Alhemo is a brand name for Concizumab. The medicine, its uses, side effects and dosage are the same regardless of brand.
Used for: 1 INDICATIONS AND USAGE Alhemo is indicated for routine prophylaxis to prevent or reduce the frequency of bleeding episodes in adult and pediatric patients 12 years of age and older with: • hemophilia A (congenital factor VIII deficiency) with or without FVIII inhibitors • hemophilia B (congenital factor IX…
Verbatim from this product's FDA label. Tap a section to expand.
2 DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION Administer Alhemo by subcutaneous injection to the abdomen or thigh with daily rotation of injection sites. 1 ) o 4 weeks after initiation of treatment: For dose optimization, measure concizumab‑mtci plasma concentration by Concizumab Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) prior to administration of next scheduled dose using an FDA-authorized test for the measurement of concizumab-mtci concentration in plasma.
See full Prescribing Information for important preparation and administration instructions and dosage adjustment. 1 Recommended Dosage For subcutaneous use only. Alhemo should be administered once daily. Avoid missed doses. 2 mg/kg until individualization of maintenance dose (see below) • 4 weeks after initiation of treatment: For dose optimization measure concizumab-mtci plasma concentration by Concizumab Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) prior to administration of next scheduled dose using an FDA-authorized test.
cfm. 5 mL (100 mg/mL) in increments of 1 mg (gold label) • 300 mg/3 mL (100 mg/mL) in increments of 1 mg (white label) Additional measurements of concizumab-mtci plasma concentration should be taken at routine clinical follow-ups provided the patient has been on the same maintenance dose for 8 weeks of treatment to ensure steady state plasma concentration.
Maintenance of concizumab plasma concentration above 200 ng/mL is important to decrease the risk of bleeding episodes. If concizumab-mtci plasma concentration remains below 200 ng/mL at two consecutive measurements, evaluate the benefits of continued Alhemo treatment versus the potential risk of bleeding events, and consider alternative therapies if available.
As Alhemo is dosed by body weight (mg/kg), it is important to recalculate the dose when patients experience body weight changes. Missed Dose Adherence to daily dosing of Alhemo is important to maintain protection against bleeding. This is especially important during the initial 4 weeks of treatment to ensure a correct maintenance dose is established.
2 mg/kg dose level. 1 )] Management of Breakthrough Bleeds No dose adjustment of Alhemo is required in the case of breakthrough bleeds. Management in the Perioperative Setting No dose adjustment of Alhemo is required in the case of minor surgeries.
As there is limited experience in the perioperative setting, it is generally recommended to pause Alhemo at least 4 days prior to major surgery. Alhemo therapy can be resumed 10-14 days after surgery on the same maintenance dose without a new loading dose, considering the overall clinical picture of the patient.
3 )] The most frequently reported adverse reactions (incidence ≥5%) were injection site reactions, headache and urticaria. 1 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Novo Nordisk Inc. gov/medwatch. 1 Clinical Trials Experience Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in clinical practice.
The data in the WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS reflect exposure to Alhemo based on pooled data from clinical trials explorer3 (phase 1b), explorer4 (phase 2), explorer5 (phase 2), explorer7 (phase 3) and explorer8 (phase 3), in which a total of 320 male patients with hemophilia A with and without inhibitors and hemophilia B with and without inhibitors received at least one dose of Alhemo as routine prophylaxis.
The patients were exposed for a total of 475 exposure years. 1 )] . 3 weeks) in arm 2 (Alhemo prophylaxis). 1% of patients who received Alhemo. These serious adverse reactions were renal infarct and hypersensitivity reaction. Permanent discontinuation of Alhemo due to an adverse reaction occurred in 1 patient due to a renal infarct.
Dosage interruptions of Alhemo due to an adverse reaction occurred in 1 patient (3%) and was a hypersensitivity reaction. The most common adverse reactions (≥5%) were injection site reactions and urticaria (see Table 1 ). Table 1. Adverse Reactions Reported in ≥5% HAwI and HBwI Patients Randomized to Alhemo in Explorer7 Adverse Reaction Alhemo Prophylaxis N=33 (%) On-demand Treatment N=19 (%) Injection site reactions 18% 0% Urticaria 6% 0% Injection site reactions included: Injection site bruising, Injection site erythema, Injection site hematoma, Injection site hemorrhage, Injection site reaction and Injection site urticaria.
Urticaria included:
5 WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS • Thromboembolic Events: Monitor patients for thromboembolic events. Advise patients to report signs and symptoms, and if they occur discontinue prophylaxis. 1 ) • Hypersensitivity Reactions: In the event of a severe hypersensitivity reaction, discontinue Alhemo.
2. 1 Thromboembolic Events Alhemo may cause thromboembolic events. 9% of patients (6/320) in Alhemo clinical trials. These cases occurred in patients with multiple risk factors for thromboembolism, including the use of high doses or prolonged treatment with factor product or bypassing agent (2 of 6 patients).
