Label: information for the user
Rapamune 1 mg/ml oral solution
sirolimus
Read this label carefully before you start taking this medicine, because it contains important information for you.
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Rapamunecontains the active ingredient sirolimus, whichbelongs to a group of medications called immunosuppressants. It helps control your body's immune system after receiving a kidney transplant.
Rapamune is used in adults to prevent rejection of transplanted kidneys and is usually used in combination with other immunosuppressant medicationscalled corticosteroids, and initially(the first2 to3 months)with cyclosporine.
Rapamune is also used to treat patients with sporadic lymphangioleiomyomatosis (S-LAM) with moderate lung disease or pulmonary function decline. S-LAM is a rare progressive lung disease that mainly affects women of childbearing age. The most common symptom of S-LAM is difficulty breathing.
Warnings and precautions
Consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting to take Rapamune.
Your doctor will perform tests to monitor your Rapamune blood levels. They will also perform tests to monitor your kidney function, measure your blood lipid levels (cholesterol and/or triglycerides), and possibly your liver function, during treatment with Rapamune.
Exposure to sunlight and UV light should be limited by covering your skin with clothing and using a high-protection sunscreen, due to the increased risk of skin cancer.
Children and adolescents
The experience with the use of Rapamune in children and adolescents under 18 years of age is limited. The use of Rapamune in this population is not recommended.
Taking Rapamune with other medications
Inform your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have taken recently, or may need to take any other medication.
Vaccines should be avoided during treatment with Rapamune. Before vaccination, inform your doctor or pharmacist that you are receiving Rapamune.
The use of Rapamune may lead to an increase in blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels (blood fats) that may require treatment. Medications known as "statins" and "fibrates" used to treat high cholesterol and triglycerides have been associated with an increased risk of muscle fiber rupture (rhabdomyolysis). Inform your doctor if you are taking medications to reduce blood fats.
The combined use of Rapamune and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors (a type of medication used to lower blood pressure) may cause allergic reactions. Inform your doctor if you are taking these medications.
Taking Rapamune with food and drinks
Take Rapamune always in the same way, with or without food. If you prefer to take Rapamune with food, take it always with food. If you prefer to take Rapamune without food, take it always without food. Food may alter the amount of medication that enters the bloodstream, and by taking your medication always in the same way, Rapamune blood levels remain more stable.
Do not take Rapamune with grapefruit juice.
Pregnancy, breastfeeding, and fertility
Rapamune should not be used during pregnancy unless clearly necessary.Use an effective contraceptive method during treatment with Rapamune and for 12 weeks after stopping treatment. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or think you may be pregnant, or plan to become pregnant, consult your doctor or pharmacist before using this medication.
It is not known whether Rapamune passes into breast milk. Patients taking Rapamune should stop breastfeeding.
A reduction in sperm count has been associated with the use of Rapamune, which usually returns to normal after stopping treatment.
Driving and operating machinery
Although it is not expected that treatment with Rapamune will affect your ability to drive, if you have any doubts, consult your doctor.
Rapamune contains ethanol (alcohol)
Rapamune contains up to 3.17% ethanol (alcohol). An initial dose of 6 mg contains up to 150 mg of alcohol, which is equivalent to 3.80 ml of beer or 1.58 ml of wine. This amount of alcohol may be harmful to people with alcoholism, as well as to pregnant women, breastfeeding women, children, and high-risk groups, such as patients with liver disease or epilepsy. Alcohol may modify or increase the effect of other medications.
Maintenance doses of 4 mg or less contain small amounts of ethanol (100 mg or less), which are probably too low to be harmful.
Follow exactly the administration instructions of this medication as indicated by your doctor. In case of doubt, consult your doctor or pharmacist again.
Your doctor will decide on the exact dose of Rapamune you should take and how often you should take it. Follow exactly your doctor's instructions and never change the dose on your own.
Rapamune is only for oral use. Inform your doctor if you have difficulties taking the oral solution.
Take Rapamune always in the same way, with or without food.
