Prospecto: information for the user
Berinert500 UI
Powder and solvent for injectable solution and for infusion.
Human C1 esterase inhibitor
Read this prospect carefully before starting to use this medication.
1. What isBerinertand for what it is used
2. What you need to know before starting to use Berinert
3. How to use Berinert
4. Possible adverse effects
5. Conservation ofBerinert
6. Contents of the package and additional information
What is Berinert?
Berinert is presented as powder and solvent.The prepared solution must be administered via injection or infusion into a vein.
Berinert is prepared from human plasma (the liquid part of blood), the active ingredient is human C1 esterase inhibitor protein, obtained from plasma.
What is Berinert used for?
Berinert is used for the treatment and preoperative prevention of hereditary angioedema type I and II (HAE, edema = swelling).Hereditary angioedema is a congenital vascular system disease. HAE is not an allergic disease.HAEis caused by insufficient, absent, or defective synthesis of C1 esterase inhibitor, an important protein.The disease is characterized by the following symptoms:
- sudden swelling of hands and feet,
- sudden facial swelling with a feeling of tightness,
- swelling of eyelids, lips, possible laryngeal swelling (voice organ) with respiratory difficulties,
- swelling of the tongue,
- colicky pain in the abdominal region.
Generally, all parts of the body can be affected.
The following sections contain information that your doctor should consider before administering Berinert to you.
Do not use Berinert:
Inform your doctor or pharmacist if you are allergic to any medication or food.
Warnings and precautions
Your doctor will carefully weigh the benefits of treatment with Berinert against the risk of developing these complications.
Viral safety
When administering blood-derived or plasma-derived medications, certain measures should be taken to prevent the transmission of infections to patients. Such measures include:
The manufacturers of these products also include stages in the processing of blood or plasma to eliminate or inactivate viruses. Despite this, when administering blood-derived or plasma-derived medications, the possibility of transmission of infectious agents cannot be entirely ruled out. This also applies to emerging or unknown viruses or other types of infections.
The measures applied are considered effective for enveloped viruses such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV, the virus causing AIDS), hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus (liver inflammation), and for non-enveloped viruses such as hepatitis A virus (liver inflammation) and parvovirus B19.
Your doctor may recommend vaccination against hepatitis A and B if you are treated periodically/repeatedly with plasma-derived medications.
It is strongly recommended that each time Berinert is administered, your doctor records the date of administration, the batch number, and the volume injected.
Use of Berinert with other medications
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
Driving and operating machinery
The influence of Berinert on the ability to drive and operate machinery is negligible or insignificant.
Berinert contains sodium
Berinert contains up to 49 mg of sodium (main component of table salt/for cooking) in each vial. This corresponds to 2.5% of the maximum daily sodium intake recommended for an adult.
The treatment must be initiated and supervised by a doctor with experience in the treatment of C1 esterase inhibitor deficiency.
Dosage
Adults
Treatment of acute angioedema attacks:
20 UI per kilogram of body weight (20 UI/kg of b.w.).
Preoperative prevention of acute angioedema attacks:
1000 UI before 6 hours of a medical, dental, or surgical intervention.
Pediatric population
Treatment of acute angioedema attacks:
20 UI per kilogram of body weight (20 UI/kg of b.w.).
Preoperative prevention of acute angioedema attacks:
Between 15 and 30 UI per kilogram of body weight (15-30 UI/kg of b.w.) before 6 hours of a medical, dental, or surgical intervention. The dose should be chosen taking into account the clinical circumstances (e.g., the type of intervention and the severity of the disease).
If you use more Berinert than you should
No cases of overdose have been described.
Reconstitution and administration form
Berinert is injected intravenously (intravenous administration), usually by your doctor or nurse. You or your caregiver can also inject Berinert, but only after receiving proper training. If your doctor decides that you can treat yourself at home, he will give you detailed instructions. You will be given a diary where you will record each injection administered at home, which you will bring with you each time you visit your doctor. You will be regularly reviewed or your caregiver on how to administer the injections to ensure that you do it correctly over time.
General instructions
Reconstitution
Before opening any vial, temper the Berinert powder and the solvent until they are at room temperature.To achieve this, you can leave the vials at room temperature for about an hour or you can hold them in your closed hands for a few minutes.DO NOT expose the vials to direct heat.The vials should not be heated to a temperature higher than the body temperature (37 °C).
