Zoledronic acid, also can be addressed as zoledronate, is a medicine used in order to treat a number of bone diseases. These include high blood calcium due to cancer, osteoporosis, Paget’s disease of bone and bone breakdown due to cancer. This drug should be given by injection into a vein.
Some common adverse reactions include joint pain, fever, high blood pressure, feeling tired and diarrhea. Serious adverse reactions may include low blood calcium, kidney problems and osteonecrosis of the jaw. The use of this drug during pregnancy may result in harm to the baby.
It is quite crucial to inform your healthcare professional team if you are taking any medicines that can have an effect on the kidney, since combining these drugs with the zoledronic acid injection may be responsible for causing kidney function to deteriorate.
Inform your healthcare provider if you are consuming antiangiogenic medications (such medications which are used to treat cancer, e.g. bortezomib, thalidomide, lenalidomide, bevacizumab) as part of the cancer treatment because the combination of these drugs with the bisphosphonates can increase the risk of bone damage in the jaw (osteonecrosis). Several drug interactions are given as follows:
- Patients being treated with zoledronic injection should not be treated with other drugs containing zoledronic acid concomitantly.
- Zoledronic injection is not recommended to be given together with the other bisphosphonates.
- Caution should be exercised when this injection is given in conjunction with the drugs that are potentially nephrotoxic (such as aminoglycosides, NSAIDs, antineoplastic agents), or that can impact the renal function such as ACE inhibitors, diuretics, leading to dehydration.
- Caution should be advised when zoledronic acid 4 mg injection is administered with the anti-angiogenic drugs, as the incidence of ONJ is increased when these medications are used concomitantly.
- Caution should be required when the zoledronate is given with the loop diuretics (specifically in patients treated for TIH), with calcitonin or aminoglycosides, since there can be an additive effect on the risk of the developing hypocalcaemia.
- The injection should be used with extreme caution in conjunction with the other antineoplastic agents that are known to produce renal dysfunction or where the dose depends upon renal function.
- Zoledronic Acid Injection should be avoided in order to mix with the calcium-containing intravenous infusions.
- Since the alcohol, caffeine, the nicotine from cigarettes, or street drugs may be responsible for affecting the action of Zoledronic Acid, you should let your healthcare provider know in case you use them.
The cost of an originator zometa 4 mg solution for injection is around 3518 INR. You may get the lower zoledronic acid price if you prefer an Indian generic over the originator brand.
