Key takeaways
- Ibrance (palbociclib) is a targeted therapy approved by the FDA for hormone receptor-positive (HR-positive), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HER2-negative) advanced or metastatic breast cancer, taken with hormone therapy.
- You can take Ibrance for as long as it remains effective and side effects stay manageable. Studies show no cumulative harmful effects when taken up to 50 months.
- Ibrance works to slow cancer growth and progression, but doesn’t cause remission. If treatment stops, your doctor may prescribe continued hormone therapy or other CDK4/6 inhibitors like Kisqali or Verzenio.
Ibrance (palbociclib) is a targeted therapy drug approved for use in adults to treat breast cancer that is:
- hormone receptor-positive (HR-positive) and
- human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HER2-negative) and advanced or metastatic (Advanced means the cancer has spread to surrounding tissues. Metastatic means the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.)
Doctors prescribe Ibrance as a long-term treatment along with hormone therapy. Depending on your specific condition and previous treatment, doctors prescribe Ibrance along with other medications. They may prescribe it along with:
- an aromatase inhibitor (a type of hormone therapy), such as anastrozole (Arimidex), exemestane (Aromasin), or letrozole (Femara)
- fulvestrant (Faslodex)
- inavolisib and fulvestrant, specifically for adults with a PIK3CA gene mutation whose cancer is endocrine-resistant and has progressed during or after completing adjuvant hormone therapy
Your doctor also may prescribe a luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) agonist in some situations. Examples of LHRH agonists are goserelin (Zoladex) and leuprolide (Lupron).
This article looks at the recommended time frame for taking Ibrance. It also discusses whether Ibrance can lead to remission and what treatments may follow.
According to the European Medicines Agency, you’ll continue Ibrance treatment for as long as it continues to work and provide benefit. Or you might continue treatment until side effects are unacceptable. So it’s possible that treatment with Ibrance could last many years.
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Studies of Ibrance tablets and capsules reported some side effects, such as fatigue, nausea, and anemia. Your doctor will monitor you during Ibrance treatment to be sure it’s working and to check for side effects.
If side effects are bothersome, your doctor may recommend ways to treat and manage them. These might include dietary changes or anti-nausea drugs. But if they’re serious, your doctor may recommend reducing your dosage or delaying your next scheduled treatment.
Some side effects may be severe, such as a very low white blood cell count or lung inflammation. In this case, your doctor may stop your Ibrance and hormone therapy treatment. In studies of Ibrance tablets and capsules, treatment was stopped for side effects occurring in:
- 9.7% of people taking Ibrance and letrozole
- 6% of people taking Ibrance and fulvestrant
- 4.9% of people taking Ibrance with inavolisib and fulvestrant
During treatment, some side effects may be due to hormone therapy rather than Ibrance. Aromatase inhibitors may cause bone pain, joint pain, and thinning of the bones. Faslodex may cause nausea and hot flashes.
When taking Ibrance in combination with inavolisib and fulvestrant, common side effects can also include:
- high blood sugar levels
- a sore mouth
- diarrhea
- decreased blood levels of calcium, potassium, sodium, and magnesium
- COVID-19 infection
- headache
With advanced breast cancer, remission may be possible in certain situations. This can depend on how far the cancer has spread and how your body responds to treatment.
Ibrance targets certain proteins to help prevent breast cancer cells from dividing and multiplying. This means Ibrance works to slow the growth and progression of cancer, but it does not cause remission.
In 2024, researchers learned more about Ibrance, taken with letrozole in advanced breast cancer. They learned that the drug combination led to significant improvements in people’s survival without their cancer progressing. These statistics were better than those of a placebo (a substance with no active drug) taken along with letrozole.
Ibrance stays in your body for several days. Based on Ibrance’s half-life, researchers estimate it takes about 6 days to clear from your body. The half-life of a drug is the time it takes for the amount of the drug in your body to be reduced by half. Ibrance’s half-life is around 29 hours.
It’s likely you’ll keep taking Ibrance until it stops providing benefit. Or you might continue taking it until side effects become severe or unmanageable.
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In over 60% of the diagnoses, doctors prescribed further hormone therapy following treatment with Ibrance. In about 33% of the diagnoses, people continued treatment with inhibitors similar to Ibrance. (Ibrance is a CDK4/6 inhibitor. This means it targets a certain protein to help prevent cancer growth.)
Other types of CDK4/6 inhibitors for treating breast cancer include Kisqali (ribociclib) and Verzenio (abemaciclib).
More research is needed to learn the best treatment following Ibrance and hormone therapy.
You may be considering breast cancer treatment to follow Ibrance. If so, your doctor may have you wait to start it until your body clears Ibrance. This wait time may not be needed if Ibrance and the other drug have no known interactions.
If you’re looking to connect with other people with breast cancer, resources like Healthline’s Bezzy BC offer an online safe space for community, peer and expert guidance, and support.
Ibrance is a targeted therapy for advanced or metastatic HR-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer. It works to slow the growth and progression of cancer. Doctors prescribe Ibrance along with hormone therapy.
Your doctor will monitor you during treatment to be sure Ibrance is working. As long as Ibrance proves beneficial in treating your cancer, you may continue taking it.
Your doctor will also watch for side effects. If you have any, your doctor may recommend ways to treat and manage them. Or they may reduce or delay your dosage. But if the side effects are severe, they may recommend stopping your Ibrance and hormone therapy treatment.
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