic and antidiarrheal agents. Temporarily suspend, dose reduce, or permanently discontinue XALKORI. ( 2.6 , 5.6 ) • Embryo-Fetal Toxicity: Can cause fetal harm. Advise females of reproductive potential of the potential risk to a fetus and use of effective contraception.
Adverse reactions
Sourced from openFDAThe following clinically significant adverse reactions are described elsewhere in the labeling: • Hepatotoxicity [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ] • Interstitial Lung Disease/Pneumonitis [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2) ] • QT Interval Prolongation [see Warnings and Precautions (5.3) ] • Bradycardia [see Warnings and Precautions (5.4) ] • Severe Visual Loss [see Warnings and Precautions (5.5) ] • Gastrointestinal Toxicity in Pediatric and Young Adult Patients with ALCL or Pediatric Patients with IMT [see Warnings and Precautions (5.6) ] The most common adverse reactions (≥25%) in adult patients with NSCLC are vision disorders, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, edema, constipation, elevated transaminases, fatigue, decreased appetite, upper respiratory infection, dizziness, and neuropathy. ( 6.1 ) The most common adverse reactions (≥35%) in patients with ALCL are diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, vision disorder, headache, musculoskeletal pain, stomatitis, fatigue, decreased appetite, pyrexia, abdominal pain, cough, and pruritus. Grade 3–4 laboratory abnormalities (≥15%) are neutropenia, lymphopenia, and thrombocytopenia. ( 6.1 ) The most common adverse reactions (≥35%) in adult patients with IMT are vision disorders, nausea, and edema. ( 6.1 ) The most common adverse reactions (≥35%) in pediatric patients with IMT are vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pain, rash, vision disorder, upper respiratory tract infection, cough, pyrexia, musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, edema, constipation, and headache. ( 6.1 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Pfizer Inc.
Use in specific populations
Sourced from openFDALactation: Advise not to breastfeed. ( 8.2 ) 8.1 Pregnancy Risk Summary Based on findings from animal studies and its mechanism of action, XALKORI can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman [see Clinical Pharmacology (12.1) ] . There are no available data on the use of XALKORI in pregnant women. In animal reproduction studies, oral administration of crizotinib to pregnant rats during organogenesis at exposures similar to those expected with the maximum recommended human dose resulted in embryotoxicity and fetotoxicity (see Data ) . Advise pregnant women of the potential risk to a fetus. In the U.S. general population, the estimated background risk of major birth defects and miscarriage in clinically recognized pregnancies is 2% to 4% and 15% to 20%, respectively. Data Animal Data Crizotinib was administered to pregnant rats and rabbits during organogenesis to study the effects on embryo-fetal development. Postimplantation loss was increased at doses ≥50 mg/kg/day (approximately 0.6 times the recommended human dose based on AUC) in rats.
Pharmacokinetics
Sourced from openFDA- Metabolism
- Following XALKORI 250 mg capsules twice daily, steady-state was reached within 15 days with a median accumulation ratio of 4.8. Steady-state minimum concentration (C min.ss ) and AUC increased in a greater than dose-proportional manner over the dose range of 200 mg to 300 mg twice daily (0.8 to 1.2 times the approved recommended dosage).
Approval history
Sourced from openFDA- Aug 26, 2011NDANDA202570Pf Prism Cv
- Sep 7, 2023NDANDA217581Pf Prism Cv
FAERS reports
- 1Death2,29718%
- 2Disease Progression1,2159.7%
- 3Nausea1,1148.9%
- 4Neoplasm Progression1,1128.9%
- 5Diarrhoea8436.7%
- 6Vomiting7906.3%
- 7Fatigue5534.4%
- 8Off Label Use4693.7%
- 9Oedema Peripheral4433.5%
- 10Constipation4393.5%
- 11Dyspnoea4283.4%
- 12Lung Neoplasm Malignant4183.3%
- 13Visual Impairment4043.2%
- 14Decreased Appetite3783.0%
- 15Asthenia3392.7%
Literature
Recent PubMed references pinned to Crizotinib as a MeSH major topic. Citations link to pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
- Crizotinib for refractory vulvar malignant melanoma with equivocal MET amplification: a case report.Taiwanese journal of obstetrics & gynecology · 2026 · Liang CJ, Hsiao SMPMID 42036199DOI 10.1016/j.tjog.2024.08.022
- Development of a Taste-Masked, Dose-Flexible, Multiparticulate Pediatric Dosage Form: Case Study of Crizotinib, a Challenging Pediatric Formulation.Pharmaceutical medicine · 2026 · Bartlett JA, Culver N, Santangelo M, et al.PMID 41920422DOI 10.1007/s40290-026-00604-2
- Gastrointestinal pH Gradient-Induced Phase Transition of Crizotinib: The Significance of pH-Dependent Ionization (Protonation) on Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation of a Weakly Basic Drug.Molecular pharmaceutics · 2026 · Chen Z, Chen S, Lv H, et al.PMID 41782551DOI 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.5c01345
- Crizotinib-associated nodular scleritis in an adolescent.Journal of AAPOS : the official publication of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus · 2026 · Elfwwal M, Hawkins DS, Huang LC, et al.PMID 41763354DOI 10.1016/j.jaapos.2026.104760
- Estimating causal effects on quality of life under treatment discontinuation: the ALTA-1L trial.Journal of clinical epidemiology · 2026 · Al Tawil A, Lauseker M, Mansmann U, et al.PMID 41740899DOI 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2026.112189
- Coexistence of a primary ALK-positive and MET14 exon skipping mutation double-fusion in one patient with NSCLC and response to crizotinib: A case report and literature review.Medicine · 2026 · Xu K, Wang M, Zhao J, et al.PMID 41731828DOI 10.1097/MD.0000000000047628
- Microfluidic fabrication of peptide modified carrier-free self-assembled crizotinib-metal nanodrugs for NIR fluorescence imaging and dual-pathway therapy of non-small cell lung cancer.Journal of colloid and interface science · 2026 · Guo Q, Lai L, Huang L, et al.PMID 41713140DOI 10.1016/j.jcis.2026.140086
- Rapidly progressive arthropathy identified on imaging of patients treated with Crizotinib for ALK-rearranged/ROS1-positive non small cell lung cancer: A retrospective single-center study.PloS one · 2026 · Eshet Y, Domachevsky L, Tau N, et al.PMID 41706716DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0333223
Clinical trials
The 10 most recently updated of 171 ClinicalTrials.gov registrations naming Crizotinib as an intervention. Registration is not evidence of efficacy or safety — reference crosswalk only.