Renal Transplant
Your doctor will give you an initial dose of 6 mg as soon as possible after the renal transplant surgery. After that, you will need to take 2 mg of Rapamune every day until your doctor tells you otherwise. Your dose will be adjusted based on the Rapamune blood level. Your doctor will need to perform blood tests to measure the Rapamune concentrations.
If you are also taking ciclosporin, you must space the intake of the two medications approximately 4 hours apart.
It is recommended to use Rapamune first in combination with ciclosporin and corticosteroids. After 3 months, your doctor may suspend Rapamune or ciclosporin, as it is not recommended to take these medications together after this time.
Sporadic Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (S-LAM)
Your doctor will give you 2 mg of Rapamune per day, until they tell you otherwise. Your dose will be adjusted based on the Rapamune blood level. Your doctor will need to perform blood tests to measure the Rapamune concentrations.
Instructions on how to dilute Rapamune
When refrigerated, the solution in the vial may become slightly turbid. If this occurs, simply place Rapamune oral solution at room temperature and shake gently. The presence of this turbidity does not affect the quality of Rapamune.
If you take more Rapamune than you should
If you have taken more medication than you were told, contact your doctor as soon as possible or go to the nearest hospital emergency room. Always carry the medication vial with the label, even if it is empty.
If you forget to take Rapamune
If you forget to take Rapamune, take it as soon as you remember but not within 4 hours of the ciclosporin dose. After that, continue taking the medication in the usual manner. Do not take a double dose to compensate for the missed doses, and always take Rapamune and ciclosporin with a difference of approximately 4 hours. If you completely forget to take a dose of Rapamune, you must inform your doctor.
If you interrupt treatment with Rapamune
Do not stop taking Rapamune unless your doctor tells you to, as you risk losing the transplant.
If you have any other doubts about the use of this medication, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everyone will experience them.
Allergic reactions
You shouldvisit your doctor immediatelyif you experience symptoms such as facial swelling, tongueand/or mouth (pharynx) and/or difficulty breathing (angioedema), or skin peeling (dermatitis exfoliativa). It could be a sign of a severe allergic reaction.
Renal damage with low blood cell counts (thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura/hemolytic uremic syndrome)
When taken with medications called calcineurin inhibitors (ciclosporina or tacrolimus), Rapamune may increase the risk of a condition that combines renal damage with low platelet and red blood cell counts, with or without skin irritation (thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura/hemolytic uremic syndrome). If you experience symptoms such as bruises, skin eruptions, changes in urine, mood changes, or any other symptom you consider severe, unusual, or prolonged, contact your doctor.
Infections
Rapamune reduces your body's defense mechanisms. As a result, your body will not be as good at fighting off infections as it used to be. Therefore, if you are taking Rapamune, you may catch more infections than usual, such as skin infections, mouth infections, stomach and intestinal infections, lung infections, and urinary tract infections (see the list below). You should contact your doctor if you experience symptoms that you consider severe, unusual, or prolonged.
Frequency of side effects
Very common: can affect more than 1 in 10 people
Common: can affect up to 1 in 10 people
Rare: can affect up to 1 in 1,000 people
Unknown frequency: cannot be estimated from available data
Patients with S-LAM experienced side effects similar to those of renal transplant patients, with the addition of weight loss, which may affect more than 1 in 10 people.
Reporting side effects
If you experienceany type of side effect, consult your doctor, pharmacist, or nurse, even if it is apossibleside effect that does not appear in this prospectus.You can also report them directly through theSpanish System for the Pharmacovigilance of Medicinal Products for Human Use:www.notificaRAM.es. 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 packaging after“EXP”. The expiration date is the last day of the month indicated.
Store in the refrigerator (between2°Cand8°C).
Keep Rapamune oral solution in its original container to protect it from light.
Once the container is opened, the contents must be kept refrigerated and used within 30 days. If necessary, the container can be stored at room temperature up to25°Cfor a short period, but not more than 24 hours.
Once the dosing syringe has been filled with Rapamune oral solution, it must be stored at room temperature, but not above25°C, for a maximum period of 24 hours.
Once the contents of the dosing syringe have been diluted with water or orange juice, the preparation must be consumed immediately.
Medications should not be disposed of through drains or in the trash. Ask your pharmacist how to dispose of the packaging and medications that you no longer need. This will help protect the environment.
