Label: information for the user
Dupixent 200 mg injectable solution in pre-filled pen
dupilumab
Read this label carefully before starting to use this medicine, because it contains important information for you.
What is Dupixent
Dupixent contains the active ingredient dupilumab.
Dupilumab is a monoclonal antibody (a type of specialized protein) that blocks the action of proteins called interleukins (IL)-4 and IL-13. Both play a key role in the appearance of symptoms and signs of atopic dermatitis and asthma..
What is it used for
Dupixent is used to treat adults and adolescents12 years old and abovewith moderate to severe atopic dermatitis, also known as atopic eczema. Dupixent is also used to treat children from 6 months to 11 years old with severe atopic dermatitis (see sectionChildren and adolescents). Dupixent can be used with topical medications for eczema or alone.
Dupixent is also used, along with other asthma medications, for themaintenance treatmentof severe asthma in adults, adolescents, and children6 years old and abovewhose asthma is not controlled with their current medication (e.g. corticosteroids).
How Dupixent works
The use of Dupixent for atopic dermatitis (atopic eczema) may improve your skin condition and reduce itching. Dupixent has also shown improvement in symptoms of pain, anxiety, and depression associated with atopic dermatitis. Additionally, Dupixent helps to improve sleep disorders and overall quality of life.
Dupixent helps to prevent severe asthma attacks (exacerbations) and may improve lung function. Dupixent also may help to reduce the amount of another group of medications you need to control your asthma, called oral corticosteroids, while preventing severe asthma attacks and improving lung function.
No use Dupixent
If you think you may be allergic, or are unsure,consult your doctor, pharmacist or nurse before using Dupixent.
Warnings and precautions
Consult your doctor, pharmacist or nurse before starting to use Dupixent:
Dupixentis not a rescue medicationand should not be used to treat a sudden asthma attack.
Each time you have a new pack of Dupixent, it is essential that you note the name of the medication, the date of administration and the batch number (which can be found on the pack after “Batch”) and keep this information in a safe place.
Severe allergic reactions
Eosinophilic diseases
Intestinal parasitic infection
Asthma
If you have asthma and are taking asthma medication, do not change or stop taking your asthma medication without consulting your doctor. Consult your doctor before interrupting Dupixent treatment or if your asthma is not controlled or worsens during treatment with this medication.
Eye problems
Consult your doctor if you experience or worsening eye problems, including pain in the eyes or changes in vision.
Children and adolescents
Other medications and Dupixent
Inform your doctor or pharmacist
Other asthma medications
Do not interrupt or reduce your asthma medications, unless your doctor tells you to.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
Driving and operating machinery
It is unlikely that Dupixent will affect your ability to drive and operate machinery.
Dupixent contains sodium
This medication contains less than 1 mmol of sodium (23 mg) per 200 mg dose; this is, essentially “sodium-free”.
Dupixent contains polysorbate
This medication contains 2.28 mg of polysorbate 80 in each 200 mg dose (1.14 ml). Polysorbates may cause allergic reactions. Inform your doctor if you have or your child has any known allergy.
Follow exactly the administration instructions of this medication indicated by your doctor or pharmacist. In case of doubt, consult your doctor or pharmacist again.
What dose of Dupixent you will receive
Your doctor will decide what dose of Dupixent is suitable for you.
Recommended dose in adolescents with atopic dermatitis
The recommended dose of Dupixent for adolescents (12 to 17 years old) with atopic dermatitis is based on body weight:
Patient body weight | Initial dose | Subsequent doses (every two weeks) |
Less than 60 kg | 400 mg (two injections of 200 mg) | 200 mg |
60 kg or more | 600 mg (two injections of 300 mg) | 300 mg |
Recommended dose in children aged 6 to 11 years with atopic dermatitis
The recommended dose of Dupixent for children (6 to 11 years old) with atopic dermatitis is based on body weight:
Patient body weight | Initial dose | Subsequent doses |
15 kg to less than 60 kg | 300 mg (one injection of 300 mg) on day 1, followed by 300 mg on day 15 | 300 mgevery 4 weeks*, starting 4 weeks after the day 15 dose |
60 kg or more | 600 mg (two injections of 300 mg) | 300 mgevery two weeks |
* The dose can be increased to 200 mg every two weeks as per doctor's opinion.