Remove the protective capsules from the solvent vial and the powder vial with care.Clean the exposed rubber stoppers of both vials with an alcohol-soaked swab and let them dry.Now you can transfer the solvent to the powder vial with the administration system included (Mix2Vial).Please follow the instructions below:
1 | 1.Open the blister pack of the Mix2Vial by removing the seal.Do notremove the Mix2Vial from the blister pack. |
2 | 2.Place the solvent vial on a clean and flat surface and hold it firmly in place.Hold the Mix2Vial along with the blister pack and push the blue terminaldownwardinto the stopper of the solvent vial. |
3 | 3.Carefully remove the blister pack from the Mix2Vial by holding the edge and pullingverticallyupward.Make sure you only remove the blister pack and not the Mix2Vial. |
4 | 4.Place the lyophilized powder vial on a flat and firm surface.Invert the solvent vial with the Mix2Vial attached and push the transparent terminaldownwardinto the stopper of the powder vial.The solvent will be automatically transferred to the lyophilized powder vial. |
5 | 5.With one hand, hold the vial with the product attached to the Mix2Vial and, with the other hand, hold the solvent vial. Carefully unscrew the system, separating it into two pieces. Dispose of the solvent vial with the blue adapter of the Mix2Vial attached. |
6 | 6.Submit the vial of the reconstituted solution with the transparent adapter attached to gentle rotational movements until the substance has completely dissolved.Do not shake it. |
7 | 7.Fill a syringe with air and make sure it is sterile.Use the syringe provided with the product.Hold the vial with the solution in a vertical position, connect the syringe to the Luer Lock adapter of the Mix2Vial.Inject air into the vial of the solution. |
Transferring the reconstituted solution to the syringe and administration
8 | 8. While holding the plunger of the syringe pressed, invert the system and aspirate the solution into the syringe by slowly retracting the plunger of the syringe. |
9 | 9.Once the solution has been transferred to the syringe, hold the syringe body firmly in place (keeping the plunger down) and disconnect the transparent adapter of the Mix2Vial from the syringe. |
Administration
The solution must be administered intravenously (i.v.) slowly, either by injection or by infusion (4 ml/minute).
Like all medications, this medication may produce adverse effects, although not all people will experience them.
Immediately contact your doctor
Adverse effects with Berinert are rare.
The following adverse effects have been observed rarely (between 1 and 10 out of every 10,000 people/patients):
?There is agreater risk of thrombosis(formation of blood clots) in prophylactic or therapeutic treatment of Capillary Leak Syndrome (escape of fluid from small blood vessels into tissues), for example, during and after cardiac surgery with extracorporeal circulation.See section2.“Warnings and Precautions”.
In very rare cases (less than 1 out of every 10,000 patients/people or isolated cases) allergic reactions can lead to shock.
Reporting Adverse Effects
If you experience any type of adverse effect, consult your doctor or pharmacist, even if it is a possible adverse effect not appearing in this prospectus. You can also report them directly through theSpanish System for Pharmacovigilance of Medicinal Products for Human Use:www.notificaRAM.es. By reporting adverse effects, you can contribute to providing more information on the safety of this medication.
The active ingredient is:
Inhibitor of human C1 esterase (500 UI/vial; after reconstitution: 50 UI/ml)
For more information, see the section“This information is intended solely for healthcare professionals”.
The other components are:
Glycine, sodium chloride, sodium citrate.
See the last paragraph of section2. "Berinert contains sodium”.
Vehicle:Water for injection.
Appearance of the product and contents of the package
Berinert is presented as a white powder and is supplied with water for injection as a solvent.
The prepared solution must be transparent and clear.
Presentation
Box containing 500UI contains:
1 vial with powder (500UI)
1 vial with 10ml of water for injection
1 transfer set with filter 20/20
Administration equipment (inner box):
1 10ml single-use syringe
1 venipuncture set
2 alcohol wipes
1 dressing
Holder of the marketing authorization and responsible for manufacturing
CSL Behring GmbH
Emil von Behring Strasse, 76
35041 Marburg, Germany
For further information about this medicinal product, please contact the local representative of the marketing authorization holder:
CSL Behring S.A.
c/ Tarragona 157, floor 18
08014 Barcelona
Spain
This medicinal product is authorized in the member states of the European Economic Areaand in the United Kingdom (Northern Ireland)with the following names:
Berinert 500 IE Powder and
Solvent for the preparation of an
Injection or Infusion SolutionAustria
Berinert 500Belgium, Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal
Berinert 500, 500 IU Powder and solvent
for solution for injection/infusionBulgaria
Berinert 500 IUCzech Republic, Slovakia
BerinertDenmark, Italy
Berinert 500 IU, injektio/infuusiokuiva-aine
ja liuotin, liuosta vartenFinland
Berinert 500 UI, powder and solvent for
solution injectable/perfusionFrance
Berinert 500 NE por és oldószer
oldatos injekcióhoz vagy infúzióhozHungary
Berinert 500 IU powder and liquid for
injection/infusion, solutionNorway
Berinert 500 UI, powder and solvent
for solution for injection/infusionRomania
Berinert 500 i.e. prašekin vehicle za
raztopino za injiciranje ali infundiranjeSlovenia
Berinert 500 UI Powder and solvent for solution
for injection and for perfusionSpain
Berinert 500 IE, powder and liquid for
injection/infusion, solutionSweden
Berinert 500 UI powder and solvent
for solution for injection/infusionUnited Kingdom
Date of the last review of this leaflet:October 2021
The detailed and updated information on this medicinal product is available on the website of the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices (AEMPS)http://www.aemps.gob.es
This information is intended solely for healthcare professionals
QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE COMPOSITION
The potency of the human C1 esterase inhibitor is expressed in International Units (UI), which is related to the current WHO standard for C1 esterase inhibitor products.
Have questions about this medication or your symptoms? Connect with a licensed doctor for guidance and personalized care.