Composition of Rapamune
The active ingredient is sirolimus. Each milliliter of Rapamune oral solution contains 1 mg of sirolimus.
The other components are:
Polysorbate 80 (E433) and phosal 50 PG (phosphatidylcholine, propylene glycol [E1520], mono and diglycerides, ethanol, soybean and palmitoyl ascorbate).
This medicine contains approximately 350 mg of propylene glycol (E1520) in each milliliter.
Appearance of the product and contents of the package
Rapamune oral solution is a pale yellow to yellow solution that is presented in 60 ml amber glass bottles.
Each carton contains: 1 amber glass bottle containing 60 ml of Rapamune oral solution, a syringe adapter, 30 pre-filled syringes (plastic amber) and a syringe transport case.
Marketing Authorization Holder and Responsible Manufacturer
Marketing Authorization Holder: Pfizer Europe MA EEIG Boulevard de la Plaine 17 1050 Bruxelles Bélgica | Responsible Manufacturer: Pfizer Service Company BV Hoge Wei 10 1930 Zaventem Bélgica |
You can request more information about this medicine by contacting the local representative of the marketing authorization holder:
België/Belgique/Belgien Pfizer NV/SA Tél/Tel: +32 (0)2 554 62 11 | Lietuva Pfizer Luxembourg SARL filialas Lietuvoje Tel. +3705 2514000 |
???????? ??????? ?????????? ????, ???? ???????? Te?: +359 2 970 4333 | Magyarország Pfizer Kft. Tel: +36 1 488 3700 |
Ceská Republika Pfizer, spol. s r.o. Tel: +420 283 004 111 | Malta Vivian Corporation Ltd. Tel: +35621 344610 |
Danmark Pfizer ApS Tlf: +45 44 201 100 | Nederland Pfizer bv Tel: +31 (0)800 63 34 636 |
Deutschland Pfizer Pharma GmbH Tel: +49 (0)30 550055-51000 | Norge Pfizer AS Tlf: +47 67 52 61 00 |
Eesti Pfizer Luxembourg SARL Eesti filiaal Tel: +372 666 7500 | Österreich Pfizer Corporation Austria Ges.m.b.H. Tel: +43 (0)1 521 15-0 |
Ελλ?δα PFIZER ΕΛΛΑΣ Α.Ε. Τηλ.: +30 210 6785 800 | Polska Pfizer Polska Sp. z o.o. Tel.: +48 22 335 61 00 |
España Pfizer, S.L. Tel:+34914909900 | Portugal Laboratórios Pfizer, Lda. Tel: +351 21 423 5500 |
France Pfizer Tél: +33 (0)1 58 07 34 40 | România Pfizer Rumania S.R.L Tel: +40 (0) 21 207 28 00 |
Hrvatska Pfizer Croatia d.o.o. Tel: + 385 1 3908 777 | Slovenija Pfizer Luxembourg SARL, Pfizer, podružnica za svetovanje s podrocja farmacevtske dejavnosti, Ljubljana Tel: +386 (0)1 52 11 400 |
Ireland Pfizer Healtcare Ireland Unlimited Company Tel: +1800 633 363 (toll free) Tel: +44 (0)1304 616161 | Slovenská Republika Pfizer Luxembourg SARL, organizacná zložka Tel: + 421 2 3355 5500 |
Ísland Icepharma hf Tel: +354 540 8000 | Suomi/Finland Pfizer Oy Puh/Tel: +358 (0)9 430 040 |
Italia Pfizer S.r.l. Tel: +39 06 33 18 21 | Sverige Pfizer AB Tel: +46 (0)8 550 520 00 |
K?προς PFIZER ΕΛΛΑΣ Α.Ε. (Cyprus Branch) T??: +357 22 817690 | |
Latvija Pfizer Luxembourg SARL filiale Latvija Tel. +371 67035775 |
Last review date of this leaflet: 01/2025.
The detailed information about this medicine is available on the website of the European Medicines Agency: http://www.ema.europa.eu /
Have questions about this medication or your symptoms? Connect with a licensed doctor for guidance and personalized care.