Etoposide: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Etoposide is a topoisomerase inhibitor sold in the U.S. under 4 brand and generic names, for urinary bladder neoplasms, brain neoplasms and lung neoplasms. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.
Key facts
- Drug class
- Topoisomerase Inhibitor
- Treats (across its forms)
- Urinary Bladder Neoplasms, Brain Neoplasms and Lung Neoplasms
- Available as
- Injectable · Capsule
- Sold as
- 4 products — Etopophos Preservative Free, Avopef and Etoposide, and others
- Prescription?
- Prescription only
- Generic available?
- Yes
- Boxed warning
- Boxed warning
How Avopef is dosed
From the FDA label for Avopef (application NDA220200). Other etoposide products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
Refractory Testicular Cancer : 50 mg/m 2 to 100 mg/m 2 administered intravenously daily on Days 1 to 5, or 100 mg/m 2 administered intravenously daily on Days 1, 3 and 5. ( 2.2 ) Small Cell Lung Cancer : 35 mg/m 2 administered intravenously daily on days 1 to 4, or 50 mg/m 2 administered intravenously daily on days 1 to 5. ( 2.3 ) Dilute AVOPEF prior to intravenous infusion over 30- to 60-minutes. ( 2.5 ) 2.1 Important Dosage and Administration Information Dilute AVOPEF to a final concentration of 0.2 to 0.4 mg/mL prior to administration [see Dosage and Administration (2.5) ]. Administer diluted AVOPEF by intravenous infusion over 30 to 60 minutes to reduce the risk of infusion-related reactions including hypotension [see Dosage and Administration (2.5) ]. Before each AVOPEF administration and at appropriate intervals during and after therapy, monitor complete blood counts with differential and serum albumin [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1, 5.5) ]. If severe reactions occur, reduce the dosage or discontinue AVOPEF and take appropriate corrective measures according to the clinical judgment of the healthcare provider. 2.2 Recommended Dosage for Refractory Testicular Cancer The recommended dosage of AVOPEF is: 50 mg/m 2 to 100 mg/m 2 administered intravenously daily on Days 1 to 5, or 100 mg/m 2 administered intravenously daily on Days 1, 3 and 5 Repeat treatment cycles every…
Everything below is the FDA label for Avopef (injectable). Etoposide is also sold as capsule, and those are different medicines to take — follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
Avopef side effects
The following clinically significant adverse reactions are discussed in more detail in other sections of the labeling. Severe Myelosuppression [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ] Hypersensitivity and Infusion-Related Reactions [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2) ] Extravasation Resulting in Tissue Necrosis [see Warnings and Precautions (5.3) ] Secondary Leukemia [see Warnings and Precautions (5.4) ] Risk of Increased AVOPEF Toxicity with Low Serum Albumin [see Warnings and Precautions (5.5) ] Alcohol Content [see Warnings and Precautions (5.6) ] The most common adverse reactions are myelosuppression, hypersensitivity, nausea/vomiting, and alopecia. ( 6.1 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Avyxa Pharma, LLC at 1-888-520-0954 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch. 6.1 Clinical Trials Experience Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in clinical practice. Blood and lymphatic system disorders : acute leukemia, myelosuppression Eye disorders : transient cortical blindness Gastrointestinal disorders : abdominal pain, anorexia, constipation, diarrhea, dysgeusia, dysphagia, esophagitis, mucositis, nausea, stomatitis and vomiting General disorders and…
Who shouldn’t take Avopef
AVOPEF is contraindicated in patients with hypersensitivity to etoposide or any of its excipients. Hypersensitivity to etoposide or any of its excipients. ( 4 )
Avopef drug interactions
CYP3A Inhibitors and CYP3A Inducers : Avoid concomitant use of strong CYP3A inhibitors and strong CYP3A inducers with AVOPEF. ( 7.1 ) Vitamin K Antagonists : Monitor INR more frequently and modify the dosage of the vitamin K antagonists as appropriate. Co-administration of AVOPEF with warfarin can result in elevated international normalized ratio (INR). ( 7.2 ) 7.1 Effect of Other Drugs on AVOPEF CYP3A Inhibitors Avoid concomitant use of strong CYP3A inhibitors. Etoposide is a CYP3A4 substrate. Strong CYP3A inhibitors may increase etoposide exposure, which may increase the risk of AVOPEF-associated adverse reactions [see Clinical Pharmacology (12.3) ]. CYP3A Inducers Avoid concomitant use of strong CYP3A inducers. Etoposide is a CYP3A4 substrate. Strong CYP3A inducers may reduce etoposide exposure, which may decrease the effectiveness of AVOPEF [see Clinical Pharmacology (12.3) ]. 7.2 Effect of AVOPEF on Other Drugs Vitamin K Antagonists Monitor INR more frequently and modify the dosage of the vitamin K antagonists as appropriate. Co-administration of AVOPEF with warfarin can result in elevated international normalized ratio (INR).
