Sunflower Health Plan ABRAXANE, Paclitaxel Protein-Bound Particles Form
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Protein-bound paclitaxel (Abraxane®) is microtubule inhibitor.
FDA Approved Indication(s)
Abraxane is indicated for the treatment of:
• Metastatic breast cancer, after failure of combination chemotherapy for metastatic disease or
relapse within 6 months of adjuvant chemotherapy. Prior therapy should have included an
anthracycline unless clinically contraindicated.
• Locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), as first-line treatment
in combination with carboplatin, in patients who are not candidates for curative surgery or
radiation therapy.
• Metastatic adenocarcinoma of the pancreas as first-line treatment, in combination with
gemcitabine.
Policy/Criteria
Provider must submit documentation (such as office chart notes, lab results or other clinical
information) supporting that member has met all approval criteria.
It is the policy of health plans affiliated with Centene Corporation® that Abraxane is medically
necessary when the following criteria are met:
I. Initial Approval Criteria
A. Breast Cancer (must meet all):
1. Diagnosis of breast cancer;
2. Disease is recurrent, metastatic, or unresponsive to preoperative systemic therapy;
3. Prescribed by or in consultation with an oncologist;
4. Age ≥ 18 years;
5. For Abraxane requests, member must use paclitaxel protein-bound particles, if
available, unless contraindicated or clinically significant adverse effects are
experienced;
6. Request meets one of the following (a or b):*
a. Dose does not exceed 260 mg/m2 every 3 weeks;
b. Dose is supported by practice guidelines or peer-reviewed literature for the
relevant off-label use (prescriber must submit supporting evidence).
*Prescribed regimen must be FDA-approved or recommended by NCCN
Approval duration: 6 months
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B. Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (must meet all):
1. Diagnosis of recurrent, advanced, or metastatic NSCLC;
2. Prescribed by or in consultation with an oncologist;
3. Age ≥ 18 years;
4. Member must use paclitaxel, unless contraindicated or clinically significant adverse
effects are experienced;
5. For Abraxane requests, member must use paclitaxel protein-bound particles, if
available, unless contraindicated or clinically significant adverse effects are
experienced;
6. Request meets one of the following (a or b):*
a. Dose does not exceed 100 mg/m2 IV on Days 1, 8, and 15 of each 21-day cycle;
b. Dose is supported by practice guidelines or peer-reviewed literature for the
relevant off-label use (prescriber must submit supporting evidence).
*Prescribed regimen must be FDA-approved or recommended by NCCN
Approval duration: 6 months
C. Adenocarcinoma of the Pancreas (must meet all):
1. Diagnosis of adenocarcinoma of the pancreas;
2. Prescribed by or in consultation with an oncologist;
3. Age ≥ 18 years;
4. Abraxane will be used in combination with gemcitabine*;
*Gemcitabine may require prior authorization
5. Disease is metastatic, unresectable, or borderline resectable;
6. For Abraxane requests, member must use paclitaxel protein-bound particles, if
available, unless contraindicated or clinically significant adverse effects are
experienced;
7. Request meets one of the following (a or b):*
a. Dose does not exceed 125 mg/m2 on Days 1, 8 and 15 of each 28-day cycle;
b. Dose is supported by practice guidelines or peer-reviewed literature for the
relevant off-label use (prescriber must submit supporting evidence).
*Prescribed regimen must be FDA-approved or recommended by NCCN
Approval duration: 6 months
D. Additional NCCN Recommended Uses (off-label) (must meet all):
1. Prescribed for one of the following NCCN categories 1 and 2A supported indications
(a - h):
a. AIDS-related Kaposi sarcoma;
b. Ampullary adenocarcinoma;
c. Cutaneous or uveal melanoma, prescribed as a single agent;
d. Cervical cancer;
e. Endometrial carcinoma, prescribed as a single agent;
f. Cholangiocarcinoma or gallbladder cancer, and member meets both of the
following (i and ii):
i. Disease is unresectable or metastatic;
ii. Abraxane is prescribed in combination with gemcitabine;
g. Relapsed ovarian cancer;
h. Advanced or metastatic small bowel adenocarcinoma;
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Paclitaxel, Protein-Bound
2. Prescribed by or in consultation with an oncologist;
3. Age ≥ 18 years;
4. For Abraxane requests, member must use paclitaxel protein-bound particles, if
available, unless contraindicated or clinically significant adverse effects are
experienced;
5. Dose is within FDA maximum limit for any FDA-approved indication or is supported
by practice guidelines or peer-reviewed literature for the relevant off-label use
(prescriber must submit supporting evidence).*
*Prescribed regimen must be FDA-approved or recommended by NCCN
Approval duration: 6 months
E. Other diagnoses/indications (must meet 1 or 2):
1. If this drug has recently (within the last 6 months) undergone a label change (e.g.,
newly approved indication, age expansion, new dosing regimen) that is not yet
reflected in this policy, refer to one of the following policies (a or b):
a. For drugs on the formulary (commercial, health insurance marketplace) or PDL
(Medicaid), the no coverage criteria policy for the relevant line of business:
CP.CPA.190 for commercial, HIM.PA.33 for health insurance marketplace, and
CP.PMN.255 for Medicaid; or
b. For drugs NOT on the formulary (commercial, health insurance marketplace) or
PDL (Medicaid), the non-formulary policy for the relevant line of business:
CP.CPA.190 for commercial, HIM.PA.103 for health insurance marketplace, and
CP.PMN.16 for Medicaid; or
2. If the requested use (e.g., diagnosis, age, dosing regimen) is NOT specifically listed
under section III (Diagnoses/Indications for which coverage is NOT authorized) AND
criterion 1 above does not apply, refer to the off-label use policy for the relevant line
of business: CP.CPA.09 for commercial, HIM.PA.154 for health insurance
marketplace, and CP.PMN.53 for Medicaid.