Recommended dose in children aged 6 months to 5 years with atopic dermatitis
The recommended dose of Dupixent for children aged 6 months to 5 years with atopic dermatitis is based on body weight:
Patient body weight | Initial dose | Subsequent doses |
5 kg to less than 15 kg | 200 mg (one injection of 200 mg) | 200 mgevery 4 weeks |
15 kg to less than 30 kg | 300 mg (one injection of 300 mg) | 300 mgevery 4 weeks |
Recommended dose in adult and adolescent patients with asthma (from 12 years of age)
For most patients with severe asthma, the recommended dose of Dupixent is:
Forpatients with severe asthma and takingoral corticosteroids or for patients with severe asthma and moderate to severe co-existing atopic dermatitis or adults withchronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, the recommended dose of Dupixent is:
Recommended dose in children with asthma
The recommended dose of Dupixent for children (6 to 11 years old) with asthma is based on body weight:
Patient body weight | Initial and subsequent doses |
15 kg to less than 30 kg | 300 mgevery 4 weeks |
30 kg to less than 60 kg | 200 mgevery two weeks or 300 mgevery 4 weeks |
60 kg or more | 200 mgevery two weeks |
For children aged 6 to 11 years with asthma and severe co-existing atopic dermatitis, your doctor will decide what dose of Dupixent is suitable for you.
Dupixent injection
Dupixent is administered by subcutaneous injection under your skin. You and your doctor or nurse should decide whether to inject Dupixent yourself.
Before injecting Dupixent yourself, you must have been properly trained by your doctor or nurse. Your Dupixent injection can also be administered by a caregiver after proper training by a doctor or nurse.
Each pre-filled pen contains a dose of Dupixent (200 mg). Do not shake the pre-filled pen.
Read the “Instructions for Use” included at the end of the leaflet carefully before using Dupixent.
If you use more Dupixent than you should
If you use more Dupixent than you should or have administered the dose too soon, consult your doctor, pharmacist, or nurse.
If you forget to use Dupixent
If you have forgotten to inject a dose of Dupixent, consult your doctor, pharmacist, or nurse.
Additionally,
If your dosing schedule isevery weekand you forget a dose of Dupixent:
If your dosing schedule isevery two weeksand you forget a dose of Dupixent:
If yourdosingschedule isevery 4 weeksand you forget a dose of Dupixent:
If you interrupt Dupixent treatment
Do not interrupt Dupixent treatment without first discussing it with your doctor.
If you have any other questions about using this medication, ask your doctor, pharmacist, or nurse.
Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everyone will experience them.
Dupixent can cause serious side effects, including rare allergic reactions (hypersensitivity), including anaphylactic reaction, serum sickness, type of serum sickness reaction; symptoms may include:
If you develop an allergic reaction, stop using Dupixent andconsultyour doctor immediately.
Other side effects
Common(may affect up to 1 in 10 people):
Uncommon(may affect up to 1 in 100 people):
Rare(may affect up to 1 in 10,000 people):
Additional side effects in children aged 6 to 11 years with asthma
Common: pinworms (enterobiasis)
Reporting side effects
If you experience any type of side effect, consult your doctor,pharmacist, or nurse, even if it is a possible side effect that does not appear in this leaflet. You can also report them directly throughthe national notification system included in theAppendix V. By reporting side effects, you can contribute to providing more information on the safety of this medicine.
Keep this medication out of the sight and reach of children.
Do not use this medication after the expiration date that appears on the label and the packaging after CAD. The expiration date is the last day of the month indicated.
