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Vemurafenib: uses, dosing, side effects & brands

Vemurafenib is a medicine sold in the U.S. under one brand, for melanoma. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.

By the pharmaranks editorial teamReviewed against the FDA (openFDA label, NDC Directory & Enforcement) sourcesUpdated Jul 24, 2026How we research

Key facts

Treats
Melanoma
Available as
Tablet
Sold as
Zelboraf
Prescription?
Prescription only
Generic available?
Not in our catalog

How vemurafenib is dosed

From the FDA label for Zelboraf (application NDA202429). Other vemurafenib products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.

Confirm the presence of BRAF V600E mutation in tumor specimens prior to initiation of treatment with ZELBORAF. ( 2.1 ) Recommended dose: 960 mg orally twice daily taken approximately 12 hours apart with or without a meal. ( 2.2 ) 2.1 Patient Selection for Treatment of Melanoma Confirm the presence of BRAF V600E mutation in melanoma tumor specimens prior to initiation of treatment with ZELBORAF [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2) ] . Information on FDA-approved tests for the detection of BRAF V600 mutations in melanoma is available at http://www.fda.gov/CompanionDiagnostics. 2.2 Recommended Dose The recommended dose of ZELBORAF is 960 mg (four 240 mg tablets) orally every 12 hours with or without a meal. A missed dose can be taken up to 4 hours prior to the next dose. Treat patients with ZELBORAF until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity occurs. Do not take an additional dose if vomiting occurs after ZELBORAF administration, but continue with the next scheduled dose. Do not crush or chew the tablets. 2.3 Dose Modifications For New Primary Cutaneous Malignancies: No dose modifications are recommended. For Other Adverse Reactions: Permanently discontinue ZELBORAF for any of the following: Grade 4 adverse reaction, first appearance (if clinically appropriate) or second appearance QTc prolongation > 500 ms and increased by > 60 ms from pre-treatment values [see Warnings…

Vemurafenib side effects

The following adverse reactions are discussed in greater detail in other sections of the label: New Primary Malignancies [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ] Hypersensitivity Reactions [see Warnings and Precautions (5.3) ] Dermatologic Reactions [see Warnings and Precautions (5.4) ] QT Prolongation [see Warnings and Precautions (5.5) ] Hepatotoxicity [see Warnings and Precautions (5.6) ] Photosensitivity [see Warnings and Precautions (5.7) ] Ophthalmologic Reactions [see Warnings and Precautions (5.8) ] Radiation Sensitization and Radiation Recall [see Warnings and Precautions (5.10) ] Renal Failure [see Warnings and Precautions (5.11) ] Dupuytren's Contracture and Plantar Fascial Fibromatosis [see Warnings and Precautions (5.12) ] Melanoma: Most common adverse reactions (≥ 30%) are arthralgia, rash, alopecia, fatigue, photosensitivity reaction, nausea, pruritus, and skin papilloma. ( 6.1 ) Erdheim-Chester Disease: Most common adverse reactions (>50%) are arthralgia, rash maculo-papular, alopecia, fatigue, electrocardiogram QT interval prolonged, and skin papilloma. ( 6.1 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Genentech at 1-888-835-2555 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch . 6.1 Clinical Trials Experience Because clinical studies are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical studies of a drug cannot be…

Who shouldn’t take vemurafenib

None. None

Vemurafenib drug interactions

Avoid concomitant administration of ZELBORAF with strong CYP3A4 inhibitors or inducers. ( 7.1 ) CYP1A2 Substrates: ZELBORAF can increase concentrations of CYP1A2 substrates. Avoid concomitant use of ZELBORAF with CYP1A2 substrates with a narrow therapeutic window. If coadministration cannot be avoided, monitor closely for toxicities and consider dose reduction of CYP1A2 substrates. ( 7.2 ). 7.1 Effect of Strong CYP3A4 Inhibitors or Inducers on Vemurafenib Strong CYP3A4 Inhibitors Coadministration of a strong CYP3A4 inhibitor increased vemurafenib plasma concentrations and may lead to increased toxicity. Avoid coadministration of ZELBORAF with strong CYP3A4 inhibitors. If coadministration of a strong CYP3A4 inhibitor is unavoidable, consider dose reduction of ZELBORAF, if clinically indicated. [see Dosage and Administration (2.3) , Clinical Pharmacology (12.3) ] . Strong CYP3A4 Inducers Coadministration of ZELBORAF with rifampin, a strong CYP3A4 inducer, decreased vemurafenib plasma concentrations and may result in decreased efficacy. Avoid coadministration of ZELBORAF with strong CYP3A4 inducers (e.g., phenytoin, carbamazepine, rifampin), and replace these drugs with alternative drugs when possible. If coadministration of a strong CYP3A4 inducer is unavoidable, increase the dose of ZELBORAF by 240 mg (one tablet) as tolerated [see Dosage and Administration (2.4) , Clinical Pharmacology (12.3) ] . 7.2 Effect of Vemurafenib on CYP1A2 Substrates Coadministration of ZELBORAF with tizanidine, a sensitive CYP1A2 substrate, increased tizanidine systemic exposure by 4.7-fold. Avoid concomitant use of ZELBORAF with drugs having a narrow therapeutic window that are predominantly metabolized by CYP1A2 [see Clinical Pharmacology (12.3) ] . If coadministration cannot be avoided, monitor closely for toxicities and consider a dose reduction of concomitant CYP1A2 substrates. 7.3 Concurrent Ipilimumab Increases in transaminases and bilirubin occurred in a majority of patients who received concurrent ipilimumab and ZELBORAF [see Warnings and Precautions Section 5.6 ]. 7.4 Effect of Vemurafenib on P-gp Substrates Coadministration of ZELBORAF with digoxin, a sensitive P-glycoprotein (P-gp) substrate, increased digoxin systemic exposure by 1.8-fold. Avoid concurrent use of P-gp substrates known to have narrow therapeutic indices. If use of these medications is unavoidable, consider dose reduction of P-gp substrates with narrow therapeutic indices.

Every vemurafenib 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: Zelboraf.

What vemurafenib pills look like

Imprint codes, colour and shape from the FDA’s labelling data. Match the imprint on your pill — or search any imprint.

Vemurafenib pill imprints
ImprintStrengthColourShape
VEM240 mgorange, whiteoval

Can you crush or split vemurafenib?

At least one vemurafenibproduct 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 vemurafenib label says about crushing, splitting and chewing

What people report to the FDA about vemurafenib

The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 4,045 reports naming vemurafenib, and the FDA flagged 92% 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:

  • pyrexia320 reports
  • rash315 reports
  • diarrhoea269 reports
  • arthralgia217 reports
  • nausea207 reports
  • fatigue202 reports
  • vomiting158 reports
  • photosensitivity reaction150 reports

Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean vemurafenib 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 26, 2026.

Related calculators

Frequently asked questions

What is vemurafenib?

ZELBORAF (vemurafenib) is a kinase inhibitor available as 240 mg tablets for oral use.

Can you take vemurafenib 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 vemurafenib 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 vemurafenib come in?

Across the brands we track, vemurafenib 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 vemurafenib?

We do not currently list a generic-labelled vemurafenib 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). Vemurafenib: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/vemurafenib
MLA
“Vemurafenib: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/vemurafenib.

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 vemurafenib on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.