Pharmacist Medication Insights: Fluciclovine F 18 (Axumin) for Prostate Cancer

Fluciclovine F 18 (Axumin), a radioactive diagnostic agent for injection that can be used to detect recurring prostate cancer, was approved by the FDA in 2016. If a male patient shows signs of elevated prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels, he may benefit from using Axium for positron emission tomography.

Clinical studies demonstrated that Axumin for imaging prostate cancer in men with high PSA levels following prior treatment was safe and effective. However, since Axumin is a radioactive drug, health care professionals should be careful about minimizing radiation exposure.