Prescribing Information for the Patient
Vumerity 231 mg Hard, Gastric-Resistant Capsules
Diroximel Fumarate
Read this entire prescribing information carefully before starting to take this medication, as it contains important information for you.
What is Vumerity
Vumerity contains the active ingredient diroximel fumarate.
What is Vumerity used for
Vumerity is used to treat relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) in adult patients. MS is a long-term disease in which the immune system (the body's natural defenses) functions abnormally and attacks parts of the central nervous system (the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerve of the eye), causing inflammation that damages nerves and the insulation surrounding them. Relapsing-remitting MS is characterized by repeated episodes (flares) of neurological impairment. Symptoms vary from patient to patient, but often include: difficulty walking, balance problems, and visual problems (e.g., blurry or double vision). These symptoms may completely disappear when the flare ends, but some problems may persist.
How Vumerity works
It is believed that the medication acts by increasing the action of a protein called «Nrf2» that regulates certain genes that produce «antioxidants» involved in protecting cells from damage. This contributes to controlling immune system activity and reducing damage to the brain and spinal cord.
Do not take Vumerity
Warnings and precautions
Vumerity may affect thenumber of white blood cells, thekidneysand theliver. Before starting treatment with Vumerity, your doctor will perform a blood test to get a white blood cell count and check that your kidneys and liver are functioning correctly. Your doctor will perform periodic blood tests during treatment. If you experience a decrease in the number of white blood cells during treatment, your doctor may consider additional tests or stop your treatment.
If you think your MS is getting worse (e.g., weakness or visual changes) or notice the appearance of any new symptoms, speak directly with your doctor, as they may be symptoms of a rare brain infection called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). PML is a serious disease that can cause death or severe disability. Read the information on "PML and low white blood cell count" in section 4 of this leaflet.
Consult your doctorbefore starting to take Vumerity if you have:
Flush (redness of the face and body) is a frequent side effect. Severe flush with additional symptoms may be a sign of a severe allergic reaction and has been observed in a small number of patients; see "Severe allergic reactions" in section 4 of this leaflet. Inform your doctor if the flush is causing you problems, as your doctor may be able to administer medication to treat it.
Vumerity may cause a severe allergic reaction known as hypersensitivity reaction.
You must be aware of all the important signs and symptoms to which you should be alert while taking Vumerity. Read the information on "Severe allergic reactions" in section 4 of this leaflet.
Herpes (herpes zoster) may occur with Vumerity treatment. In some cases, severe complications have occurred. You must inform your doctor immediately if you suspect you have any symptoms of herpes zoster. These are listed in section 4 of this leaflet.
A rare but serious kidney disorder (Fanconi syndrome) has been reported for a medication that contains related active ingredients (dimethylfumarate in combination with other esters of fumic acid). If you notice that you are urinating more, are more thirsty and drink more than normal, or if your muscles seem weaker, break a bone or simply have pain and discomfort, inform your doctor as soon as possible so that this can be investigated further.
Children and adolescents
Do not administer this medication to children or adolescents, as there is limited experience regarding the knowledge of how safe and effective Vumerity is in these populations.
Other medications and Vumerity
Inform your doctor or pharmacistif you are taking, have taken recently or may need to take any other medication, in particular:
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, consult your doctor or pharmacist before using this medication.
Pregnancy
Do not use Vumerity during pregnancy unless you have spoken with your doctor. This is because Vumerity may harm your unborn baby. If you can become pregnant, you must use a reliable contraceptive method.
Breastfeeding
The excretion of diroximel fumarate or its metabolites in breast milk is unknown. Your doctor will help you decide whether to stop breastfeeding or whether to stop taking Vumerity. This decision involves weighing the benefits of breastfeeding for your child and the benefits of treatment for you.
Driving and operating machinery
Vumerity is not expected to affect your ability to drive and operate machinery.
Follow exactly the administration instructions for this medication as indicated by your doctor. If in doubt, consult your doctor again.
Starting Dose
The recommended starting dose is 231 mg (one capsule) twice a day.
Take this starting dose for the first 7 days, then take the maintenance dose.
Maintenance Dose
The recommended maintenance dose is 462 mg (two capsules) twice a day. Vumerity is taken orally.
Capsules should be swallowed whole with some water. Do not crush, chew, or sprinkle the contents of the capsules on food as this may increase some adverse effects.
Vumerity can be taken with a meal or on an empty stomach. If you experience adverse effects such as redness or stomach problems, taking it with food may reduce these symptoms.
If You Take More Vumerity Than You Should
If you have taken too many capsules,inform your doctor immediately. You may experience adverse effects similar to those described in section 4.
In case of overdose or accidental ingestion, consult your doctor or pharmacist immediately or call the Toxicology Information Service, phone 91 562 04 20 indicating the medication and the amount ingested.
If You Forget to Take Vumerity
Do not take a double doseto make up for the missed dose.
If there are at least 4 hours left until the next scheduled dose, you can take the missed dose. Otherwise, skip the missed dose and take the next dose at the usual time.
If you have any other questions 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.
Severe side effects
Low lymphocyte count and low white blood cell count
The frequency of LMP cannot be estimated from the available data (unknown frequency).
Vumerity may decrease your lymphocyte count (a type of white blood cell). A low white blood cell count can increase the risk of infection, including a rare brain infection called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). PML can cause death or severe disability. PML has occurred after 1 to 5 years of treatment with the related dimethylfumarate medication, so your doctor must continue to monitor your white blood cells throughout treatment and you must remain alert to any possible symptoms of PML, as described below. The risk of PML may be higher if you have previously taken a medication that suppresses your immune system.