, atherosclerotic disease, crush injury, cancer, disseminated intravascular coagulation, thrombotic microangiopathy, or septicemia). Inform Alhemo treated patients of signs and symptoms of thromboembolic events. Monitor patients for thromboembolic events.
In case of suspicion of thromboembolic events, discontinue Alhemo and initiate further investigations and management strategies. 2 Hypersensitivity Reactions Alhemo can cause hypersensitivity reaction, including serious cases. Alhemo is contraindicated in patients with a history of known serious hypersensitivity to Alhemo or its components or the inactive ingredients.
Hypersensitivity reactions including erythema, rash, pruritus, and abdominal pain have occurred in Alhemo treated patients. One patient (less than 1% of patients treated in the clinical studies) experienced anaphylaxis which resolved after treatment with antihistamines and corticosteroids.
Instruct patients of the signs of acute hypersensitivity reactions. Instruct patients to contact their healthcare provider for mild reactions and to seek urgent medical attention for moderate to severe reactions. Discontinue Alhemo if severe hypersensitivity symptoms occur and initiate medical management.
2. 1%) of patients, respectively. 2 indicating a hemostatic effect of concizumab-mtci. For patients taking Alhemo, these coagulation biomarkers may not be reliable predictive markers for clinical decision-making with suspicion of thrombosis such as deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE).
1 )and Description ( 11 )]. Alhemo is contraindicated in patients with a history of known serious hypersensitivity to Alhemo or its components or the inactive ingredients. ( 4 )
Not medical advice. Always read the patient information leaflet and follow your prescriber or pharmacist.
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If necessary, consult a physician experienced in surgery of patients with bleeding disorders. Immune Tolerance Induction The safety and efficacy of concomitant use of Alhemo in patients receiving ongoing Immune Tolerance Induction (ITI), a desensitization strategy for the eradication of inhibitors, have not been established, and no data are available.
Careful assessment of the potential benefits and risks should be performed if continuation or initiation of Alhemo during ITI is considered. 2 Changing to Alhemo from Other Hemostatic Products • Discontinue treatment with rFVIIa at least 12 hours before starting Alhemo.
• Discontinue treatment with activated prothrombin complex concentrate (aPCC) at least 48 hours before starting Alhemo . • Discontinue prophylactic use of standard half-life factor VIII (FVIII) or factor IX (FIX) at least 24 hours before starting Alhemo.
• When changing from other products to Alhemo, the half-life of the previous product should be considered. Healthcare providers should discuss with patients receiving Alhemo and/or their caregivers the dose and schedule of bypassing agents or FVIII or FIX, if required, while receiving Alhemo prophylaxis.
, rFVIIa or aPCC) can be used for breakthrough bleeds, and the dose and duration will depend on the location and severity of the bleed. , rFVIIa or aPCC), the lowest-approved dose and the dose interval in the approved product labeling is recommended.
For aPCC, a maximum dose of 100 units/kg body weight within 24 hours is recommended. For severe bleeds, follow the dosing instructions provided in the approved labeling for the specific product based on clinical judgement. 4 Administration and Use Instructions Treatment is intended for use under the guidance of a healthcare provider.
Treatment should be initiated in a nonbleeding state. Alhemo may be self-administered or administered by a caregiver after appropriate training and reading the Instructions for Use, if a healthcare provider determines that is appropriate.
Administer Alhemo by subcutaneous injection to the abdomen or thigh with rotation of injection site every day. Subcutaneous injections should not be given in areas where the skin is tender, bruised, red or hard, or areas where there are moles, scars, or stretch marks.
g. injecting into a pinched fold of skin. Always use a new needle for each injection. Parenteral drug products should be inspected visually for particulate matter and discoloration prior to administration, whenever solution and container permit.
Alhemo is a clear to slightly opalescent and colorless to slightly yellow solution that may contain translucent to white particles. Do not use if the solution is discolored. Each Alhemo prefilled pen is for use by a single patient. An Alhemo pen must not be shared between patients, even if the needle is changed.
Alhemo is recommended to be used with NovoFine ® or NovoFine ® Plus needles with a gauge of 32 and a length of 4 mm. If needles longer than 4 mm are used, injection techniques that minimize the risk of intramuscular injection should be used.
Instructions for delivering the dosage are provided in the Instructions for Use leaflet enclosed with each Alhemo single-patient-use prefilled pen.
Urticaria and Injection site urticaria. 2 )] . 6 weeks) in arm 2 (Alhemo prophylaxis). The most common adverse reactions (≥5%) were injection site reactions and headache (see Table 2 ). Table 2. Adverse Reactions Reported in ≥5% HA and HB Patients Randomized to Alhemo in Explorer8 Adverse Reaction Alhemo Prophylaxis N=42 (%) On-demand Treatment N=21 (%) Injection site reactions 7% 0% Headache 7% 0% Injection site reactions included: injection site reaction, injection site rash, and injection site nodule