Every etoposide product we track (4)
Same active ingredient — different manufacturer, form, price and FDA recall record. That last one is what our independent score measures.
| # | Drug | Rating | Type | Form | Generic? | Pharmacy pays | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 72/100 | Prescription | Injectable | No data | — | View → | |
| 2 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Injectable | No data | — | View → | |
| 3 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Capsule | No data | — | View → | |
| 4 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Capsule | No data | — | View → |
What etoposide pills look like
Imprint codes, colour and shape from the FDA’s labelling data. Match the imprint on your pill — or search any imprint.
Etoposide and breastfeeding
From LactMed, the US National Library of Medicine’s Drugs and Lactation Database — quoted, not rewritten.
Full LactMed record for etoposide: levels in milk, effects in breastfed infants, and the drugs it would consider insteadMost sources consider breastfeeding to be contraindicated during maternal antineoplastic drug therapy. It might be possible to breastfeed safely during intermittent therapy with etoposide after an appropriate period of breastfeeding abstinence. A period of at least 24 hours is required after a dose of 80 mg/sq. m. or less. Others have suggested an abstinence period of 72 hours after etoposide use. Chemotherapy may adversely affect the normal microbiome and chemical makeup of breastmilk. Women who receive chemotherapy during pregnancy are more likely to have difficulty nursing their infant.
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, record revised September 15, 2024. LactMed states its information is not a substitute for professional judgement.
What people report to the FDA about etoposide
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 75,399 reports naming etoposide, and the FDA flagged 97% of those reports as serious. The effects reported most often — leaving out reports about overdose, misuse or the condition being treated, which dominate the raw list for common medicines:
- febrile neutropenia7,981 reports
- neutropenia5,248 reports
- thrombocytopenia4,200 reports
- pyrexia3,631 reports
- anaemia3,417 reports
- sepsis3,118 reports
- pancytopenia2,860 reports
- nausea2,634 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean etoposide caused the effect — anyone can file one, and many describe people taking several medicines for several conditions. Crucially there is no denominator: FAERS does not record how many people took the drug, so these counts cannot be turned into “X% of patients” — a bigger number often just means a more widely used or more talked-about drug. Duplicates exist, and publicity drives reporting. For what is actually established, read the FDA label section above.
Source: openFDA drug/event (FAERS), retrieved July 25, 2026.
Related calculators
Frequently asked questions
What is Avopef?
Avopef (Etoposide) is a topoisomerase inhibitor used to treat Urinary Bladder Neoplasms, Brain Neoplasms, Lung Neoplasms, Mycosis Fungoides.
What kind of drug is etoposide?
The FDA classifies etoposide as a topoisomerase inhibitor. Topoisomerase inhibitors target enzymes that cells rely on to cut and rejoin their DNA during cell division. By trapping these enzymes after they cut the DNA but before they can reseal it, the drugs leave the DNA broken, which halts cell division and kills rapidly dividing cancer cells. If you are checking whether it is safe to combine with something else, the class is what matters — two drugs from the same class usually should not be stacked.
Can you take etoposide with other medicines?
It depends on the medicine. We check it against the FDA labels rather than guessing: our interaction checker searches each drug's own label for the other and quotes what it says, naming the section it came from. Run etoposide against whatever else you take — and remember that a label not naming a drug is not the same as that combination being safe.
What brand names is etoposide sold under?
We track 4 etoposide-containing products in the U.S.: Etopophos Preservative Free, Avopef, Etoposide and Vepesid. They are the same active ingredient; they differ in form, manufacturer, price and FDA recall record.
What forms does etoposide come in?
Across the brands we track, etoposide is currently marketed as injectable and capsule, per the FDA's National Drug Code Directory. Each form is dosed differently — follow the label for the exact product you were prescribed.
Is there a generic etoposide?
Yes. Our catalog lists 1 generic etoposide product alongside the brand versions. A generic has the same active ingredient and must meet the FDA's bioequivalence standard; it usually costs less. Ask your pharmacist which one your plan covers.
Cite this page
- APA
- pharmaranks. (2026, July 24). Etoposide: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/etoposide
- MLA
- “Etoposide: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/etoposide.
We summarise public FDA and NIH sources — for a clinical claim, cite the primary source we link to as well.
Sources: FDA openFDA drug label, National Drug Code Directory, and Enforcement (recall) database. This page reproduces public FDA data and is not medical advice. Dosing is set by your prescriber.
Read the full FDA label for etoposide on DailyMed (NIH) ↗ — including its boxed warning in full.