Servier Canada
Oncaspar®
ONCASPAR logo; ONCASPAR pegaspargase injection.

Dosing and administration1

ONCASPAR® is employed as part of combination chemotherapy protocols with other antineoplastic agents.

Recommended dose and dose adjustment in adults

Adapted from the ONCASPAR® Product Monograph. Please see the ONCASPAR® Product Monograph for complete dosing information.

  • Premedicate patients with acetaminophen, an H-1 receptor blocker, and an H-2 receptor blocker 30–60 minutes before administration of ONCASPAR® to decrease the risk and severity of both infusion and hypersensitivity reactions. Steroid administration may also be considered in the premedication regimen. If premedication is administered, therapeutic drug monitoring should be considered to assess for silent inactivation.
  • The recommended dose of ONCASPAR® is 2,500 U/m² BSA every 14 days in paediatric patients with body surface area >0.6 m2 and under 21 years of age.
  • There are data suggesting that the dose of ONCASPAR® could be adjusted to 2,000 U/m2 body surface area every 14 days in adult patients >21 years of age in order to decrease toxicities (e.g. hyperbilirubinaemia). ONCASPAR® could also be adjusted to 82.5 U (equivalent to 0.1 mL ONCASPAR®)/kg body weight every 14 days in children with a body surface area <0.6 m².
  • Treatment may be monitored based on the trough serum L-asparaginase activity measured before the next administration of ONCASPAR®. If L-asparaginase activity values fail to reach target levels, a switch to a different L-asparaginase preparation could be considered.

Administration1

ONCASPAR® can be given by intramuscular injection or intravenous infusion

  • For smaller volumes of ONCASPAR®, the preferred route of administration is intramuscular.
    • When ONCASPAR® is given by intramuscular injection the volume injected at one site should not exceed 2 mL in children and adolescents and 3 mL in adults.
    • If higher volume is given, the dose should be divided and given at several injection sites. ONCASPAR® does not contain a preservative. Use only one dose per vial; discard unused product.
  • Intravenous infusion of ONCASPAR® is usually given over a period of 1 to 2 hours in 100 mL of sodium chloride 9 mg/mL (0.9%) solution for injection or 5% glucose solution, through an infusion that is already running.

Learn more about Servier Canada’s treatment options in ALL

Learn more

Consult the ONCASPAR® Product Monograph

Learn more

aBFM: augmented Berlin-Frankfurt-Münster; ALL: acute lymphoblastic leukemia; BSA: body surface area; CNS: central nervous system; CSF: cerebrospinal fluid; DFCI: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; ELISA: enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; IM: intramuscular; IV: intravenous; PD: pharmacodynamics; PK: pharmacokinetics; NCCN: National Comprehensive Cancer Network®; TDM: therapeutic drug monitoring.

* Clinical significance has not been established.

† Comparative clinical significance has not been established.

‡ Fictitious cases. May not be representative of all patients.

§ Native E. coli L-asparaginase is not available in Canada.

References: 

  1. ONCASPAR® Product Monograph. Servier Canada. August 20, 2024.
  2. ONCASPAR_CPID Redacted.
  3. ASPARLAS® Product Monograph. Servier Canada. March 8, 2024.
  4. RYLAZE™ Product Monograph. Jazz Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc.
  5. NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®) for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia V.2.2024. Available at: https://www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/pdf/all.pdf. Accessed November 8, 2024.
  6. Vrooman LM et al. Efficacy and toxicity of pegaspargase and calaspargase pegol in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia: Results of DFCI 11-001. J Clin Oncol. 2021;39(31):3496–3505.
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