The symptoms of PML may be similar to those of multiple sclerosis (MS). Symptoms may include new weakness or worsening weakness on one side of the body; clumsiness; changes in vision, thinking, or memory; or confusion or changes in personality, or difficulty speaking and communicating that may persist for several days. Therefore, it is very important that you speak with your doctor as soon as possible if you think your MS is worsening or if you notice any new symptoms while taking Vumerity. Additionally, speak with your partner or caregivers about your treatment. You may develop symptoms of which you may not be aware on your own.
→ Call your doctor immediately if you experience any of these symptoms
Severe allergic reactions
The frequency of severe allergic reactions cannot be estimated from the available data (unknown frequency).
Redness is a very frequent adverse effect..However, if the redness is accompanied by a skin rash of red color or hives and you experience any of the following symptoms:
it may then constitute a severe allergic reaction(anaphylaxis).
→ Stop taking Vumerity and call your doctor immediately
Other side effects
Very frequent(may affect more than 1 in 10 people)
Side effects that may appear in blood or urine tests
Consult your doctorabout how to treat these side effects. Your doctor may reduce your dose. You must not reduce the dose unless your doctor tells you to.
Frequent (may affect up to 1 in 10 people)
Side effects that may appear in blood or urine tests
Frequent(may affect up to 1 in 100 people)
Rare(may affect up to 1 in 1000 people)
Unknown frequency(cannot be estimated from the available data)
Reporting side effects
If you experience any type of side effect, consult your doctor or pharmacist, even if it is a possible side effect that does not appear in this leaflet. You can also report them directly through thenational notification system included in theAppendix V.By reporting side effects, you can contribute to providing more information about the safety of this medication.
Keep this medication out of the sight and reach of children.
Do not use this medication after the expiration date that appears on the bottle and on the box after CAD. The expiration date is the last day of the month indicated.
Store below 25 °C.
Store in the original bottle to protect it from moisture.
Medicines should not be thrown down the drain or in the trash. Ask your pharmacist how to dispose of the containers and medications that you no longer need. This will help protect the environment.
Composition of Vumerity
The active ingredientis diroximel fumarate.
Each capsule contains 231 mg of diroximel fumarate.
The other componentsare: capsule content: copolymer of methacrylic acid and ethyl acrylate (1:1) type A; crospovidone type A; microcrystalline cellulose; anhydrous colloidal silica; triethyl citrate; talc; magnesium stearate; capsule coating: hypromellose; titanium dioxide (E171); potassium chloride; carrageenan; capsule imprint: iron oxide black (E172), shellac, potassium hydroxide.
Appearance of Vumerity and packaging contents
Vumerity 231 mg hard-gastrorresistant capsules are white and have "DRF 231 mg" printed in black ink.
Vumerity is available in packaging containing 120 or 360 capsules (3 x 120).
Only some packaging sizes may be commercially available.
Marketing authorization holderandmanufacturer
Biogen Netherlands B.V.
Prins Mauritslaan 13
1171 LP Badhoevedorp
Netherlands
Manufacturer
Alkermes Pharma Ireland Limited
Connaught House
1 Burlington Road
Dublin 4
Ireland
D04 C5Y6
For more information about this medicine, please contact the local representative of the marketing authorization holder:
België/Belgique/Belgien Biogen Belgium NV/SA Tél/Tel: +32 2 2191218 | Lietuva Biogen Lithuania UAB Tel: +370 5 259 6176 |
Luxembourg/Luxemburg Biogen Belgium NV/SA Tél/Tel: +32 2 2191218 | |
Ceská republika Biogen (Czech Republic) s.r.o. Tel: +420 255 706 200 | Magyarország Biogen Hungary Kft. Tel: + 36 1 899 9883 |
Danmark Biogen (Denmark) A/S Tlf: +45 77 41 57 57 | Malta Pharma. MT Ltd. Tel: +356 21337008 |
Deutschland Biogen GmbH Tel: +49 (0) 89 99 6170 | Nederland Biogen Netherlands B.V. Tel: +31 20 542 2000 |
Eesti Biogen Estonia OÜ Tel: +372 618 9551 | Norge Biogen Norway AS Tlf: +47 23 40 01 00 |
Ελλáδα Genesis Pharma SA Tηλ: +30 210 8771500 | Österreich Biogen AustriaGmbH Tel: +43 1 484 46 13 |
España Biogen Spain, S.L. Tel: +34 91 310 7110 | Polska Biogen Poland Sp. z o.o. Tel: +48 22 351 51 00 |
France Biogen France SAS Tél: +33 (0)1 41 37 95 95 | Portugal Biogen Portugal Sociedade Farmacêutica, Unipessoal, Lda. Tel: +351 21 318 8450 |
Hrvatska Biogen Pharma d.o.o. Tel: +385 (0) 1 775 73 22 | România Johnson & Johnson Romania S.R.L. Tel: +40 21 207 18 00 |
Ireland Biogen Idec (Ireland) Ltd. Tel: +353 (0)1 463 7799 | Slovenija Biogen Pharma d.o.o. Tel:+386 1 511 02 90 |
Ísland Icepharma hf Sími: +354 540 8000 Italia Biogen Italia s.r.l. Tel: +39 02 5849901 | Slovenská republika Biogen Slovakia s.r.o. Tel: +421 2 323 340 08 Suomi/Finland Biogen Finland Oy Puh/Tel: +358 207 401 200 |
Κúπρος Genesis Pharma Cyprus Ltd Tηλ: +3572 2 765715 | Sverige Biogen Sweden AB Tel: +46 8 594 113 60 |
Latvija Biogen Latvia SIA Tel: +371 68 688 158 |
Last review date of this leaflet:02/2025.
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.
Have questions about this medication or your symptoms? Connect with a licensed doctor for guidance and personalized care.