You may experience side effects from JEMPERLI

JEMPERLI is a medicine that may treat certain cancers by working with your immune system. JEMPERLI can cause your immune system to attack normal organs and tissues in any area of your body and can affect the way they work. These problems can sometimes become severe or life-threatening and can lead to death. You can have more than one of these problems at the same time. These problems may happen anytime during treatment or even after your treatment has ended.

10% of patients stopped taking JEMPERLI completely and 28% had their treatment interrupted due to side effects.

Side effects associated with JEMPERLI

Call or see your healthcare provider right away if you develop any new or worsening signs or symptoms, including:

  • Lung problems.
    • cough
    • shortness of breath
    • chest pain
  • Intestinal problems.
    • diarrhea or more bowel movements than usual
    • stools that are black, tarry, sticky, or have blood or mucus
    • severe stomach-area (abdomen) pain or tenderness
  • Liver problems.
    • yellowing of your skin or the whites of your eyes
    • severe nausea or vomiting
    • pain on the right side of your stomach-area (abdomen)
    • dark urine (tea colored)
    • bleeding or bruising more easily than usual
  • Hormone gland problems.
    • headaches that will not go away or unusual headaches
    • eye sensitivity to light
    • eye problems
    • rapid heartbeat
    • increased sweating
    • extreme tiredness
    • weight gain or weight loss
    • feeling more hungry or thirsty than usual
    • urinating more often than usual
    • hair loss
    • feeling cold
    • constipation
    • your voice gets deeper
    • dizziness or fainting
    • changes in mood or behavior, such as decreased sex drive, irritability, or forgetfulness
  • Kidney problems.
    • change in the amount or color of your urine
    • blood in your urine
    • swelling in your ankles
    • loss of appetite
  • Skin problems.
    • rash
    • itching
    • skin blistering or peeling
    • swollen lymph nodes
    • painful sores or ulcers in your mouth or in your nose, throat, or genital area
    • fever or flu-like symptoms
  • Problems in other organs and tissues.

    These are not all of the signs and symptoms of immune system problems that can happen with JEMPERLI. Call or see your healthcare provider right away for any new or worse signs or symptoms.

    • chest pain, irregular heartbeat, shortness of breath, swelling of ankles
    • confusion, sleepiness, memory problems, changes in mood or behavior, stiff neck, balance problems, tingling or numbness of the arms or legs
    • double vision, blurry vision, sensitivity to light, eye pain, changes in eyesight
    • persistent or severe muscle pain or weakness, muscle cramps
    • low red blood cells, bruising 
  • Infusion reactions that can sometimes be severe or life-threatening.
    • chills or shaking
    • itching or rash
    • flushing
    • shortness of breath or wheezing
    • dizziness
    • feel like passing out
    • fever
    • back or neck pain
  • Rejection of a transplanted organ.
    • Your healthcare provider should tell you what signs and symptoms you should report and monitor you, depending on the type of organ transplant that you have had.
  • Complications, including graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD), in people who have received a bone marrow (stem cell) transplant that uses donor stem cells (allogeneic).
    • These complications can be serious and can lead to death. These complications may happen if you underwent transplantation either before or after being treated with JEMPERLI. Your healthcare provider will monitor you for these complications.

Getting medical treatment right away may help keep these problems from becoming more serious.

Your healthcare provider will check you for these problems during treatment with JEMPERLI and may treat you with corticosteroid or hormone replacement medicines. If you have severe side effects, your healthcare provider may also need to delay or completely stop treatment with JEMPERLI.

The most common side effects of JEMPERLI when given alone include tiredness and weakness; low red blood cell count (anemia); diarrhea; nausea; constipation; vomiting.

Tips for potential side effects

Everyone’s treatment experience is different. You may experience side effects when you are given JEMPERLI.

Please see below for more information on tips your healthcare team may suggest for certain side effects. These are not all of the possible side effects of JEMPERLI. Always let your healthcare provider know of any side effects you may experience and follow their guidance.

  • Fatigue

    Talk to your care team about their recommendations for dealing with fatigue, which may include:

    • Planning your day to prioritize things that are most important and spread activities throughout the day
    • Taking rest breaks or short naps rather than one long nap
    • An appropriate exercise plan for you
    • Aiming for 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night
    • Avoiding things that interrupt sleep, such as caffeine and evening exercise
  • Nausea

    Talk to your care team about their recommendations for coping with nausea, which may include:

    • Trying to avoid skipping meals or snacks—an empty stomach may make nausea worse
    • Keeping dry toast, crackers, and other bland foods on hand
    • Avoiding fatty, fried, spicy, or very sweet foods
    • Sipping liquids slowly throughout the day
    • A medicine for nausea, which can be either prescription or over-the-counter, and should be taken as instructed
    • Trying aromatherapy, such as peppermint
  • Diarrhea

    Talk to your care team about their recommendations for dealing with diarrhea, which may include:

    • Avoiding fried food and high-fiber foods, like beans and whole grains
    • Reducing the use of alcohol or tobacco
    • A medicine for diarrhea, which can be either prescription or over-the-counter, and should be taken as instructed
  • Constipation

    Talk to your care team about their recommendations for dealing with constipation, which may include:

    • Trying to eat more high-fiber foods like fresh fruits and vegetables, oats, whole-grain bread, and brown rice
    • Drinking plenty of fluids, but be sure to ask your care team how much is safe for you to drink
    • Staying as active as you can with an appropriate exercise plan for you
    • A medicine for constipation, which can be either prescription or over-the-counter, and should be taken as instructed
  • Vomiting

    Talk to your care team about their recommendations for dealing with vomiting, which may include:

    • Distracting yourself with a book, a video game, meditation, or your favorite way to relax
    • Sipping liquids slowly until you feel good enough to drink more
    • Talking with your care team about how to stay hydrated and how much is safe for you to drink

Watch out for and talk to your doctor about any and all side effects that you experience. They may be a sign of other more severe or life-threatening problems.

These are not all of the possible side effects you may experience with JEMPERLI.

These tips are not proven to help with the side effects listed above.

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What is JEMPERLI?

JEMPERLI is an immunotherapy. This means it is designed to work with the body’s immune system to help fight cancer.

Learn How It Works

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JEMPERLI study results

Want to learn how JEMPERLI may help?

See Study Results

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Resources for you

Knowledge is power. That's why we're committed to providing you with educational resources to help you stay informed along your treatment journey.

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Related FAQs

  • How is JEMPERLI given?

    JEMPERLI is given through an intravenous (IV) infusion. It takes approximately 30 minutes.

  • What is immunotherapy?

    Immunotherapy (IH-myoo-noh-THAYR-uh-pee) is a treatment that is designed to work with the body’s immune system to attack cancer cells. JEMPERLI is an immunotherapy that may help your body’s immune system fight cancer.

  • How has JEMPERLI been studied?

    Researchers have conducted clinical trials to study the effectiveness, risks, and side effects associated with JEMPERLI. Trials are ongoing.

  • How many people participated in the clinical trial of JEMPERLI alone for advanced or returned dMMR endometrial cancer?

    The clinical trial that studied the effectiveness of JEMPERLI alone included 141 people. They had dMMR endometrial cancer that had returned or spread (advanced); they had also previously received chemotherapy containing platinum that did not work or stopped working.

    The clinical trial also studied the risks and side effects of JEMPERLI alone in 150 people who had advanced or returned dMMR endometrial cancer.