Store in the refrigerator (between 2°C and 8°C). Do not freeze. Store in the original packaging to protect it from light.
If necessary, the preloaded pen can be removed from the refrigerator and stored in the packaging for a maximum of 14 days at room temperature up to 25°C, protected from light. The date when it is removed from the refrigerator will be noted in the space provided for this purpose on the outer packaging.The packaging must be discarded if it is left out of the refrigerator for more than 14 days or if the expiration date has passed.
Do not use this medication if you observe that the medication is cloudy, discolored, or contains particles.
Medications should not be disposed of through drains or in the trash. Ask your doctor, pharmacist, or nurse how to dispose of the packaging and medications that you no longer need. This will help protect the environment.
Composition of Dupixent
Appearance of the product and contents of the package
Dupixent is a transparent to slightly opalescent, colorless to pale yellow solution that is presented in a pre-filled pen.
The pre-filled pen may either have a round cap and an oval-shaped viewing window surrounded by an arrow, or a square cap with edges and an oval-shaped viewing window without an arrow. Although there are small differences in the appearance of the two pre-filled pens, both function equally.
Dupixent is available as pre-filled pens of 200 mg in a package containing 1, 2, or 6 pre-filled pens or in a package containing 6 (2 packages of 3) pre-filled pens.
Only some package sizes may be commercially available.
Marketing Authorization Holder
Sanofi Winthrop Industrie
82 avenue Raspail
94250 Gentilly
France
Responsible for manufacturing
SANOFI WINTHROP INDUSTRIE
1051 Boulevard Industriel,
76580 LE TRAIT,
FRANCE
Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbH
Brüningstrasse 50
Industriepark Hoechst
65926 FRANKFURT AM MAIN
GERMANY
You can request more information about this medicine by contacting the local representative of the marketing authorization holder:
België/Belgique/Belgien Sanofi Belgium Tél/Tel: +32 (0)2 710 54 00 | Lietuva Swixx Biopharma UAB Tel: +370 5236 91 40 | |
Luxembourg/Luxemburg Sanofi Belgium Tél/Tel: +32 (0)2 710 54 00 (Belgique/Belgien) | ||
Ceská republika Sanofi, s.r.o. Tel: +420 233 086 111 | Magyarország SANOFI-AVENTIS Zrt. Tel.: +36 1 505 0050 | |
Danmark Sanofi A/S Tlf: +45 45 16 70 00 | Malta Sanofi S.r.l. Tel:+39 02 39394275 | |
Deutschland Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbH Tel.: 0800 04 36 996 Tel. aus dem Ausland: +49 69 305 70 13 | Nederland SanofiB.V. Tel:+ 3120 245 4000 | |
Eesti Swixx Biopharma OÜ Tel: +372640 10 30 | Norge sanofi-aventis Norge AS Tlf: +47 67 10 71 00 | |
Ελλάδα Sanofi-AventisΜονοπρ?σωπηAEBE Τηλ: +30 210 900 16 00 | Österreich sanofi-aventis GmbH Tel: +43 1 80 185 – 0 | |
España sanofi-aventis, S.A. Tel: +34 93 485 94 00 | Polska Sanofi Sp. z o.o. Tel.: +48 22280 00 00 | |
France Sanofi Winthrop Industrie Tél: 0 800 222 555 Appel depuis l’étranger : +33 1 57 63 23 23 | Portugal Sanofi - Produtos Farmacêuticos, Lda Tel: +351 21 35 89 400 | |
Hrvatska Swixx Biopharma d.o.o. Tel: +385 12078 500 | România Sanofi Romania SRL Tel: +40 (0) 21 317 31 36 | |
Ireland sanofi-aventis Ireland Ltd. T/A SANOFI Tel: +353 (0) 1 403 56 00 | Slovenija Swixx Biopharma d.o.o. Tel: +386 1235 51 00 | |
Ísland Vistor hf. Sími: +354 535 7000 | Slovenská republika Swixx Biopharma s.r.o. Tel: +421 2208 33 600 | |
Italia Sanofi S.r.l. Tel: 800 536389 | Suomi/Finland Sanofi Oy Puh/Tel: +358 (0) 201 200 300 | |
Κύπρος C.A. Papaellinas Ltd. Τηλ: +357 22741741 | Sverige Sanofi AB Tel: +46 (0)8 634 50 00 | |
Latvija Swixx Biopharma SIA Tel: +3716 616 47 50 | United Kingdom(Northern Ireland) sanofi-aventis Ireland Ltd.T/A SANOFI Tel: +44 (0)800 035 2525 | |
Last review date of this leaflet:
Other sources of information
The detailed information on this medicine is available on the website of the European Medicines Agency:http://www.ema.europa.eu.
