Neratinib: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Neratinib is a kinase inhibitor sold in the U.S. under one brand, for breast 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
- Kinase Inhibitor
- Treats
- Breast Neoplasms
- Available as
- Tablet
- Sold as
- Nerlynx
- Prescription?
- Prescription only
- Generic available?
- Not in our catalog
How neratinib is dosed
From the FDA label for Nerlynx (application NDA208051). Other neratinib products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
Premedication for diarrhea: When not using dose escalation, initiate loperamide with the first dose of NERLYNX and continue during the first 56 days of treatment. After day 56, use loperamide to maintain 1–2 bowel movements per day. ( 2.1 , 2.2 ) Extended adjuvant treatment of early-stage breast cancer: 240 mg (6 tablets) given orally once daily, with food, continuously until disease recurrence or for up to one year. ( 2.2 ) Advanced or metastatic breast cancer: 240 mg (6 tablets) given orally once daily with food on Days 1–21 of a 21-day cycle plus capecitabine (750 mg/m 2 given orally twice daily) on Days 1–14 of a 21-day cycle until disease progression or unacceptable toxicities. ( 2.2 ) Dose escalation: A two-week dose escalation for NERLYNX may also be initiated. ( 2.2 ) Dose interruptions and/or dose reductions are recommended based on individual safety and tolerability. ( 2.3 ) Hepatic impairment: Reduce starting dose to 80 mg in patients with severe hepatic impairment. ( 2.4 ) 2.1 Premedication for Diarrhea When not using dose escalation [see Dosage and Administration ( 2.2 )], administer antidiarrheal prophylaxis during the first 56 days of treatment and initiate with the first dose of NERLYNX [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.1 ) and Adverse Reactions ( 6.1 )] . Instruct patients to take loperamide as directed in Table 1 . Titrate loperamide to 1–2 bowel movements…
Neratinib side effects
The following clinically significant adverse reactions are described elsewhere in the labeling: Diarrhea [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.1 )] Hepatotoxicity [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.2 )] The most common adverse reactions (reported in ≥5% of patients) were: NERLYNX as a single agent: diarrhea, nausea, abdominal pain, fatigue, vomiting, rash, stomatitis, decreased appetite, muscle spasms, dyspepsia, AST or ALT increased, nail disorder, dry skin, abdominal distention, epistaxis, weight decreased, and urinary tract infection. ( 6 ) NERLYNX in combination with capecitabine: diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, decreased appetite, constipation, fatigue/asthenia, weight decreased, dizziness, back pain, arthralgia, urinary tract infection, upper respiratory tract infection, abdominal distention, renal impairment, and muscle spasms. ( 6 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Puma Biotechnology, Inc. at 1-844-NERLYNX (1-844-637-5969) 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 practice. Extended Adjuvant Treatment of Early-Stage Breast Cancer ExteNET The data described below reflect the…
Who shouldn’t take neratinib
None. None. ( 4 )
Neratinib drug interactions
Gastric acid reducing agents: Avoid concomitant use with proton pump inhibitors. Separate NERLYNX by at least 2 hours before or 10 hours after H 2 -receptor antagonists. Or separate NERLYNX by at least 3 hours after antacids. ( 2.5 , 7.1 ) Strong CYP3A4 inhibitors: Avoid concomitant use. ( 7.1 ) P-gp and moderate CYP3A4 dual inhibitors: Avoid concomitant use. ( 7.1 ) Strong or moderate CYP3A4 inducers: Avoid concomitant use. ( 7.1 ) Certain P-gp substrates: Monitor for adverse reactions of P-gp substrates for which minimal concentration change may lead to serious adverse reactions when used concomitantly with NERLYNX. ( 7.2 ) 7.1 Effect of Other Drugs on NERLYNX Table 10 includes drug interactions that affect the pharmacokinetics of neratinib. Table 10: Drug Interactions that Affect NERLYNX AUC=Area Under Curve; C max =Maximum Concentration Gastric Acid Reducing Agents Clinical Impact Concomitant use of NERLYNX with a proton pump inhibitor (PPI), H 2 -receptor antagonist, or antacid may decrease neratinib AUC [see Clinical Pharmacology ( 12.3 )], which may reduce NERLYNX activity. Prevention or Management [see Dosage and Administration ( 2.5 )] Avoid concomitant use of PPIs. Separate administration of NERLYNX at least 2 hours before or 10 hours after the H 2 -receptor antagonist dose. Separate administration of NERLYNX by at least 3 hours after antacids. Strong CYP3A4 Inhibitors Clinical Impact Concomitant use of NERLYNX with a strong CYP3A4 inhibitor increased neratinib C max and AUC [see Clinical Pharmacology ( 12.3 )] , which may increase the risk of NERLYNX toxicity. Prevention or Management Avoid concomitant use of NERLYNX with strong CYP3A4 inhibitors. P-gp and Moderate CYP3A4 Dual Inhibitors Clinical Impact Concomitant use of NERLYNX with a P-gp and moderate CYP3A4 dual inhibitor may increase neratinib C max and AUC [see Clinical Pharmacology ( 12.3 )] , which may increase the risk of NERLYNX toxicity. Prevention or Management Avoid concomitant use of NERLYNX with P-gp and moderate CYP3A4 dual inhibitors. Strong or Moderate CYP3A4 Inducers Clinical Impact Concomitant use of NERLYNX with a strong CYP3A4 inducer reduced neratinib C max and AUC [see Clinical Pharmacology ( 12.3 )] , which may reduce NERLYNX activity. Prevention or Management Avoid concomitant use of NERLYNX with strong or moderate CYP3A4 inducers. 7.2 Effect of NERLYNX on Other Drugs Certain P-glycoprotein (P-gp) Substrates Concomitant use of NERLYNX increased concentrations of a P-gp substrate [see Clinical Pharmacology ( 12.3 )] , which may increase the risk of adverse reactions of these substrates. Monitor for adverse reactions of certain P-gp substrates for which minimal concentration changes may lead to serious adverse reactions.
Every neratinib product we track (1)
Same active ingredient — different manufacturer, form, price and FDA recall record. That last one is what our independent score measures.
Only one: Nerlynx.
Can you crush or split neratinib?
At least one neratinibproduct is labelled to be swallowed whole — crushing an extended-release tablet releases the whole day’s dose at once. Which applies depends on the form you were given.
What each neratinib label says about crushing, splitting and chewingWhat people report to the FDA about neratinib
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 3 reports naming neratinib, and the FDA flagged 67% 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:
- diarrhoea1 reports
- hypophagia1 reports
- liver function test increased1 reports
- mucosal ulceration1 reports
- nausea1 reports
- oral disorder1 reports
- tongue ulceration1 reports
- vomiting1 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean neratinib 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 neratinib?
NERLYNX (neratinib) immediate release, film-coated tablets for oral administration contain 40 mg of neratinib, equivalent to 48.31 mg neratinib maleate. Neratinib is a member of the 4-anilino quinolidine class of protein kinase inhibitors.
What kind of drug is neratinib?
The FDA classifies neratinib as a kinase inhibitor. Kinase inhibitors block protein kinases, the enzymes that relay 'grow and divide' signals inside cells. By shutting down the overactive kinase signals that a tumor depends on, they help slow or stop cancer cells from multiplying. 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 neratinib 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 neratinib against whatever else you take — and remember that a label not naming a drug is not the same as that combination being safe.
What forms does neratinib come in?
Across the brands we track, neratinib is currently marketed as tablet, 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 neratinib?
We do not currently list a generic-labelled neratinib product. That does not always mean none exists — it means none appears under a generic name in the FDA data we track. Ask your pharmacist.
Cite this page
- APA
- pharmaranks. (2026, July 24). Neratinib: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/neratinib
- MLA
- “Neratinib: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/neratinib.
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 neratinib on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.