Label: information for the user
Dupixent 300 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, asthma, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP), nodular prurigo (NP), eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Indications
Dupixent is used to treat adults and adolescents12 years and olderwith moderate to severe atopic dermatitis, also known as eczema. Dupixent is also used to treat children 6 months to 11 years 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 and olderwhose asthma is not controlled with their current medication (e.g., corticosteroids).
Dupixent is also used, along with other medications, for the maintenance treatment ofCRSwNP in adults whose disease is not controlled with their current medication for CRSwNP. Dupixent can also reduce the need for surgery and the need for systemic corticosteroids.
Dupixent is also used to treat adults with nodular prurigo (NP) of moderate to severe, also known as chronic nodular prurigo (CNP). Dupixent can be used with topical medications for NP or alone.
Dupixent is also used to treat adults, adolescents, and children 1 year and older, with a minimum weight of 15 kg, with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE).
Dupixent is also used, along with other medications, for the maintenance treatment ofchronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in adults with uncontrolled COPD.
How Dupixent works
The use of Dupixent for atopic dermatitis (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 can also 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.
Dupixent helps to prevent moderate or severe COPD exacerbations and may improve lung function. Dupixent can also help to improve overall COPD symptoms.
No use Dupixent
If you think you may be allergic, or are not sure,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 medicineand should not be used to treat a sudden asthma attack or COPD exacerbation.
Each time you have a new pack of Dupixent, it is important to note the name of the medicine, 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.
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 stopping Dupixent treatment or if your asthma is not controlled or worsens during treatment with this medicine.
Eye problems
Consult your doctor if you experience or worsening eye problems, including eye pain or changes in vision.
Children and adolescents
Other medicines and Dupixent
Inform your doctor or pharmacist
Other asthma medicines
Do not interrupt or reduce your asthma medication, unless your doctor tells you to.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
Driving and operating machines
Dupixent is unlikely to affect your ability to drive and use machines.
Dupixent contains sodium
This medicine contains less than 1 mmol of sodium (23 mg) per 300 mg dose; this is, essentially “sodium-free”.
Dupixent contains polysorbate
This medicine contains 4 mg of polysorbate 80 in each 300 mg dose (2 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 as 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 adults with atopic dermatitis
The recommended dose of Dupixent for patients with atopic dermatitis is:
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 6 to 11 years old 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 6 months to 5 years old with atopic dermatitis
The recommended dose of Dupixent for children 6 months to 5 years old 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 adults and adolescents with asthma (from 12 years old)
For patients with severe asthma and takingcorticosteroidsorally or for patients with severe asthma and moderate to severe comorbid atopic dermatitis or adults withchronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, the recommended dose of Dupixent is:
For the rest of patients with severe asthma, 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 patients 6 to 11 years old with asthma and severe comorbid atopic dermatitis, your doctor will decide what dose of Dupixent is suitable for you.
Recommended dose in adults with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP)
InCRSwNP,the first recommended dose of Dupixent is 300 mg followed by 300 mg every two weeks by subcutaneous injection.
Recommended dose in adults with prurigo nodularis (PN)
For patients with prurigo nodularis,the recommended dose of Dupixent is:
Recommended dose in adults, adolescents, and children (from 1 year old) with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE)
Body weight | Dose |
≥15 kg to <30 kg< span> | 200 mgevery two weeks |
≥30 kg to <40 kg< span> | 300 mgevery two weeks |
≥40 kg | 300 mgevery week |
Recommended dose in adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
In COPD, the recommended dose of Dupixent is 300 mgadministered every two weeksby subcutaneous injection.
Dupixent injection
Dupixent is administered by subcutaneous injection under your skin. You and your doctor or nurse should decide if you should 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 (300 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 thrown away through the 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 syringe.
The pre-filled syringe may either have a round cap and an oval-shaped viewing window surrounded by an arrow, or it may have a square cap with rounded edges and an oval-shaped viewing window without an arrow. Although there are small differences in the appearance of the two pre-filled syringes, both function equally.
Dupixent is available as pre-filled syringes of 300 mg in a package containing 1, 2, or 6 pre-filled syringes or in a package containing 6 (2 packages of 3) pre-filled syringes.
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
Genzyme Ireland Limited
IDA Industrial Park
Old Kilmeaden Road
Waterford
Ireland
For more information about this medicine, please contact 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 5 236 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 | |
Ελλ?δα 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 1 235 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 | |
Κ?προς 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 | |
Date of the last review of this leaflet:
Other sources of information
The detailed information about this medicine is available on the website of the European Medicines Agency:http://www.ema.europa.eu.
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Dupixent 300mg solution for injection in pre-filled syringe
dupilumab
Instructions for use
In this drawing, the parts of the pre-filled syringe of Dupixent are shown.
Important information
This device is a single-use pre-filled syringe. It contains 300mg of Dupixent for subcutaneous injection.
Do not attempt to administer the injection to yourself or to another person, unless you have received training from your healthcare professional. In adolescents aged 12 years and older, it is recommended that Dupixent be administered by or under the supervision of an adult. In children under 12 years of age, Dupixent should be administered by a caregiver. The pre-filled syringe of Dupixent 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:
*Items not included in the packaging
A2. Check the label
A3. Check the expiration date
Do not use the pre-filled syringe 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 viewing window of the pre-filled syringe.
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 syringe if the liquid is cloudy or discolored, or if it contains visible lumps or particles.
Do not use the pre-filled syringe if the viewing window is yellow.
A5. Wait 45 minutes
Place the pre-filled syringe on a flat surface and let it come to room temperature (less than 25°C) for at least 45 minutes.
Do not heat the pre-filled syringe in a microwave, hot water, or direct sunlight.
Do not place the pre-filled syringe 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 green cap
Remove the green cap by pulling it straight off.
Do not twist the green cap.
Do not remove the green cap until you are ready to administer the injection.
Do not press or touch the yellow cap of the needle with your fingers.The needle is inside.
Do not attempt to put the green cap back on the pre-filled syringe after it has been removed.
C2. Pinch the skin and place
Do not press or touch the yellow cap of the needle with your fingers. The needle is inside.
C3. Press down
Press the pre-filled syringe firmly against your skin until you cannot see the yellow cap of the needle and keep it that way.
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 syringe firmly against your skin.
If the viewing window does not turn completely yellow, remove the pre-filled syringe and call your healthcare professional.
Do not administer a second dose without speaking with 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 syringes, (needle inside), and green caps in the trash.
Do not put the green cap back on.
Have questions about this medication or your symptoms? Connect with a licensed doctor for guidance and personalized care.