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Dupixent 200 mg solution for injection in pre-filled pen
dupilumab
Instructions for use
In this drawing, the parts of the Dupixent pre-filled pen are shown.
Important information
This device is a single-use pre-filled pen. It contains 200 mg of Dupixent for subcutaneous injection.
Do not attempt to administer the injection yourself or to another person, unless you have received training from your healthcare professional. In adolescents aged 12 years and older, Dupixent should be administered either by or under the supervision of an adult. In children under 12 years of age, Dupixent should be administered by a caregiver. The Dupixent pre-filled pen is only for use in adults and children aged 2 years and older.
Storage of Dupixent
A: Prepare
A1. Prepare the necessary materials
Ensure that you have the following:
* Elements not included in the packaging
A2. Check the label
A3. Check the expiration date
Do not use the pre-filled pen if the expiration date has passed.
Do not store Dupixent at room temperature for more than 14 days.
A4. Check the medicine
Look at the medicine through the window of the pre-filled pen.
Check that the liquid is transparent and colorless to pale yellow.
Note: you may see a bubble of air, but this is normal.
Do not use the pre-filled pen if the liquid is cloudy or discolored, or if it contains visible lumps or particles.
Do not use the pre-filled pen if the window is yellow.
A5. Wait 30 minutes
Place the pre-filled pen on a flat surface and let it come to room temperature (below 25 °C) naturally for at least 30 minutes.
Do not heat the pre-filled pen in a microwave, hot water, or direct sunlight.
Do not place the pre-filled pen in direct sunlight.
Do not store Dupixent at room temperature for more than 14 days.
B. Choose the injection site
B1. Recommended injection sites are:
Choose a different injection site for each injection of Dupixent.
Do not inject through clothing.
Do not administer the injection in sensitive, damaged, or scarred skin.
B2. Wash your hands
B3. Prepare the injection site
Do not touch the injection site or blow on it before the injection.
C. Administer the injection
C1. Remove the yellow cap
Remove the yellow cap directly.
Do not turn the yellow cap.
Do not remove the yellow cap until you are ready to administer the injection.
Do not press or touch the orange needle cover with your fingers. The needle is inside.
Do not attempt to put the yellow cap back on the pre-filled pen after it has been removed.
C2. Pinch the skin and place
Do not press or touch the orange needle cover with your fingers. The needle is inside.
C3. Press down
Press the pre-filled pen firmly against your skin until you cannot see the orange needle cover and hold it in place.
The injection may take up to 15 seconds.
You do not need to pinch the skin in adults and children aged 12 years and older.
C4. Hold firmly
Continue to hold the pre-filled pen firmly against your skin.
If the window does not turn completely yellow, remove the pen and call your healthcare professional.
Do not administer a second dose without speaking to your healthcare professional.
You do not need to pinch the skin in adults and children aged 12 years and older.
C5. Remove
Do not rub the skin after the injection.
D. Dispose
Do not dispose of (throw away) the pre-filled pens (needle inside), and yellow caps in the trash.
Do not attempt to put the yellow cap back on.
Have questions about this medication or your symptoms? Connect with a licensed doctor for guidance and personalized care.