Anyone on Pluvicto (Lu 177), a new drug for prostate cancer?

Just curious, do you know if this drug will be covered by your dad’s Medicare and or insurance? I was told that because its a very new drug it may not be covered. I think it’s a very expensive drug.

I hear it is only used after all other treatments have been tried Its more for palliative?

I soon will have Pluvicto treatment #4. I have had all the side effects including severe Fitgue, Vomiting, etc. How can you tell if Pluvicto is working and worth suffering thru all the side effects?

Can someone tell me the protocol for the Pluvicto treatment? That is, if a PSMA scan is positive and treatment is recommended when would treatment start (ie next day, next week, 6 weeks?) and how many days would we expect to be at Mayo? One day for the treatment, but are there tests before or after? Travel limitations? Thank you!

Hi @happster, according to the dosage guidelines, PLUVICTO dosing schedule is administered every 6 weeks for up to 6 treatments

PLUVICTO solution for injection contains 7.4 GBq (200 mCi) (at time of use)
- Administered once every 6 weeks for up to 6 treatments, or until disease progression, or unacceptable toxicity
- Slow intravenous (IV) injection (1 to 10 minutes) or infusion

You can read more here: https://www.hcp.novartis.com/products/pluvicto/psma-positive-mcrpc/dosing-and-administration/

@bamaples @leebeth @suwairi @patgwenn @ncoic @bburgess1 @john99 @royalbee can share their first-hand experiences about dosing, travel restrictions if any, related testing and what to expect.

Happster, has Pluvicto been recommended for you?

My dad has had 1 treatment so far. He was in bad shape going into it- the cancer is all in his lymph nodes which are extremely swollen on his neck. He does have some Mets in his bones but those don’t seem to bother him too much. His biggest issue is hydration and nutrition. The last round of chemo he had destroyed his gut. He has lost 70+ lbs in 6 months and struggles everyday to keep down any food and drink. As far as the pluvicto side effects, the only new symptom that came on was diarrhea. It’s heartbreaking to watch. Has anyone experienced a significant improvement in quality of life from plucivto? He desperately wants to see his grandchildren graduate in June but watching him suffer so much is hard. He doesn’t want to
Give up and I’m praying for a miracle

I've just started my prostate cancer treatment journey.(Xtandi) You may find this Prostate Cancer Research Institute video helpful.

PSMA Scans & Pluvicto (lutetium-177) in 2022 | Geoffrey Johnson, MD, PhD | PCRI Conference 2022

Hopefully the 177 Lutetium PSMA is sucessful but in the mean time look into the 225-Actinium PSMA-617

@scv57, welcome. I noticed that you wished to post a URL to a video from the Prostate Cancer Research Institute with your post. You will be able to add URLs to your posts in a few days. There is a brief period where new members can't post links. We do this to deter spammers and keep the community safe. Clearly the link you wanted to post is not spam. Members appreciate the informative videos from Prostate Cancer Research Institute. Please allow me to post it for you.

This video features Geoffrey Johnson, MD, Ph.D., is a radiologist specializing in nuclear medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Here, he discusses PET/CT scans and new "theranostics" treatments for prostate cancer, including the newly approved "Pluvicto" (lutetium-177).

How are the treatments going? I was recently diagnosed with Stage 4. I'm Scared but hopeful.

He had 4 treatments, and the Pluvicto just couldn’t keep up with the incredible volume of his disease. He is currently receiving treatment in Europe, not yet available here. His doctor at Mayo referred him.
My 82 year old brother, on the other hand, had one Pluvicto so far with amazing results! He feels great and in just 3 weeks he has gone from a PSA of 205 to 40.
He has been stage 4 for over 13 years. Treatment has come so far!