Flebogamma Side Effects

Please note - some side effects for Flebogamma may not be reported. Always consult your doctor or healthcare specialist for medical advice. You may also report side effects to the FDA at http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/ or 1-800-FDA-1088 (1-800-332-1088).

Side Effects of Flebogamma - for the Consumer

Flebogamma

All medicines may cause side effects, but many people have no, or minor, side effects. Check with your doctor if any of these most COMMON side effects persist or become bothersome when using Flebogamma:

Cough; diarrhea; headache; pain, swelling, muscle stiffness, or redness at the injection site; sore throat; stuffy nose.

Severe allergic reactions (rash; itching; hives; difficulty breathing or swallowing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, hands, face, lips, eyes, throat, or tongue); bloating; calf pain or tenderness; chest pain; confusion; dark urine; decreased urination; fainting; fast or irregular heartbeat; fever or chills; flushing; hoarseness; lower back or flank pain; nausea; numbness of an arm or a leg; one-sided weakness; painful eye movements; red, swollen, blistered, or peeling skin; seizures; sensitivity to light; severe headache, dizziness, or stomach pain; shortness of breath; speech problems; stiff neck; sudden weight gain; swelling; unusual drowsiness; vision problems; vomiting; weakness; yellowing of the skin or eyes.

Flebogamma Side Effects - for the Professional

Flebogamma

Increases of creatinine and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) have been observed as soon as 1 to 2 days following infusion of IGIV. Progression to oliguria and anuria requiring dialysis has been observed, although some patients have improved spontaneously following cessation of treatment (19). Types of severe renal adverse reactions that have been seen following IGIV therapy include: acute renal failure, acute tubular necrosis (20), proximal tubular nephropathy, and osmotic nephrosis (6).

Certain severe adverse reactions may be related to the rate of infusion. The recommended infusion rate [See DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION] must be closely followed. Patients must be closely monitored and carefully observed for any symptoms throughout the infusion period. Adverse reactions may occur more frequently when a high infusion rate is used, the treatment is the initial exposure to immunoglobulin, the immunoglobulin product has been changed to that of a different manufacturer, or there has been a long interval (more than 8 weeks) since the previous infusion. Slowing or stopping an infusion usually results in the prompt disappearance of symptoms.

Postmarketing:

The following adverse reactions have been identified and reported during the post-approval use of IGIV products (21).

Because postmarketing reporting of these reactions is voluntary and the at-risk populations are of uncertain size, it is not always possible to reliably estimate the frequency of the reaction or establish a causal relationship to exposure to the product. Such is also the case with literature reports authored independently.

Adverse events were reported in a study of 51 individuals with primary humoral immunodeficiency diseases receiving infusions every 3 to 4 weeks of 300 to 600 mg/kg body weight. Forty-nine (96%) subjects experienced at least 1 adverse event irrespective of the relationship with the product, and these subjects reported a total of 784 adverse events. None of the 51 subjects who participated in this study discontinued the study prematurely due to an adverse experience.

Adverse events that occurred with an incidence of > 15% on a per subject basis are summarized in Table 6. No adverse events occurred with an incidence of > 2% on a per infusion basis.

Forty-six (90%) subjects had 331 adverse events that occurred during an infusion or within 72 hours after the completion of the infusion. Therefore 42% of all adverse events, regardless of assessed causality, were temporally associated with the infusion of Flebogamma® 5%.

Overall, 217 of 746 infusions (29%) were temporally associated with 1 or more adverse events occurring within 72 hours after an infusion, regardless of assessed relationship to treatment; the 1-sided, 95%, upper-bound confidence interval was 34%.

A summary of infusions with mild, moderate, and severe treatment-related adverse events is in Table 7.

The number and percent of subjects with treatment-emergent rises in AST or ALT are in Table 8.

None of these subjects had a concomitant treatment-emergent rise in total bilirubin.

Reported adverse reactions with Flebogamma® 5% and other IGIV products include: headache, chills, fever, shaking, fatigue, malaise, anxiety, back pain, muscle cramps, abdominal cramps, blood pressure changes, chest tightness, palpitations, tachycardia, nausea, vomiting, cutaneous reactions, wheezing, rash, arthralgia, and edema, often beginning within 60 minutes of the start of the infusion.

