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How is Fintepla injected/administered?

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on July 12, 2022.

Official answer

by Drugs.com

Fintepla (fenfluramine) is an oral solution that may be administered to children aged 2 years and older with seizures associated with Dravet syndrome, or children and adults with Lennox-Gastault syndrome. The dosage of Fintepla is based on weight. It may be taken with or without food and is compatible with commercially available gastric and nasogastric feeding tubes. Fintepla is available only through a restricted program called the Fintepla REMS.

The oral solution is cherry flavored, clear, and colorless, and the strength is 2.2 mg of fenfluramine per mL. Your pharmacy will provide you with a calibrated measuring device (either a 3 mL or 6 mL oral syringe) which you should always use to measure the correct dose of Fintepla. A household teaspoon or tablespoon is not accurate enough and should not be used.

What is the dosage of Fintepla?

The usual initial starting dose for Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastault syndrome is 0.1 mg/kg twice daily, which can be increased weekly if further reduction in seizure frequency is needed and Fintepla is being well-tolerated. Subsequent dosages depend on if Fintepla is given alone or with stiripentol and clobazam and are as follows:

  • Day 7: Increase Fintepla to 0.2 mg/kg twice daily (no concomitant stiripentol) or 0.15 mg/kg twice daily with concomitant stiripentol and clobazam
  • Day 14: Further increase Fintepla to 0.35 mg/kg twice daily (no concomitant stiripentol) or 0.2 mg/kg twice daily with concomitant stiripentol and clobazam.

For patients not on concomitant stiripentol, the dosage of Fintepla may be increased every four days instead of every seven days if necessary.

Before starting Fintepla, patients must be assessed for valvular heart disease and pulmonary arterial hypertension with an echocardiogram assessment.

What is the maximum dosage of Fintepla?

The following maximum daily dosages should not be exceeded when given for Dravet or Lennox-Gastault syndrome:

  • 26mg when Fintepla is given without concomitant stiripentol
  • 17mg when Fintepla is given with stiripentol and clobazam.

How long does Fintepla last?

Any unused Fintepla that is leftover three months after first opening the bottle should be discarded. Always check the “Discard After” date on the bottle, and do not use Fintepla that has expired.

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