Fabrazyme
agalsidase beta
agalsidase beta
Keep this leaflet. You may need to read it again.
If you have any further questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
This medicine has been prescribed for you only. Do not pass it on to others. It may harm them, even if their signs of illness are the same as yours.
If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. See section 4.
What Fabrazyme is and what it is used for
What you need to know before you use Fabrazyme
How to use Fabrazyme
Possible side effects
How to store Fabrazyme
Contents of the pack and other information
Fabrazyme contains the active substance agalsidase beta and is used as enzyme replacement therapy in Fabry disease, where the level of -galactosidase enzyme activity is absent or lower than normal. If you suffer from Fabry disease a fat substance, called globotriaosylceramide (GL-3), is not removed from the cells of your body and starts to accumulate in the walls of the blood vessels of your organs.
Fabrazyme is indicated for use as long-term enzyme replacement therapy in patients with a confirmed diagnosis of Fabry disease.
Fabrazyme is indicated in adults, children and adolescents aged 8 years and older.
if you are allergic to agalsidase beta or any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6).
Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before using Fabrazyme.
If you are treated with Fabrazyme, you may develop infusion associated reactions. An infusion- associated reaction is any side effect occurring during the infusion or until the end of the infusion day (see section 4). If you experience a reaction like this, you should tell your doctor immediately. You may need to be given additional medicines to prevent such reactions from occurring.
No clinical studies have been performed in children 0-4 years old. The risks and benefits of Fabrazyme in children aged 5 to 7 years have not yet been established and therefore no dose can be recommended for this age group.
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken or might take any other medicines.
Tell your doctor if you use any medicines containing chloroquine, amiodarone, benoquin or gentamicin. There is a theoretical risk of decreased agalsidase beta activity.
Use of Fabrazyme during pregnancy is not recommended. There is no experience with the use of Fabrazyme in pregnant women. Fabrazyme may get into breast milk. Use of Fabrazyme during breast- feeding is not recommended. Studies have not been performed to examine the effects of Fabrazyme on fertility.
If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking this medicine.
Do not drive or use machines if you experience dizziness, sleepiness, vertigo or fainting during or shortly after administration of Fabrazyme (see section 4). Talk to your doctor first.
This medicine contains less than 1 mmol sodium (23 mg) per vial, that is to say essentially ‘sodium- free’.
Fabrazyme is given through a drip into a vein (by intravenous infusion). It is supplied as a powder which will be mixed with sterile water before it is given (see information for Health Care Professionals at the end of this leaflet).
Always use this medicine exactly as your doctor has told you. Check with your doctor if you are not sure.
Fabrazyme is only used under the supervision of a doctor who is knowledgeable in the treatment of Fabry disease. Your doctor may advise that you can be treated at home provided you meet certain criteria. Please contact your doctor if you would like to be treated at home.
The recommended dose of Fabrazyme for adults is 1 mg/kg body weight, once every 2 weeks. No changes in dose are necessary for patients with kidney disease.
The recommended dose of Fabrazyme for children and adolescents 8 – 16 years is 1 mg/kg body weight, once every 2 weeks. No changes in dose are necessary for patients with kidney disease.
Doses up to 3 mg/kg body weight have shown to be safe.
If you have missed an infusion of Fabrazyme, please contact your doctor.
If you have any further questions on the use of this medicine, ask your doctor.
Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.
In clinical studies side effects were mainly seen while patients were being given the medicine or shortly after (“infusion related reactions”). Severe life-threatening allergic reactions (“anaphylactoid
reactions”) have been reported in some patients. If you experience any serious side effect, you should
Very common symptoms (may affect more than 1 in 10 people) include chills, fever, feeling cold, nausea, vomiting, headache and abnormal feelings in the skin such as burning or tingling. Your doctor may decide to lower the infusion rate or give you additional medicines to prevent such reactions from occurring.
List of other side effects:
Common (may affect up to 1 in 10 people):
chest pain • sleepiness • fatigue
difficulty in breathing • increased heart beat • flushing
pallor • abdominal pain • pain
itching • back pain • throat tightness
abnormal tear secretion • rash • dizziness
feeling weak • low heart rate • palpitations
tinnitus • lethargy • decreased sensitivity to pain
nasal congestion • syncope • burning sensation
diarrhoea • cough • wheezing
redness • abdominal discomfort • urticaria
muscle pain • swelling face • pain at the extremities
increased blood pressure • joint pain • nasopharyngitis
sudden swelling of the face or throat
decreased blood pressure • hot flush
oedema in extremities • chest discomfort • feeling hot
vertigo • face oedema • hyperthermia
stomach discomfort • exacerbated difficulty in
breathing
decreased mouth sensitivity