TARGRETIN (Bexarotene)

TARGRETIN capsules contain bexarotene, an oral retinoid used in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL), the group of lymphomas that includes mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome. In the USA it is approved for the skin manifestations of CTCL when the disease has not responded to at least one earlier systemic treatment. The European and UK licences are narrower: adults with advanced-stage CTCL, again after at least one systemic treatment.

Bexarotene switches on retinoid X receptors (RXR-alpha, beta and gamma). These receptors pair with other nuclear receptors and act as transcription factors, changing the genes that decide whether a cell keeps dividing or matures. The prescribing information is open that the precise reason it works in CTCL is not known.

Approval rested on two open-label trials that together enrolled 152 patients, most of whom had already been through a median of two systemic therapies. At the starting dose of 300 mg/m² a day, 20 of 62 patients (about one in three) had a confirmed response, mostly partial. Some responses appeared within 4 weeks. A later study comparing two doses found a response rate of 34.5% at 300 mg/m² against 23.3% at 150 mg/m².

The capsule is one of several systemic choices for CTCL. Patients who need a different approach sometimes discuss Poteligeo (mogamulizumab) or the oral HDAC inhibitor Zolinza (vorinostat) with their dermatologist or oncologist. A 1% bexarotene gel (60 g tube) is also sold in the USA for early-stage (IA and IB) skin patches; in its study about a quarter of patients responded. Ask us if your doctor has prescribed the gel rather than the capsules.

• Boxed warning, birth defects: bexarotene belongs to the retinoid family and must never be taken in pregnancy. Women who could become pregnant need a negative serum pregnancy test within one week before starting, a repeat test every month, and two reliable methods of contraception (at least one non-hormonal) from one month before until one month after treatment. The label advises starting on day 2 or 3 of a normal period and handing out no more than one month’s supply at a time. Men must use condoms with a partner who is or could become pregnant, during treatment and for a month afterwards.
• Blood fats rise in most patients. Fasting triglycerides and cholesterol are checked before the first dose, every week for the first 2 to 4 weeks and then every 8 weeks. The target is to keep triglycerides under 400 mg/dL; in the trials 60% of patients at 300 mg/m² needed a lipid-lowering medicine, most often atorvastatin. Gemfibrozil should be avoided because it raises bexarotene levels.
• Pancreatitis, including one death, has occurred, usually alongside very high triglycerides. Severe stomach or back pain with nausea or vomiting needs urgent review.
• Liver: liver tests are done at baseline and after 1, 2 and 4 weeks. The drug is paused or stopped if AST, ALT or bilirubin go above three times the upper limit of normal. One patient died of liver failure in the trials.
• Thyroid: bexarotene lowers TSH and thyroxine in about half of patients, and 37% in the main dose group were given thyroid hormone. Thyroid tests are checked before and during treatment.
• White cells: neutrophil counts may drop, usually 4 to 8 weeks after starting; a full blood count is repeated during treatment.
• Other points from the label: limit vitamin A supplements (trial patients stayed at or below 15,000 IU a day); watch for low blood sugar if you also use insulin, a sulfonylurea or a glitazone; avoid strong sun and sunbeds; report any change in vision, as new or worsening cataracts were seen in 15 of 79 patients examined. Bexarotene can also weaken hormonal contraceptives.
• Most common side effects at the 300 mg/m² dose: raised blood fats (79%), headache (30%), underactive thyroid (29%), weakness (20%), rash (17%), low white cell count (17%) and nausea (16%).

How many capsules will I need?

The dose is worked out from body surface area, starting at 300 mg/m² once a day with a meal. On the label’s table, an adult of about 1.7 m² takes 7 capsules (525 mg) a day, so one bottle of 100 lasts roughly two weeks. Doctors often lower the dose to 200 or 100 mg/m² if side effects build up, and treatment continues for as long as it is helping. Your prescription decides the order quantity; women of child-bearing age are normally supplied one month at a time.

What should I send with the enquiry?

• A current prescription stating the daily dose in mg (or number of capsules) and the treatment length
• Skin biopsy or pathology report confirming cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (mycosis fungoides or Sézary syndrome)
• A short note of the earlier systemic treatments, since the licence is for disease that has already been treated
• For women who could become pregnant, the recent negative serum pregnancy test that the label requires before starting
• Patient ID and a delivery address

The medicine is imported in the patient’s name against these papers.

How should the capsules be stored?

The label allows 2–25 °C, protected from light, and warns against heat and humidity once the bottle is open. Many Indian rooms are warmer than 25 °C for much of the year, and a refrigerator falls inside the permitted range, so keep the bottle closed somewhere cool and dark. Swallow the capsules whole with food: a fatty meal increases how much bexarotene is absorbed.

Can I buy bexarotene in India?

We did not find a CDSCO-approved bexarotene capsule or gel, or any Indian brand on the main online pharmacies (checked November 2026). Patients prescribed it therefore get it through named patient import.

Two supply routes exist. The original Targretin capsules come from Bausch Health in the USA or from H.A.C. Pharma, which holds the European licence. The US market also has generic bexarotene 75 mg capsules from several makers, including Mylan, Amneal and Upsher-Smith (DailyMed, November 2026). If your doctor is happy with a generic, tell us, and we will compare what is in stock. In every case the bottles are bought from licensed wholesalers, sent sealed in their original packs, and the batch and expiry are confirmed with you before dispatch.

To ask about the TARGRETIN price in India or delivery to your city, phone +91 96548 60915 or +91 93100 90915, message us on WhatsApp at +91 98104 69557, use the toll-free line 1800 1200 365, or write to info@indianpharmanetwork.in.

Global Approval Status:

• United States: capsules approved by the FDA on 29 December 1999 (NDA 021055) and the 1% gel on 28 June 2000 (NDA 021056). Both are still listed as prescription products by Bausch Health; the capsule label was last updated in 2026.
• European Union: centrally authorised since 29 March 2001 (EMEA/H/C/000326) for advanced-stage CTCL; the current holder is H.A.C. Pharma, Caen, France.
• United Kingdom: Targretin 75 mg soft capsules, licence PL 40937/0001, held by H.A.C. Pharma.
• India: no CDSCO approval found.

Sources:

• TARGRETIN capsules US Prescribing Information, DailyMed
• TARGRETIN 1% gel US label, DailyMed
• Drugs@FDA: NDA 021055
• EMA: Targretin EPAR
• UK Summary of Product Characteristics (eMC)

Information last checked: November 2026.

What is TARGRETIN used for?

Skin lesions of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (mycosis fungoides, Sézary syndrome) that persist after at least one earlier systemic treatment.

What kind of medicine is bexarotene?

A retinoid, related to vitamin A, that selectively activates retinoid X receptors and so alters how lymphoma cells grow and mature.

How is it taken?

As capsules swallowed once a day with a meal. The number of capsules depends on body size, and the doctor adjusts it according to blood tests and side effects.

Which blood tests are needed during treatment?

Fasting lipids, liver tests, thyroid tests and a full blood count, plus monthly pregnancy tests for women who could become pregnant.

Who makes TARGRETIN?

Bausch Health distributes it in the USA. H.A.C. Pharma holds the licences in the European Union and the United Kingdom.

Is TARGRETIN approved by the FDA?

Yes. The capsules were approved in December 1999 and the gel in June 2000.