Atypical haemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS)

Active Ingredient: Eculizumab

Indication for Eculizumab

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

Eculizumab is indicated in adults and children for the treatment of atypical haemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS).

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

900 mg every week for the first 4 weeks, 1,200 mg for the fifth week and thereafter 1.200 mg every 14 ± 2 days

For:

Dosage regimens

Intravenous, 900 milligrams eculizumab, once weekly, over the duration of 4 weeks. Afterwards, intravenous, 1,200 milligrams eculizumab, one dose, over the duration of 1 week. Afterwards, intravenous, 1,200 milligrams eculizumab, once every 14 to 16 days.

Detailed description

The aHUS dosing regimen for adult patients (≥18 years of age) consists of a 4 week initial phase followed by a maintenance phase:

  • Initial phase: 900 mg of eculizumab administered via a 25–45 minute (35 minutes ± 10 minutes) intravenous infusion every week for the first 4 weeks.
  • Maintenance phase: 1,200 mg of eculizumab administered via a 25–45 minute (35 minutes ± 10 minutes) intravenous infusion for the fifth week, followed by 1,200 mg of eculizumab administered via a 25–45 minute (35 minutes ± 10 minutes) intravenous infusion every 14 ± 2 days.

Treatment monitoring

Eculizumab treatment is recommended to continue for the patient’s lifetime, unless the discontinuation of eculizumab is clinically indicated.

Elderly

Eculizumab may be administered to patients aged 65 years and over. There is no evidence to suggest that any special precautions are needed when older people are treated–although experience with eculizumab in this patient population is still limited.

Dosage considerations

The diluted solution of eculizumab should be administered by intravenous infusion over 25–45 minutes (35 minutes ± 10 minutes) in adults.

Patients should be monitored for one hour following infusion. If an adverse event occurs during the administration of eculizumab, the infusion may be slowed or stopped at the discretion of the physician. If the infusion is slowed, the total infusion time may not exceed two hours in adults and four hours in paediatric patients under 18 years of age.

There is limited safety data supporting home-based infusions, additional precautions in the home setting such as availability of emergency treatment of infusion reactions or anaphylaxis are recommended.

300-600 mg in the initial phase and 300-900 mg in the maintenance phase based on body weight

For:

Dosage regimens

Regimen A: In case that patient weight is ≥ 40 kg, intravenous, 600 milligrams eculizumab, once weekly, over the duration of 4 weeks. Afterwards, in case that patient weight is ≥ 40 kg, intravenous, 900 milligrams eculizumab, one dose, over the duration of 1 week. Afterwards, in case that patient weight is ≥ 40 kg, intravenous, 900 milligrams eculizumab, once every 14 to 16 days.

Regimen B: In case that patient weight is ≥ 30 kg and patient weight is < 40 kg, intravenous, 600 milligrams eculizumab, once weekly, over the duration of 2 weeks. Afterwards, in case that patient weight is ≥ 30 kg and patient weight is < 40 kg, intravenous, 900 milligrams eculizumab, one dose, over the duration of 1 week. Afterwards, in case that patient weight is ≥ 30 kg and patient weight is < 40 kg, intravenous, 900 milligrams eculizumab, once every 2 weeks.

Regimen C: In case that patient weight is ≥ 20 kg and patient weight is < 30 kg, intravenous, 600 milligrams eculizumab, once weekly, over the duration of 2 weeks. Afterwards, in case that patient weight is ≥ 20 kg and patient weight is < 30 kg, intravenous, 600 milligrams eculizumab, one dose, over the duration of 1 week. Afterwards, in case that patient weight is ≥ 20 kg and patient weight is < 30 kg, intravenous, 600 milligrams eculizumab, once every 2 weeks.

Regimen D: In case that patient weight is ≥ 10 kg and patient weight is < 20 kg, intravenous, 600 milligrams eculizumab, one dose, over the duration of 1 week. Afterwards, in case that patient weight is ≥ 10 kg and patient weight is < 20 kg, intravenous, 300 milligrams eculizumab, one dose, over the duration of 1 week. Afterwards, in case that patient weight is ≥ 10 kg and patient weight is < 20 kg, intravenous, 300 milligrams eculizumab, once every 2 weeks.

Regimen E: In case that patient weight is ≥ 5 kg and patient weight is < 10 kg, intravenous, 300 milligrams eculizumab, one dose, over the duration of 1 week. Afterwards, in case that patient weight is ≥ 5 kg and patient weight is < 10 kg, intravenous, 300 milligrams eculizumab, one dose, over the duration of 1 week. Afterwards, in case that patient weight is ≥ 5 kg and patient weight is < 10 kg, intravenous, 300 milligrams eculizumab, once every 3 weeks.

Detailed description

Paediatric aHUS patients with body weight ≥40 kg are treated with the adult dosing recommendations. The PNH dosing regimen consists of a 4-week initial phase followed by a maintenance phase:

  • Initial phase: 600 mg of eculizumab administered via a 25–45 minute (35 minutes ± 10 minutes) intravenous infusion every week for the first 4 weeks.
  • Maintenance phase: 900 mg of eculizumab administered via a 25–45 minute (35 minutes ± 10 minutes) intravenous infusion for the fifth week, followed by 900 mg of eculizumab administered via a 25–45 minute (35 minutes ± 10 minutes) intravenous infusion every 14 ± 2 days.

In paediatric aHUS patients with body weight below 40 kg, the eculizumab dosing regimen consists of:

Patient Body
Weight
Initial Phase Maintenance Phase
30 to <40 kg 600 mg weekly for the first 2
weeks
900 mg at week 3; then 900 mg every 2 weeks
20 to <30 kg600 mg weekly for the first 2
weeks
600 mg at week 3; then 600 mg every 2 weeks
10 to <20 kg 600 mg single dose at week 1 300 mg at week 2; then 300 mg every 2 weeks
5 to <10 kg 300 mg single dose at week 1 300 mg at week 2; then 300 mg every 3 weeks

Treatment monitoring

aHUS patients should be monitored for signs and symptoms of thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA). Eculizumab treatment is recommended to continue for the patient’s lifetime, unless the discontinuation of Soliris is clinically indicated.

Dosage considerations

The diluted solution of eculizumab should be administered by intravenous infusion over 25–45 minutes (35 minutes ± 10 minutes) in adults.

Patients should be monitored for one hour following infusion. If an adverse event occurs during the administration of eculizumab, the infusion may be slowed or stopped at the discretion of the physician. If the infusion is slowed, the total infusion time may not exceed two hours in adults and four hours in paediatric patients under 18 years of age.

There is limited safety data supporting home-based infusions, additional precautions in the home setting such as availability of emergency treatment of infusion reactions or anaphylaxis are recommended.

Active ingredient

Eculizumab

Eculizumab is a terminal complement inhibitor that specifically binds to the complement protein C5 with high affinity, thereby inhibiting its cleavage to C5a and C5b and preventing the generation of the terminal complement complex C5b-9. Eculizumab preserves the early components of complement activation that are essential for opsonization of microorganisms and clearance of immune complexes.

Read more about Eculizumab

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