Patient Information Leaflet
WEZENLA 45mg pre-filled syringe solution for injection
WEZENLA 90mg pre-filled syringe solution for injection
ustekinumab
This medicine is subject to additional monitoring. This will help speed up the detection of any new safety information. You can help by reporting any side effects you get. The final part of section 4 includes information on how to report these side effects.
Read this leaflet carefully before you start using this medicine because it contains important information for you.
This leaflet has been written for the person using the medicine. If you are the parent or carer of a child to whom you will administer WEZENLA, please read this information carefully.
-Keep this leaflet, as you may need to read it again.
-If you have any questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
-This medicine has been prescribed for you only. Do not give it to others even if they have the same symptoms as you, as it may harm them.
-If you experience any side effects, consult your doctor or pharmacist, even if they are not listed in this leaflet. See section 4.
1.What is WEZENLA and what it is used for
2.What you need to know before starting to use WEZENLA
3.How to use WEZENLA
4.Possible side effects
5.Storage of WEZENLA
6.Contents of the pack and additional information
What is WEZENLA
WEZENLA contains the active ingredient “ustekinumab”, a monoclonal antibody. Monoclonal antibodies are proteins that specifically identify and bind to certain proteins in the body.
WEZENLA belongs to a group of medicines called “immunosuppressants”. These medicines act by weakening part of the immune system.
What is WEZENLA used for
WEZENLA is used to treat the following inflammatory diseases:
Plaque psoriasis
Plaque psoriasis is a skin disease that causes inflammation affecting the skin and nails. WEZENLA reduces inflammation and other symptoms of the disease.
WEZENLA is used in adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis who cannot use ciclosporin, methotrexate, or phototherapy, or where these treatments are not effective.
WEZENLA is used in children and adolescents aged 6 years and above with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis who are unable to tolerate phototherapy or other systemic therapies, or where these treatments are not effective.
Psoriatic arthritis
Psiatic arthritis is an inflammatory joint disease, which is usually accompanied by psoriasis. If you have active psoriatic arthritis, you will first receive other medications. If you do not respond well to these medications, you may be treated with WEZENLA to:
Crohn's disease
Crohn's disease is an inflammatory bowel disease. If you have Crohn's disease, you will first be given other medications. If you do not respond adequately or cannot tolerate these medications, you may be given WEZENLA to reduce the signs and symptoms of your disease.
No use WEZENLA
If you are unsure whether any of the above points apply to you, speak with your doctor or pharmacist before using WEZENLA.
Warnings and precautions
Consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting to use WEZENLA. Your doctor will check how you are before each treatment. Make sure to inform your doctor about any illness you have before each treatment. Your doctor will also ask if you have recently been near someone who may have tuberculosis. Your doctor will examine you and perform a test for tuberculosis detection before using WEZENLA. If your doctor thinks you are at risk of tuberculosis, they may give you medication to treat it.
Watch for severe side effects
WEZENLA may cause severe side effects, including allergic reactions and infections. You must pay attention to certain signs of illness while using WEZENLA. See the complete list of these side effects in “Severe side effects” of section4.
Tell your doctor:
If you are unsure whether you have any of these conditions, speak with your doctor or pharmacist before using WEZENLA.
Some patients have experienced reactions similar to lupus during treatment with ustekinumab, including cutaneous lupus or lupus-like syndrome. Speak with your doctor immediately if you experience a red, elevated, and scaly rash, sometimes with a darker border, in sun-exposed areas or accompanied by joint pain.
Heart attacks and strokes
In a study of patients with psoriasis treated with ustekinumab, heart attacks and strokes were observed. Your doctor will regularly check your risk factors for heart disease and stroke to ensure they are properly treated. Seek medical attention immediately if you experience chest pain, weakness, or abnormal sensation in one side of the body, facial paralysis, or abnormalities in speech or vision.
Children and adolescents
WEZENLA is not recommended for use in children under 6 years of age with psoriasis or in children under 18years of age with psoriatic arthritis or Crohn's disease, as it has not been studied in this age group.
Using WEZENLA with other medications, vaccines
Inform your doctor or pharmacist:
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
Driving and operating machinery
The influence of WEZENLA on the ability to drive and operate machinery is negligible or insignificant.
WEZENLA should be used under the guidance and supervision of a doctor with experience in treating the conditions for which WEZENLA is indicated.
Always follow exactly the administration instructions for this medication as indicated by your doctor. If in doubt, ask your doctor. Ask your doctor when to administer the injections and about follow-up consultations.