Rarely, Immune Globulin Intravenous (Human) can induce a severe fall in blood pressure with anaphylactic reaction, even in patients who had tolerated previous treatment with IGIV. In the case of shock, the current medical standards for shock treatment should be implemented.

Side Effects by Body System

General

In general, immune globulin intravenous human (IGIV) has been well tolerated. Mild infusion related symptoms of headache, myalgia, backache, fever, pruritus, hypotension/hypertension, tachycardia, chest tightness, chills, flushing, and nausea have been reported. Slowing or temporarily discontinuing the infusion has usually resulted in resolution of symptoms.

Renal

Renal side effects have included acute renal failure, acute tubular necrosis, proximal tubular nephropathy, and osmotic nephrosis, primarily in patients with baseline renal impairment. Some patients have required dialysis. Elevations in creatinine and BUN have been noted within 1 to 2 days following infusion. The incidence of adverse reactions may be greater in products containing sucrose as a stabilizer. Maltose containing products may cause mild diuresis. At least one case of reversible oliguria requiring only supportive care and renal failure requiring transplantation in a patient with baseline renal dysfunction has also been reported.

Twenty cases of IGIV related renal impairment have been reported.

Renal impairment, including renal failure, usually occurred in the first 5 days of therapy and more frequently in patients receiving high IGIV dosages for immune thrombocytopenia purpura.

Spontaneous reports to one manufacturer suggest that diabetic patients over the age of 70 years and patients with lupus nephritis receiving dosages greater than 400 mg/kg/day may be at increased risk of renal impairment. The mechanism has not been fully established, but may be related to renal tubular sucrose-induced osmotic injury or an immune mechanism.

Hypersensitivity

Hypersensitivity side effects have included responses in the form of an inflammatory reaction (fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, hypotension) in 10% of patients with agammaglobulinemia or severe hypogammaglobulinemia who have not received IGIV within 8 weeks or who have never received IGIV. True anaphylaxis, rarely resulting in death, has been reported.

Anaphylaxis has occurred more frequently in patients with previous severe hypersensitivity reactions to IGIV, but has been reported in patients without a history of IGIV allergy. Patients previously sensitized to antibodies, such as IgA, may be at increased risk for immediate hypersensitivity reactions. Epinephrine, oxygen, IV antihistamines, and IV corticosteroids should be immediately available as such reactions can occur seconds to hours after the initiation of the infusion.

Nervous system

Limited data suggest that a history of migraine headaches may be associated with an increased risk of aseptic meningitis syndrome.

Nervous system side effects have been reported rarely. Mild, post infusion headache has been reported in 2% of patients with Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP) who received dosages equal to or greater than 0.4 g/kg/day. An Aseptic Meningitis Syndrome (AMS), primarily associated with dosages greater than 2 g/kg, has occasionally been reported. Discontinuation of IGIV has resulted in AMS resolution without sequelae. Rarely, seizures have been reported.

Metabolic

Metabolic side effects have been reported rarely. Hyponatremia has been reported in products containing 10% maltose.

Hematologic

Hematologic side effects have been reported rarely. These have included reports of mild hemolysis due to transfer of blood group antibodies, and thrombotic complications. At least 6 cases of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) associated with acute hemoglinemia or hemoglobinuria following immune globulin intravenous administration have been reported.

A recent report of two women who received high dose IVIg and subsequently developed thromboembolic complications suggests that high-dose IVIg increases blood viscosity that may last for several weeks, which may increase susceptibility to thromboembolism in predisposed patients.

Out of the 6 patients who developed DIC, 1 child recovered without sequelae and 5 adults all died. The attending or consulting physicians assessed that acute hemolysis or DIC caused or contributed to each death.

Cardiovascular

Cardiovascular side effects have included rare reports of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular thrombosis.

Local

IGIV products with a more acidic pH have been reported to cause greater vein irritation.

Local side effects have included injection site reactions. These have included erythema, pain, infection, venous thrombosis, thrombophlebitis, and eczema.

Immunologic

Immunologic side effects have been reported rarely. All U.S. immune globulin products undergo viral inactivation and/or removal. However, no method has been totally effective in removing all risk and the potential exists for the presence of unknown infectious agents.

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