- A Rollover Study of Alectinib in Patients With Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK)-Positive or Rearranged During Transfection (RET)-Positive CancerCompleted · Phase 3 · Interventional · 50 enrolled · Hoffmann-La RocheNCT03194893updated 2026-06-11
- Study of IDE196 in Patients With Solid Tumors Harboring GNAQ/11 Mutations or PRKC FusionsRecruiting · Phase 1 · Phase 2 · Interventional · 336 enrolled · IDEAYA BiosciencesNCT03947385updated 2026-06-08
- Taletrectinib in Previously Treated Metastatic CDH1-mutated Invasive Lobular Cancer (ILC)Suspended · Phase 2 · Interventional · 61 enrolled · Megan Kruse, MDNCT06214793updated 2026-06-05
- Targeted Therapy Directed by Genetic Testing in Treating Patients With Advanced Refractory Solid Tumors, Lymphomas, or Multiple Myeloma (The MATCH Screening Trial)Active not recruiting · Phase 2 · Interventional · 6,452 enrolled · National Cancer Institute (NCI)NCT02465060updated 2026-06-03
- A Study Comparing Alectinib With Crizotinib in Treatment-Naive Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase-Positive Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer ParticipantsCompleted · Phase 3 · Interventional · 303 enrolled · Hoffmann-La RocheNCT02075840updated 2026-05-29
- Genetic Testing in Screening Patients With Stage IB-IIIA Non-small Cell Lung Cancer That Has Been or Will Be Removed by Surgery (The ALCHEMIST Screening Trial)Active not recruiting · Interventional · 8,300 enrolled · National Cancer Institute (NCI)NCT02194738updated 2026-05-29
- A Study to Compare the Efficacy and Safety of Entrectinib and Crizotinib in Participants With Advanced or Metastatic ROS1 Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) With and Without Central Nervous System (CNS) MetastasesActive not recruiting · Phase 3 · Interventional · 220 enrolled · Hoffmann-La RocheNCT04603807updated 2026-05-28
- Testing Crizotinib as Potentially Targeted Treatment in Cancers With MET Exon 14 Deletion Genetic Changes (MATCH - Subprotocol C2)Active not recruiting · Phase 2 · Interventional · 20 enrolled · National Cancer Institute (NCI)NCT06360575updated 2026-05-28
- A Study of Neladalkib (NVL-655) in Patients With Advanced NSCLC and Other Solid Tumors Harboring ALK Rearrangement or Activating ALK Mutation (ALKOVE-1)Recruiting · Phase 1 · Phase 2 · Interventional · 840 enrolled · Nuvalent Inc.NCT05384626updated 2026-05-27
- Basket Study of Entrectinib (RXDX-101) for the Treatment of Patients With Solid Tumors Harboring NTRK 1/2/3 (Trk A/B/C), ROS1, or ALK Gene Rearrangements (Fusions)Active not recruiting · Phase 2 · Interventional · 534 enrolled · Hoffmann-La RocheNCT02568267updated 2026-05-27
Frequently asked questions
- How does Crizotinib work?
- Crizotinib is an inhibitor of receptor tyrosine kinases including ALK, Hepatocyte Growth Factor Receptor (HGFR, c-Met), ROS1 (c-ros), and Recepteur d'Origine Nantais (RON). Translocations can affect the ALK gene resulting in the expression of oncogenic fusion proteins.
- What is Crizotinib used for?
- According to FDA labeling, Crizotinib carries indications including: XALKORI is a kinase inhibitor indicated for the treatment of • adult patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors are anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) or ROS1-positive as detected by an FDA-approved test. ( 1.1 , 2.1 ) • pediatric patients 1 year of age and older and young adults with relapsed or refractory, systemic anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) that is ALK-positive.. This is a reference summary of labeled uses, not medical advice or a treatment recommendation.
- What class of drug is Crizotinib?
- Crizotinib is classified as Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitors, Kinase Inhibitor, Cytochrome P450 2B6 Inhibitors, Cytochrome P450 3A Inhibitors, Organic Cation Transporter 1 Inhibitors, Organic Cation Transporter 2 Inhibitors, P-Glycoprotein Inhibitors, Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors, Cellular Proliferation Alteration.
- What are the brand names for Crizotinib?
- Crizotinib is marketed under brand names including Xalkori.
- What are the contraindications for Crizotinib?
- Crizotinib labeling lists contraindications including: None. None.. Always consult the full prescribing information and a clinician.
crizotinib is illustrative MVP content compiled from public sources. pharmacopeia is for educational and informational use only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.