What amount of WEZENLA is administered
Your doctor will decide on the amount of WEZENLA you need to use and the duration of treatment.
Adults 18 years of age and older years of age
Psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis
Crohn's disease
Children and adolescents 6 years of age and older
Psoriasis
How WEZENLA is administered
Consult your doctor if you have any questions about self-injecting.
If you use more WEZENLA than you should
If you have used or have been given too much WEZENLA, speak immediately with your doctor or pharmacist. Always carry the medication box with you, even if it is empty.
If you forget to use WEZENLA
If you forget a dose, speak with your doctor or pharmacist. Do not take a double dose to make up for the missed doses.
If you interrupt treatment with WEZENLA
Stopping WEZENLA is not hazardous. However, if you stop, your symptoms may return.
If you have any other questions about using 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
Some patients may experience severe side effects that may require urgent treatment.
Allergic reactions – these may require urgent treatment. Contact your doctor or seek immediate medical help if you notice any of the following signs.
-Difficulty breathing and swallowing
-Low blood pressure, which can cause dizziness or mild headaches
-Swelling of the face, lips, mouth, or throat.
In rare cases, pulmonary allergic reactions and lung inflammation have been reported in patients treated with ustekinumab. Inform your doctor immediately if you have symptoms such as cough, difficulty breathing, and fever.
If you have a severe allergic reaction, your doctor may decide that you should not use WEZENLA again.
Infections – these may require urgent treatment. Contact your doctor immediately if you notice any of these signs.
WEZENLA may affect your ability to fight infections. Some of them may be serious and caused by viruses, fungi, bacteria (including tuberculosis) or parasites, and include opportunistic infections that occur mainly in people with weakened immune systems (opportunistic infections). Cases of opportunistic brain infections (encephalitis, meningitis), lung infections, and eye infections have been reported in patients receiving ustekinumab treatment.
You should monitor signs of infection while using WEZENLA. These include:
Notify your doctor immediately if you notice any of these signs of infection, as they may be signs of infections such as chest infections, skin infections, herpes, or opportunistic infections that may have serious complications. You should also inform your doctor if you have any type of infection that does not disappear or reappears. Your doctor may decide that you should not use WEZENLA until the infection has cleared up. You should also contact your doctor if you have any open wounds or ulcers that may become infected.
Skin peeling – increased redness and skin peeling over a large area of the body may be symptoms of psoriasis erythroderma or dermatitis exfoliativa, which are serious skin disorders. If you notice any of these symptoms, you should inform your doctor immediately.
Other side effects
Frequent side effects(they can affect up to 1 in 10 people):
Rare side effects(they can affect up to 1 in 100 people):
Rare side effects(they can affect up to 1 in 10,000 people):
Very rare side effects(they can affect up to 1 in 10,000 people):
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 (see details below). By reporting side effects, you can contribute to providing more information about the safety of this medicine.
Spanish Medicines Agency:
Do not use this medication:
WEZENLA is for single use only. Dispose of the product without use remaining in the syringe. Medications should not be disposed of through drains or in the trash. Ask your pharmacist how to dispose of the packaging and unused medications. This will help protect the environment.
Composition of WEZENLA
Appearance of WEZENLA and contents of the pack
WEZENLA is a clear to opalescent solution, colourless to pale yellow in colour. It is presented in a pack containing 1pre-filled syringe of 1ml of glass single-use syringe. Each pre-filled syringe contains 45mg of ustekinumab in 0.5ml or 90mg of ustekinumab in 1ml of solution for injection.
