SOLIRIS Concentrate for solution for infusion Ref.[8919] Active ingredients: Eculizumab

Source: European Medicines Agency (EU)  Revision Year: 2020  Publisher: Alexion Europe SAS, 103-105 rue Anatole France, 92300, Levallois-Perret, FRANCE

Therapeutic indications

Soliris is indicated in adults and children for the treatment of:

  • Paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria (PNH). Evidence of clinical benefit is demonstrated in patients with haemolysis with clinical symptom(s) indicative of high disease activity, regardless of transfusion history (see section 5.1).
  • Atypical haemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) (see section 5.1).

Soliris is indicated in adults for the treatment of:

  • Refractory generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) in patients who are anti-acetylcholine receptor (AChR) antibody-positive (see section 5.1).
  • Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) in patients who are anti-aquaporin-4 (AQP4) antibody-positive with a relapsing course of the disease (see section 5.1).

Posology and method of administration

Soliris must be administered by a healthcare professional and under the supervision of a physician experienced in the management of patients with haematological, renal, neuromuscular or neuro-inflammatory disorders.

Posology

Adult Patients

In Paroxysmal Nocturnal Haemoglobinuria (PNH)

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

  • Initial phase: 600 mg of Soliris administered via a 25–45 minute (35 minutes ± 10 minutes) intravenous infusion every week for the first 4 weeks.
  • Maintenance phase: 900 mg of Soliris administered via a 25–45 minute (35 minutes ± 10 minutes) intravenous infusion for the fifth week, followed by 900 mg of Soliris administered via a 25–45 minute (35 minutes ± 10 minutes) intravenous infusion every 14 ± 2 days (see section 5.1).

In atypical Haemolytic Uremic Syndrome (aHUS), refractory generalized Myasthenia Gravis (gMG) and Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder (NMOSD)

The aHUS, refractory gMG and NMOSD 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 Soliris 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 Soliris administered via a 25–45 minute (35 minutes ± 10 minutes) intravenous infusion for the fifth week, followed by 1,200 mg of Soliris administered via a 25–45 minute (35 minutes ± 10 minutes) intravenous infusion every 14 ± 2 days (see section 5.1).

Paediatric patients in PNH and aHUS

Paediatric PNH and aHUS patients with body weight ≥ 40 kg are treated with the adult dosing recommendations, respectively.

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

Patient Body WeightInitial Phase Maintenance Phase
30 to <40 kg600 mg weekly x 2900 mg at week 3; then 900 mg every 2 weeks
20 to <30 kg600 mg weekly x 2600 mg at week 3; then 600 mg every 2 weeks
10 to <20 kg600 mg weekly x 1300 mg at week 2; then 300 mg every 2 weeks
5 to <10 kg300 mg weekly x 1300 mg at week 2; then 300 mg every 3 weeks

Soliris has not been studied in patients with PNH who weigh less than 40kg. The posology of Soliris for PNH patients less than 40kg weight is based on the posology used for patients with aHUS and who weigh less than 40kg.

Soliris has not been studied in paediatric patients with refractory gMG or NMOSD.

For adult aHUS, refractory gMG and NMOSD patients and paediatric aHUS patients supplemental dosing of Soliris is required in the setting of concomitant PE/PI (plasmapheresis or plasma exchange, or fresh frozen plasma infusion):

Type of Plasma InterventionMost Recent Soliris DoseSupplemental Soliris Dose With Each PE/PI InterventionTiming of Supplemental Soliris Dose
Plasmapheresis or plasma exchange300 mg300 mg per each plasmapheresis or plasma exchange sessionWithin 60 minutes after each plasmapheresis or plasma exchange
≥600 mg 600 mg per each plasmapheresis or plasma exchange session
Fresh frozen plasma infusion≥300 mg 300 mg per infusion of fresh frozen plasma60 minutes prior to each infusion of fresh frozen plasma

Treatment monitoring

aHUS patients should be monitored for signs and symptoms of thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) (see section 4.4 aHUS laboratory monitoring). Soliris treatment is recommended to continue for the patient’s lifetime, unless the discontinuation of Soliris is clinically indicated (see section 4.4).

Elderly

Soliris 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 Soliris in this patient population is still limited.

Renal impairment

No dose adjustment is required for patients with renal impairment (see section 5.1).

Hepatic impairment

The safety and efficacy of Soliris have not been studied in patients with hepatic impairment.

Method of administration

Do not administer as an intravenous push or bolus injection. Soliris should only be administered via intravenous infusion as described below.

For instructions on dilution of the medicinal product before administration, see section 6.6. The diluted solution of Soliris should be administered by intravenous infusion over 25–45 minutes (35 minutes ± 10 minutes) in adults and 1-4 hours in paediatric patients under 18 years of age via gravity feed, a syringe-type pump, or an infusion pump. It is not necessary to protect the diluted solution of Soliris from light during administration to the patient. Patients should be monitored for one hour following infusion. If an adverse event occurs during the administration of Soliris, 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.

Refractory gMG

Available data suggest that clinical response is usually achieved by 12 weeks of Soliris treatment. Discontinuation of the therapy should be considered in a patient who shows no evidence of therapeutic benefit by 12 weeks.

Overdose

No case of overdose has been reported.

Shelf life

Shelf life: 30 months.

After dilution, the medicinal product should be used immediately. However, chemical and physical stability has been demonstrated for 24 hours at 2°C–8°C.

Special precautions for storage

Store in a refrigerator (2°C–8°C).

Do not freeze.

Store in the original package in order to protect from light.

Soliris vials in the original package may be removed from refrigerated storage for only one single period of up to 3 days. At the end of this period the product can be put back in the refrigerator.

For storage conditions after dilution of the medicinal product, see section 6.3.

Nature and contents of container

30 ml of concentrate in a vial (Type I glass) with a stopper (butyl, siliconised), and a seal (aluminium) with flip-off cap (polypropylene).

Pack size of one vial.

Special precautions for disposal and other handling

Prior to administration, the Soliris solution should be visually inspected for particulate matter and discolouration.

Instructions:

Reconstitution and dilution should be performed in accordance with good practices rules, particularly for the respect of asepsis.

Withdraw the total amount of Soliris from the vial(s) using a sterile syringe.

Transfer the recommended dose to an infusion bag.

Dilute Soliris to a final concentration of 5 mg/ml by addition to the infusion bag using sodium chloride 9 mg/ml (0.9%) solution for injection, sodium chloride 4.5 mg/ml (0.45%) solution for injection, or 5% dextrose in water, as the diluent.

The final volume of a 5 mg/ml diluted solution is 60 ml for 300 mg doses, 120 ml for 600 mg doses, 180 ml for 900 mg doses and 240 ml for 1,200 mg doses. The solution should be clear and colourless.

Gently agitate the infusion bag containing the diluted solution to ensure thorough mixing of the product and diluent.

The diluted solution should be allowed to warm to room temperature prior to administration by exposure to ambient air.

Discard any unused portion left in a vial, as the product contains no preservatives.

Any unused medicinal product or waste material should be disposed of in accordance with local requirements.

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