II. Continued Therapy
A. All Indications in Section I (must meet all):
1. Currently receiving medication via Centene benefit, or documentation supports that
member is currently receiving Abraxane for a covered indication and has received
this medication for at least 30 days;
2. Member is responding positively to therapy;
3. For Abraxane requests, member must use paclitaxel protein-bound particles, if
available, unless contraindicated or clinically significant adverse effects are
experienced;
4. If request is for a dose increase, meets one of the following (a or b):*
a. New dose does not exceed one of the following (i, ii, or iii):
i. For breast cancer: 260 mg/m2 IV every 3 weeks;
ii. For NSCLC: 100 mg/m2 IV on Days 1, 8, and 15 of each 21-day cycle;
iii. For adenocarcinoma of the pancreas: 125 mg/m2 on Days 1, 8 and 15 of each
28-day cycle;
b. New dose is supported by practice guidelines or peer-reviewed literature for the
relevant off-label use (prescriber must submit supporting evidence).
*Prescribed regimen must be FDA-approved or recommended by NCCN
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Paclitaxel, Protein-Bound
Approval duration: 12 months
B. Other diagnoses/indications (must meet 1 or 2):
1. If this drug has recently (within the last 6 months) undergone a label change (e.g.,
newly approved indication, age expansion, new dosing regimen) that is not yet
reflected in this policy, refer to one of the following policies (a or b):
a. For drugs on the formulary (commercial, health insurance marketplace) or PDL
(Medicaid), the no coverage criteria policy for the relevant line of business:
CP.CPA.190 for commercial, HIM.PA.33 for health insurance marketplace, and
CP.PMN.255 for Medicaid; or
b. For drugs NOT on the formulary (commercial, health insurance marketplace) or
PDL (Medicaid), the non-formulary policy for the relevant line of business:
CP.CPA.190 for commercial, HIM.PA.103 for health insurance marketplace, and
CP.PMN.16 for Medicaid; or
2. If the requested use (e.g., diagnosis, age, dosing regimen) is NOT specifically listed
under section III (Diagnoses/Indications for which coverage is NOT authorized) AND
criterion 1 above does not apply, refer to the off-label use policy for the relevant line
of business: CP.CPA.09 for commercial, HIM.PA.154 for health insurance
marketplace, and CP.PMN.53 for Medicaid.
III. Diagnoses/Indications for which coverage is NOT authorized:
A. Non-FDA approved indications, which are not addressed in this policy, unless there is
sufficient documentation of efficacy and safety according to the off label use policies –
CP.CPA.09 for commercial, HIM.PA.154 for health insurance marketplace and
CP.PMN.53 for Medicaid or evidence of coverage documents.
IV. Appendices/General Information
Appendix A: Abbreviation/Acronym Key
EGFR: epidermal growth factor receptor
FDA: Food and Drug Administration
HER2: human epidermal growth factor
receptor 2
NSCLC: non-small cell lung cancer
Appendix B: Therapeutic Alternatives
This table provides a listing of preferred alternative therapy recommended in the approval
criteria. The drugs listed here may not be a formulary agent for all relevant lines of business
and may require prior authorization.
Drug Name
Dosing Regimen
For breast cancer:
Refer to prescribing information
Dose Limit/
Maximum Dose
Refer to prescribing
information
anthracyclines (e.g.,
doxorubicin, pegylated
liposomal doxorubicin,
epirubicin)
paclitaxel (Taxol®)
For NSCLC:
Various combinations
250 mg/m2 every 3
weeks
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Drug Name
Dosing Regimen
gemcitabine (Gemzar®)
For adenocarcinoma of the
pancreas:
1,000 mg/m2 IV over 30 to 40
minutes on days 1, 8, and 15
preceded by nab-paclitaxel (125
mg/m2 IV over 30 to 40 minutes on
days 1, 8, and 15) every 28 days
Therapeutic alternatives are listed as Brand name® (generic) when the drug is available by brand name only
and generic (Brand name®) when the drug is available by both brand and generic.
Dose Limit/
Maximum Dose
1000 mg/m2 once weekly
for up to 7 consecutive
weeks
Appendix C: Contraindications/Boxed Warnings
• Contraindication(s): neutrophil counts of < 1,500 cells/mm3, severe hypersensitivity
• Boxed warning(s): severe myelosuppression
V. Dosage and Administration
Indication
Metastatic breast
cancer
Non-small cell
lung cancer
Metastatic
adenocarcinoma
of the pancreas
Dosing Regimen
260 mg/m2 IV every 3 weeks
Maximum Dose
260 mg/m2
100 mg/m2 IV on days 1, 8, and 15 of each 21-day
cycle
125 mg/m2 IV on days 1, 8 and 15 of each 28-day
cycle
260 mg/m2
260 mg/m2
VI. Product Availability
Injectable suspension: lyophilized powder containing 100 mg of paclitaxel formulated as
albumin-bound particles in single-use vial for reconstitution
VII.