Marketing authorisation holder and manufacturer
Amgen Technology (Ireland) UC,
Pottery Road,
Dun Laoghaire,
Co Dublin,
Ireland
Marketing authorisation holder
Amgen Technology (Ireland) UC,
Pottery Road,
Dun Laoghaire,
Co Dublin,
Ireland
Manufacturer
Amgen NV
Telecomlaan 5-7
1831 Diegem
Belgium
You can request more information about this medicine by contacting the local representative of the marketing authorisation holder:
België/Belgique/Belgien s.a. Amgen n.v. Tél/Tel: +32 (0)2 7752711 | Lietuva Amgen Switzerland AG Vilniaus filialas Tel: +370 5 219 7474 |
Luxembourg/Luxemburg s.a. Amgen Belgique/Belgien Tél/Tel: +32 (0)2 7752711 | |
Ceská republika Amgen s.r.o. Tel: +420 221 773 500 | Magyarország Amgen Kft. Tel.: +36 1 35 44 700 |
Danmark Amgen, filial af Amgen AB, Sverige Tlf.: +45 39617500 | Malta Amgen S.r.l. Italy Tel: +39 02 6241121 |
Deutschland Amgen GmbH Tel: +49 89 1490960 | Nederland Amgen B.V. Tel: +31 (0)76 5732500 |
Eesti Amgen Switzerland AG Vilniaus filialas Tel: +372 586 09553 | Norge Amgen AB Tlf: +47 23308000 |
Ελλάδα Amgen Ελλάς Φαρμακευτική Ε.Π.Ε. Τηλ: +30 210 3447000 | Österreich Amgen GmbH Tel: +43 (0)1 50 217 |
España Amgen S.A. Tel: +34 93 600 18 60 | Polska Amgen Biotechnologia Sp. z o.o. Tel.: +48 22 581 3000 |
France Amgen S.A.S. Tél: +33 (0)9 69363363 | Portugal Amgen Biofarmacêutica, Lda. Tel: +351 21 4220606 |
Hrvatska Amgen d.o.o. Tel: +385 (0)1 562 57 20 | România Amgen România SRL Tel: +4021 527 3000 |
Ireland Amgen Ireland Limited Tel: +353 1 8527400 | Slovenija AMGEN zdravila d.o.o. Tel: +386 (0)1 585 1767 |
Ísland Vistor hf. Sími: +354 535 7000 | Slovenská republika Amgen Slovakia s.r.o. Tel: +421 2321114 49 |
Italia Amgen S.r.l. Tel: +39 02 6241121 | Suomi/Finland Amgen AB, sivuliike Suomessa/Amgen AB, filial i Finland Puh/Tel: +358 (0)9 54900500 |
Kύπρος C.A. Papaellinas Ltd Τηλ: +357 22741 741 | Sverige Amgen AB Tel: +46 (0)8 6951100 |
Latvija Amgen Switzerland AG Rigas filiale Tel: +371257 25888 |
Last update 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.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE
These “Instructions for use” contain information on how to administer WEZENLA with a pre-filled syringe.
This pre-filled syringe administers WEZENLA by subcutaneous injection. See the leaflet for information on the medicine.
Parts of the pre-filled syringe | ||
Tip cap | ||
Plunger rod | ||
Needle guard clips | ||
Plunger stop | ||
Thumb grip | ||
Label | Body View window | |
Needle cap (needle inside) | ||
1 Important information you should know before injecting WEZENLA | |||
Dose:
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Using the WEZENLA pre-filled syringe:
2 Preparing for the injection of WEZENLA |
2a Remove the pre-filled syringe from the box by holding it by the body. |
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2b Wait 30minutes for the pre-filled syringe to reach room temperature. |
WAIT 30 minutes |
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2c Gather the objects needed for the injection and place them on a clean and well-lit surface. | ||
Alcohol wipe | ||
Swab | ||
Sharps container | Swab or gauze | |
•WEZENLA pre-filled syringe (at room temperature) | ||
•Sharps container | ||
•Alcohol wipe | ||
•Swab |
3 Preparing for the injection | ||
3a Inspect the medicine. It should be a clear to opalescent solution, colourless to pale yellow in colour. | ||
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3b Check the expiry date (EXP) and inspect the pre-filled syringe. | ||
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3c Inject in one of these places. | ||||
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3d Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. |
3e Clean the injection site with an alcohol wipe. |
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4 Injecting WEZENLA |
4a Pull the needle cap off while holding the syringe by the body. |
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4b Pinch the skin at the injection site before the injection. |
PINCH |
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4c Insert the needle into the pinched skin. |
INSERT |
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4d Press the plunger rod slowly downwards until it is completely between the needle guard clips. |
INJECT
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4e Maintain pressure on the plunger rod and withdraw the needle from the skin. |
WITHDRAW |
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If a second injection is needed… |
4f Repeat steps 2a-4e if a second injection is needed. |
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5 End of the injection and disposal of WEZENLA |
5a Dispose of the used syringe and needle cap in the sharps container. |
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5b Check the injection site. |
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You must dispose of any unused product that remains in the syringe. Medicines should not be disposed of by flushing them down the toilet or by throwing them away. Ask your pharmacist how to dispose of the packaging and medicines that you no longer need. This will help protect the environment.
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