It is indicated for preventing uterine atony and excessive bleeding following cesarean delivery under epidural or spinal anesthesia. Like naturally occurring oxytocin, carbetocin binds to oxytocin receptors on the uterus, causing rhythmic uterine contractions, an increased frequency of contractions and increased uterine tone.
Firm contractions begin within two minutes of drug administration.
The most common side effects associated with carbetocin administration are nausea, abdominal pain, pruritus, flushing, vomiting, hypotension, headache and tremor. HER2 overexpression occurs in about 25-30 per cent of primary breast cancers, and is associated with more rapid cancer progression and shortened survival. Trastuzumab is believed to act by binding specifically to HER2, thereby directly inhibiting the proliferation of human tumor cells that overexpress HER2. A higher response rate and a longer duration of response were seen in the groups that received trastuzumab plus standard chemotherapy, compared to those who received standard therapy only. Trastuzumab can be administered in an outpatient setting.