Paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria

Active Ingredient: Ravulizumab

Indication for Ravulizumab

Population group: only children (1 year - 12 years old) , adolescents (12 years - 18 years old) , adults (18 years old or older)
Therapeutic intent: Curative procedure

Ravulizumab is indicated in the treatment of adult and paediatric patients with a body weight of 10 kg or above with paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria (PNH):

  • in patients with haemolysis with clinical symptom(s) indicative of high disease activity.
  • in patients who are clinically stable after having been treated with eculizumab for at least the past 6 months.

For this indication, competent medicine agencies globally authorize below treatments:

2,400-3,000 mg at week 0, 3,000-3,600 mg at week 2 and once every 8 weeks thereafter, based on body weight

For:

Dosage regimens

Regimen A: In case that patient weight is ≥ 40 kg and patient weight is ≤ 60 kg, intravenous, 2,400 milligrams ravulizumab, one dose, over the duration of 2 weeks. Afterwards, in case that patient weight is ≥ 40 kg and patient weight is ≤ 60 kg, intravenous, 3,000 milligrams ravulizumab, once every 8 weeks.

Regimen B: In case that patient weight is ≥ 60 kg and patient weight is ≤ 100 kg, intravenous, 2,700 milligrams ravulizumab, one dose, over the duration of 2 weeks. Afterwards, in case that patient weight is ≥ 60 kg and patient weight is ≤ 100 kg, intravenous, 3,300 milligrams ravulizumab, once every 8 weeks.

Regimen C: In case that patient weight is ≥ 100 kg, intravenous, 3,000 milligrams ravulizumab, one dose, over the duration of 2 weeks. Afterwards, in case that patient weight is ≥ 100 kg, intravenous, 3,600 milligrams ravulizumab, once every 8 weeks.

Detailed description

The recommended dosing regimen consists of a loading dose followed by maintenance dosing, administered by intravenous infusion. The doses to be administered are based on the patient’s body weight, as shown in Table 1. For adult patients (≥18 years of age), maintenance doses should be administered at a once every 8-week interval, starting 2 weeks after loading dose administration.

Dosing schedule is allowed to occasionally vary by ± 7 days of the scheduled infusion day (except for the first maintenance dose of ravulizumab), but the subsequent dose should be administered according to the original schedule.

Table 1. Ravulizumab weight-based dosing regimen for adult patients with body weight greater than or equal to 40 kg:

Body weight range (kg) Loading dose (mg) Maintenance dose (mg)* Dosing interval
≥40 to <60 2,400 3,000 Every 8 weeks
≥60 to <100 2,700 3,300 Every 8 weeks
≥100 3,000 3,600 Every 8 weeks

* First maintenance dose is administered 2 weeks after loading dose.

Treatment initiation instructions in patients who are complement-inhibitor treatment-naïve or switching treatment from eculizumab are shown in Table 2.

Table 2. Ravulizumab treatment initiation instructions:

Population Weight-based ravulizumab
loading dose
Time of first ravulizumab weight-
based maintenance dose
Not currently on ravulizumab or
eculizumab treatment
At treatment start 2 weeks after ravulizumab loading dose
Currently treated with
eculizumab
At time of next scheduled
eculizumab dose
2 weeks after ravulizumab loading dose

PNH is a chronic disease and treatment with ravulizumab is recommended to continue for the patient’s lifetime, unless the discontinuation of ravulizumab is clinically indicated.

Supplemental dosing following treatment with plasma exchange (PE), plasmapheresis (PP), or intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg)

Plasma exchange (PE), plasmapheresis (PP) and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) have been shown to reduce ravulizumab serum levels. A supplemental dose of ravulizumab is required in the setting of PE, PP or IVIg (Table 3).

Table 3. Supplemental dose of ravulizumab after PP, PE, or IVIg:

Body weight
range (kg)
Most recent
ravulizumab dose
(mg)
Supplemental dose (mg)
following each PE or PP
intervention
Supplemental dose (mg)
following completion of an
IVIg cycle
≥40 to <60 2,400 1,200 600
3,000 1,500
≥60 to <100 2,700 1,500 600
3,300 1,800
≥100 3,000 1,500 600
3,600 1,800
Timing of ravulizumab supplemental
dose
Within 4 hours following
each PE or PP intervention
Within 4 hours following
completion of an IVIg cycle

Abbreviations: IVIg = intravenous immunoglobulin, kg = kilogram, PE = plasma exchange, PP = plasmapheresis

Elderly

No dose adjustment is required for patients with PNH aged 65 years and over. There is no evidence indicating any special precautions are required for treating a geriatric population – although experience with ravulizumab in elderly patients with PNH in clinical studies is limited.

Dosage considerations

Ravulizumab should not be administered as an intravenous push or bolus injection.

600-3,000 mg at week 0 and thereafter 600 mg every 4 weeks or 900-3,600 mg every 8 weeks, based on body weight

For:

Dosage regimens

Regimen A: In case that patient weight is ≥ 10 kg and patient weight is ≤ 20 kg, intravenous, 600 milligrams ravulizumab, one dose, over the duration of 2 weeks. Afterwards, in case that patient weight is ≥ 10 kg and patient weight is ≤ 20 kg, intravenous, 600 milligrams ravulizumab, once every 4 weeks.

Regimen B: In case that patient weight is ≥ 20 kg and patient weight is ≤ 30 kg, intravenous, 900 milligrams ravulizumab, one dose, over the duration of 2 weeks. Afterwards, in case that patient weight is ≥ 20 kg and patient weight is ≤ 30 kg, intravenous, 2,100 milligrams ravulizumab, once every 8 weeks.

