Collagenase Clostridium histolyticum Injection
For men receiving collagenase Clostridium histolyticum injection (Xiaflex) for treatment of Peyronie’s disease:
Serious injury to the penis, including penile fracture (corporal rupture), has been reported in patients receiving Clostridium histolyticum injection (Xiaflex) for treatment of Peyronie’s disease. Surgery may be required to treat the injury, but in some cases the damage may be permanent. If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately: a popping sound or sensation in an erect penis; sudden inability to maintain an erection; pain in the penis; bruising, bleeding, or swelling of the penis; difficult urination; or blood in the urine.
Your doctor or pharmacist will give you the manufacturer’s patient information sheet (Medication Guide) when you begin treatment with collagenase Clostridium histolyticum (Xiaflex) and each time you receive the medication. Read the information carefully and ask your doctor or pharmacist if you have any questions. You can also visit the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website (http://www.fda.gov/Drugs) or the manufacturer’s website to obtain the Medication Guide.
Talk to your doctor about the risks of receiving collagenase Clostridium histolyticum injection (Xiaflex).
🔔 Why is this medication prescribed?
Collagenase Clostridium histolyticum injection (Xiaflex) is used to treat Dupuytren’s contracture (a painless thickening and tightening of tissue [cord] beneath the skin in the palm of the hand, which may make it difficult to straighten one or more fingers) when a cord of tissue can be felt upon examination. Collagenase Clostridium histolyticum injection (Xiaflex) is also used to treat Peyronie’s disease (a thickening of tissue [plaque] inside the penis that causes the penis to curve). Collagenase Clostridium histolyticum injection (QWO) is also used to treat cellulite (fat deposit beneath the skin) in the buttocks of adult women. Collagenase Clostridium histolyticum injection is in a class of medications called enzymes. In people with Dupuytren’s contracture, it works by helping to break down the cord of thickened tissue and allows the finger(s) to be straightened. In people with Peyronie’s disease, it works by helping to break down the plaque of thickened tissue and allows the penis to be straightened. In women with cellulite, it works by releasing fibrous bands, redistributing fat cells, and stimulating the growth of new collagen.
🔔 How should this medicine be used?
Collagenase Clostridium histolyticum injection comes as a powder to be mixed with a liquid and injected by a doctor. If you are receiving collagenase Clostridium histolyticum injection (Xiaflex) to treat Dupuytren’s contracture, your doctor will inject the medicine into a cord just under the skin in the affected hand. If you are receiving collagenase Clostridium histolyticum injection (Xiaflex) to treat Peyronie’s disease, your doctor will inject the medicine into the plaque that is causing your penis to curve. If you are receiving collagenase Clostridium histolyticum (QWO) to treat cellulite, your doctor will inject it subcutaneously (just under the skin) into the buttock(s). Your doctor will choose the best place to inject the medication in order to treat your condition.
Once you do get to see the doctor, don’t be surprised if you’re rushed out of the exam room before you get all of your questions answered, according to healthcare staffing agency Staff Care. Studies show that 41% of ophthalmologists spend just 9 to 12 minutes with a patient, and 13- to 16-minute appointments are the norm for 40% of cardiologists, 37% of pediatricians, 35% of urologists, 35% of family physicians, 34% of obstetricians and gynecologists and 30% of otolaryngologists.
If you are receiving treatment for Dupuytren’s contracture, do not bend or straighten the fingers of the injected hand or put pressure on the injected area after your injection. Keep the injected hand elevated until bedtime. You must return to your doctor’s office on the day after your injection. Your doctor will check your hand, and possibly move and extend the finger to help break up the cord. Ask your doctor when you can expect to see improvement, and call your doctor if your condition does not improve during the expected time. Your doctor may need to give you additional injections if your condition does not improve. Do not perform strenuous activity with the injected hand until your doctor tells you that you can do so. Your doctor will probably tell you to wear a splint every night (at bedtime) for up to 4 months after the injection. Your doctor may also tell you to do finger exercises each day. Follow the directions of your doctor carefully and ask the doctor to explain any part you do not understand.
If you are receiving treatment for Peyronie’s disease, your doctor will inject collagenase Clostridium histolyticum into your penis, followed by a second injection 1 to 3 days after the first injection. You must return to your doctor’s office 1 to 3 days after your second injection. Your doctor will gently move and stretch your penis (penile modeling procedure) to help straighten your penis. Your doctor will also tell you to gently stretch and straighten your penis at home for 6 weeks afterward. Follow the directions of your doctor carefully and ask the doctor to explain any part you do not understand. Avoid sexual activity between the first and second injections of collagenase Clostridium histolyticum until your doctor tells you that you may resume sexual activity after each treatment cycle. Avoid situations that may cause you to strain your stomach (abdominal) muscles, such as straining during bowel movements, during your treatment. Your doctor may need to give you up to 3 additional treatment cycles depending on your response to collagenase Clostridium histolyticum injection.
If you are receiving treatment for cellulite, your doctor will inject collagenase Clostridium histolyticum (QWO) into each buttock (treatment area) with up to 12 injections in each treatment area. You may receive injections into two treatment areas during each visit. Your doctor will repeat treatments every 21 days for a total of 3 visits.
