Anakinra

Anakinra is currently being studied for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Only limited clinical trial information is available at this time to support the use of anakinra for the treatment of COVID-19. More information is needed to know how well anakinra will work for the treatment of COVID-19 and the possible adverse events from it.

Anakinra has not undergone the standard review to be approved by the FDA for use. However, the FDA has approved an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to allow certain hospitalized adults who have COVID-19 with pneumonia who require supplemental oxygen and who are at risk of progression to severe COVID-19 to receive anakinra.

🔔 Why is this medication prescribed?

Anakinra is used alone or in combination with other medications to treat rheumatoid arthritis (condition in which the body attacks its own joints causing pain, swelling, and loss of function) in adults who were not helped by other disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Anakinra is also used to treat neonatal-onset multisystem inflammatory disease (NOMID; a disorder that causes inflammation and damages the nervous system, skin, and joints) in adults and children. Anakinra is also used to treat deficiency of interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (DIRA; a disorder in which the body attacks its own tissues causing inflammation and damages bones, nervous system, skin, lungs, liver, and joints) in adults and children. Anakinra is authorized for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 infection) in hospitalized adults who require supplemental oxygen, a ventilator, or who need extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO; a device that adds oxygen to the blood). Anakinra is in a class of medications called interleukin antagonists. It works by blocking the activity of interleukin, a substance in the body that causes inflammation.

🔔 How should this medicine be used?

Anakinra injection comes as a solution to inject subcutaneously (under the skin). It is usually given once a day. However, when anakinra is given to treat neonatal-onset multisystem inflammatory disease, it may given once or twice daily. For the treatment of COVID-19, anakinra is given once a day for 10 days. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Use anakinra injection exactly as directed. Do not use more or less of it or use it more often than prescribed by your doctor.

You will receive your first subcutaneous dose of anakinra injection in your doctor’s office. After that, your doctor may decide that you or your caregiver can give the injections at home. Your doctor will show you or the person who will be giving the medication how to inject it. You or the person who will be injecting the medication should also read the written instructions for use that come with the medication. Be sure to ask your doctor or pharmacist if you have any questions about how to inject the medication.

Anakinra injection comes in prefilled glass syringes. There are 7 syringes in each box, one for each day of the week. Use each syringe only once. Even if there is still some solution left in the syringe after you inject, do not inject again. Dispose of used syringes in a puncture-resistant container. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about how to dispose of the puncture-resistant container.

Remove the medication from the refrigerator 30 minutes before you are ready to inject the medication. Place it on a flat surface and allow it to reach room temperature. When removing the prefilled syringe from the box, do not shake the syringe or remove the cap covering the needle.

Check the prefilled syringe to be sure that the expiration date printed on the package has not passed. Look closely at the liquid in the syringe. The liquid should be clear and should not be cloudy or discolored or contain large particles. Call your pharmacist if there are any problems with the package or the syringe and do not inject the medication.

You may inject anakinra in the front of the middle thighs or in your lower stomach below your navel except for the 2-inch (5-centimeter) area around the navel. If someone else is giving you the injection, it can be injected into the outer area of your upper arms, or outer and upper areas of buttocks. Choose a different spot to inject the medication every day. Do not inject into an area where your skin is red, bruised, tender, hard, or scaly, or where you have scars or stretch marks. Do not inject close to a vein you can see under the skin.

Anakinra injection may help control your symptoms, but it will not cure your condition. Continue to use anakinra injection even if you feel well. Do not stop using anakinra injection without talking to your doctor.

Ask your pharmacist or doctor for a copy of the manufacturer’s information for the patient.