Regimen C: In case that patient weight is ≥ 30 kg and patient weight is ≤ 40 kg, intravenous, 1,200 milligrams ravulizumab, one dose, over the duration of 2 weeks. Afterwards, in case that patient weight is ≥ 30 kg and patient weight is ≤ 40 kg, intravenous, 2,700 milligrams ravulizumab, once every 8 weeks.

Regimen D: In case that patient weight is ≥ 40 kg and patient weight is ≤ 60 kg, intravenous, 2,400 milligrams ravulizumab, one dose, over the duration of 2 weeks. Afterwards, in case that patient weight is ≥ 40 kg and patient weight is ≤ 60 kg, intravenous, 3,000 milligrams ravulizumab, once every 8 weeks.

Regimen E: In case that patient weight is ≥ 60 kg and patient weight is ≤ 100 kg, intravenous, 2,700 milligrams ravulizumab, one dose, over the duration of 2 weeks. Afterwards, in case that patient weight is ≥ 60 kg and patient weight is ≤ 100 kg, intravenous, 3,300 milligrams ravulizumab, once every 8 weeks.

Regimen F: In case that patient weight is ≥ 100 kg, intravenous, 3,000 milligrams ravulizumab, one dose, over the duration of 2 weeks. Afterwards, in case that patient weight is ≥ 100 kg, intravenous, 3,600 milligrams ravulizumab, once every 8 weeks.

Detailed description

Paediatric patients with body weight ≥40 kg

These patients should be treated in accordance with the adult dosing recommendations (See Table 1).

Table 1. Ravulizumab weight-based dosing regimen for adult patients with body weight greater than or equal to 40 kg:

Body weight range (kg) Loading dose (mg) Maintenance dose (mg)* Dosing interval
≥40 to <60 2,400 3,000 Every 8 weeks
≥60 to <100 2,700 3,300 Every 8 weeks
≥100 3,000 3,600 Every 8 weeks

* First maintenance dose is administered 2 weeks after loading dose.

Treatment initiation instructions in patients who are complement-inhibitor treatment-naïve or switching treatment from eculizumab are shown in Table 2.

Table 2. Ravulizumab treatment initiation instructions:

Population Weight-based ravulizumab
loading dose
Time of first ravulizumab weight-
based maintenance dose
Not currently on ravulizumab or
eculizumab treatment
At treatment start 2 weeks after ravulizumab loading dose
Currently treated with
eculizumab
At time of next scheduled
eculizumab dose
2 weeks after ravulizumab loading dose

Paediatric patients with body weight ≥10 kg to <40 kg

The weight-based doses and dosing intervals for paediatric patients ≥10 kg to <40 kg are shown in Table 3.

For patients switching from eculizumab to ravulizumab, the loading dose of ravulizumab should be administered 2 weeks after the last eculizumab infusion, and then maintenance doses should be administered per weight-based dosing regimen shown in Table 3, starting 2 weeks after loading dose administration.

Table 3. Ravulizumab weight-based dosing regimen for paediatric patients with PNH below 40 kg:

Body weight range (kg) Loading dose (mg) Maintenance dose (mg)* Dosing interval
≥10 to <20 600 600 Every 4 weeks
≥20 to <30 900 2,100 Every 8 weeks
≥30 to <40 1,200 2,700 Every 8 weeks

* First maintenance dose is administered 2 weeks after loading dose

Ravulizumab has not been studied in paediatric patients with PNH who weigh less than 30 kg. The recommended posology for these patients is based on the posology used for paediatric patients with aHUS, on the basis of the pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) data available in aHUS and PNH patients treated with ravulizumab.

PNH is a chronic disease and treatment with ravulizumab is recommended to continue for the patient’s lifetime, unless the discontinuation of ravulizumab is clinically indicated.

Supplemental dosing following treatment with plasma exchange (PE), plasmapheresis (PP), or intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg)

Plasma exchange (PE), plasmapheresis (PP) and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) have been shown to reduce ravulizumab serum levels. A supplemental dose of ravulizumab is required in the setting of PE, PP or IVIg (Table 4).

Table 4. Supplemental dose of ravulizumab after PP, PE, or IVIg:

Body weight
range (kg)
Most recent
ravulizumab dose
(mg)
Supplemental dose (mg)
following each PE or PP
intervention
Supplemental dose (mg)
following completion of an
IVIg cycle
≥40 to <60 2,400 1,200 600
3,000 1,500
≥60 to <100 2,700 1,500 600
3,300 1,800
≥100 3,000 1,500 600
3,600 1,800
Timing of ravulizumab supplemental
dose
Within 4 hours following
each PE or PP intervention
Within 4 hours following
completion of an IVIg cycle

Abbreviations: IVIg = intravenous immunoglobulin, kg = kilogram, PE = plasma exchange, PP = plasmapheresis

Dosage considerations

Ravulizumab should not be administered as an intravenous push or bolus injection.

Active ingredient

Ravulizumab

Ravulizumab is a monoclonal antibody IgG2/4K that specifically binds to the complement protein C5, thereby inhibiting its cleavage to C5a (the proinflammatory anaphylatoxin) and C5b (the initiating subunit of the terminal complement complex [C5b-9]) and preventing the generation of the C5b-9. Ravulizumab preserves the early components of complement activation that are essential for opsonisation of microorganisms and clearance of immune complexes.

Read more about Ravulizumab

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