Mepolizumab Injection
Mepolizumab injection is used along with other medications to prevent wheezing, difficulty breathing, chest tightness, and coughing caused by asthma in certain children 6 years of age and older and adults whose asthma is not controlled with their current asthma medication(s). Mepolizumab injection is also used along with other medications to treat chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (ongoing runny nose, sinus swelling or nasal congestion, with or without a reduced sense of smell or pain and pressure in the face) in adults whose symptoms are not controlled with other medications. It is also used to treat eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA; a condition that involves asthma, high levels of white blood cells, and blood vessel swelling) in adults. Mepolizumab injection is also used to treat hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES; group of blood disorders that occurs with high levels of certain white blood cells) in adults and children 12 years and older who have had this condition for 6 months or longer. Mepolizumab injection is in a class of medications called monoclonal antibodies. It works by blocking the action of a certain natural substance in the body that causes the symptoms of asthma.
🔔 How should this medicine be used?
Mepolizumab injection comes as a prefilled syringe, a prefilled autoinjector, or as a powder to be mixed with water and injected subcutaneously (just under the skin). It is usually given once every 4 weeks. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Use mepolizumab injection exactly as directed. Do not inject more or less of it or inject it more often than prescribed by your doctor. Your doctor will determine the length of your treatment based on your condition and how well you respond to the medication.
You may receive your first dose of mepolizumab injection in your doctor’s office. After that, your doctor may allow you or a caregiver to give the injections at home. Before you use mepolizumab injection yourself the first time, read the manufacturer’s information for the patient that comes with the medication. Ask your doctor or pharmacist to show you or the person who will be giving the medication how to inject it.
Use each syringe or autoinjector only once and inject all of the solution in the syringe or autoinjector. Dispose of used syringes or autoinjectors in a puncture-resistant container. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about how to dispose of the puncture-resistant container.
Remove the prefilled syringe or autoinjector from the refrigerator. Place it on a flat surface without removing the needle cap and allow it to warm to room temperature for 30 minutes (no longer than 8 hours) before you are ready to inject the medication. Do not try to warm the medication by heating it in a microwave, placing it in hot water, leaving it in sunlight, or through any other method.
Do not shake a syringe that contains mepolizumab.
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If you are using mepolizumab and have asthma, continue to take or use all other medications that your doctor has prescribed to treat your asthma. Do not decrease your dose of any other asthma medication or stop taking any other medication that has been prescribed by your doctor unless your doctor tells you to do so. Your doctor may want to decrease the doses of your other medications gradually.
Always look at mepolizumab solution before injecting it. Check that the expiration date has not passed and that the liquid is clear and colorless or slightly yellow to slightly brown. The liquid should not contain visible particles. Do not use a syringe that is frozen or if the liquid is cloudy or contains small particles.
You can inject mepolizumab injection 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 a caregiver injects the medication, the back of the upper arm may also be used. To reduce the chances of soreness or redness, use a different site for each injection. Do not inject into an area where the skin is tender, bruised, red, or hard or where you have scars or stretch marks.
Mepolizumab injection is not used to treat a sudden attack of asthma symptoms. Your doctor will prescribe a short-acting inhaler to use during attacks. Talk to your doctor about how to treat symptoms of a sudden asthma attack. If your asthma symptoms get worse or if you have asthma attacks more often, be sure to talk to your doctor.
Ask your pharmacist or doctor for a copy of the manufacturer’s information for the patient.
