Emicizumab-kxwh Injection
Emicizumab-kxwh may cause thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA; a condition involving blood clots and injury to blood vessels that damages the kidneys, brain, and other organs) and blood clots in your arms, leg, lung, or head, especially if you use activated prothrombin complex concentrate (aPCC) to treat breakthrough bleeds. If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately or get emergency medical treatment: confusion; weakness; swelling, pain, or redness in arms or legs; yellowing of eyes or skin; stomach, chest, or back pain; nausea or vomiting; feeling faint; decreased urination; eye pain, swelling, or trouble seeing; fast heartbeat; numbness in your face; headache; shortness of breath; or coughing up blood.
Talk to your doctor about how and when you should treat breakthrough bleeds.
Keep all appointments with your doctor and the laboratory. Your doctor may order certain tests to check your body’s response to emicizumab-kxwh injection.
Your doctor or pharmacist will give you the manufacturer’s patient information sheet (Medication Guide) when you begin treatment with emicizumab-kxwh injection and each time you refill your prescription. 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/DrugSafety/ucm085729.htm) or the manufacturer’s website to obtain the Medication Guide.
Talk to your doctor about the risks of using emicizumab-kxwh injection.
🔔 Why is this medication prescribed?
Emicizumab-kxwh injection is used to prevent or reduce the frequency of bleeding in adults, children, and infants with hemophilia A (condition in which the blood does not clot normally because of a missing or faulty blood clotting factor). Emicizumab-kxwh is in a class of medications called hemostatic antibodies. It works by acting as a bridge between clotting factors to help your blood clot.
Preventable medical errors kill about 22,000 patients a year, according to research from the Yale School of Medicine. That’s much less than a previously reported number of 250,000 deaths a year where medical error is to blame.
🔔 How should this medicine be used?
Emicizumab-kxwh comes as a solution (liquid) to be injected subcutaneously (under the skin). Initially, it is given once a week for 4 weeks. After 4 weeks, it may be injected subcutaneously once every week, once every 2 weeks, or once every 4 weeks. Your doctor will tell you how often to inject emicizumab-kxwh. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Use emicizumab-kxwh injection exactly as directed. Do not use more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor.
Your doctor may allow you or a caregiver to perform the injections at home. Your healthcare provider will teach you or a caregiver how to perform the injections at home. Before you use emicizumab-kxwh injection yourself for the first time, read the written instructions that come with it. Ask your pharmacist or doctor for a copy of the manufacturer’s instructions for use information for the patient. Be sure to ask your doctor or pharmacist if you have any questions about how to inject the medication.
Emicizumab-kxwh injection comes in single use vials. Allow the vial to warm to room temperature for 15 minutes away from direct sunlight before you inject the medication. Do not try to warm the medication by heating it in a microwave, placing it in hot water, or through any other method. Dispose of used syringes, needles, and vials in a puncture-resistant container. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about how to dispose of the puncture-resistant container.
Check the vial to be sure that the expiration date printed on the vial has not passed. Look closely at the liquid in the vial. The liquid should be clear and colorless to slightly yellow and should not be cloudy or discolored or contain large particles. Call your pharmacist if there are any problems with the package or the vial and do not inject the medication.
You can inject emicizumab-kxwh anywhere on the front of your thighs (upper leg) or abdomen (stomach) except your navel and the area 2 inches (5 centimeters) around it. If another person is injecting your medication, the outer area of the upper arm may also be used. Choose a different spot each time you inject the medication, at least 1 inch away from a spot that you have used before. Do not inject into an area where the skin is tender, bruised, red, hard, or not intact, or where you have scars or moles.
Emicizumab-kxwh controls bleeding in people with hemophilia but does not cure it. Continue to use emicizumab-kxwh injection even if you feel well. Do not stop using emicizumab-kxwh injection without talking to your doctor.
