Darzalex is a brand-name drug that’s used for multiple myeloma in certain adults. It’s given as an intravenous (IV) infusion by a healthcare professional.
Darzalex contains the active ingredient daratumumab. It belongs to a group of drugs called monoclonal antibodies, which work with your immune system. Darzalex is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat multiple myeloma.
Darzalex comes as a liquid solution that’s given as an IV infusion (an injection into your vein over a period of time). The infusion takes several hours. The drug is administered by a healthcare professional.
Learn more about how Darzalex is administered, how long the infusion lasts, and what a typical dosing schedule looks like for the drug.
You’ll receive your doses of Darzalex at your doctor’s office or an infusion center.
Darzalex comes as a liquid solution. Before administering the drug, a healthcare professional will mix Darzalex with 0.9% sodium chloride (a type of saltwater solution). Then they’ll give you this medication through a needle that’s placed in your vein for a period of time (this process is called an IV infusion).
You may receive Darzalex by itself or with other cancer medications.
How long does a Darzalex infusion take?
Your first infusion of Darzalex may take about 7 hours. This is because your doctor will start the infusion at a slow rate and then increase it to a rate that’s right for you. Future infusions will take less time — about 3 to 5 hours — because the medication will be infused at a faster rate.
Your dosing schedule and how long you take Darzalex may depend on your diagnosis, your treatment history, and other medications you may be receiving.
For most uses of Darzalex, the recommended dose is 16 milligrams per kilogram of actual body weight (mg/kg). (One kilogram is equal to about 2.2 pounds.) That means your doctor will calculate your dose by multiplying 16 mg by the number of kilograms you weigh.
At first, you may receive Darzalex once per week. After a certain number of doses, your doctor may decrease the frequency to once every 2 or 3 weeks and then once every 4 weeks. For more specifics, see this Darzalex dosage article.
Darzalex is FDA approved to treat multiple myeloma in certain adults. It may be used by itself or with other medications.
Darzalex comes as a liquid solution and is given as an IV infusion by a healthcare professional. How often you receive Darzalex may depend on several factors, such as your treatment history. Your first infusion of Darzalex will typically last longer than future infusions.
If you have questions about how Darzalex is administered or your dosage of the drug, talk with your doctor.
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