Side Effects for Anascorp
The most common adverse reactions observed in ≥ 2% of patients in the clinical studies for ANASCORP were: vomiting, pyrexia, rash, nausea, and pruritus.
Clinical Trials Experience
Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in clinical practice.
A total of 1534 patients were treated with ANASCORP, ranging from less than one month to 90 years old. The patient population was comprised of 802 males and 732 females. Patients were monitored for signs and symptoms of adverse reactions, including acute hypersensitivity reactions and serum sickness. Follow-up telephone interviews were conducted at 24 hours, 7 days, and 14 days after treatment to assess symptoms suggestive of ongoing venom effect, serum sickness, and any other adverse reactions.
Table 1 shows the adverse reactions occurring in patients across all clinical trials for ANASCORP. Twenty-seven percent (421/1534) of patients receiving ANASCORP reported at least one adverse reaction.
Table 1: Adverse Reactions Reported in ≥ 1 % of Patients
| ADVERSE REACTION |
ANASCORP
[n=1534] n (%) |
| Vomiting |
72 (4.7) |
| Pyrexia |
63 (4.1) |
| Rash |
41 (2.7) |
| Nausea |
32 (2.1) |
| Pruritus |
31 (2.0) |
| Headache |
29 (1.9) |
| Rhinorrhea |
28 (1.8) |
| Myalgia |
25 (1.6) |
| Fatigue |
24 (1.6) |
| Cough |
22 (1.4) |
| Diarrhea |
20 (1.3) |
| Lethargy |
17 (1.1) |
No patients died or discontinued study participation for severe adverse reactions.
Eight patients were considered to have serum sickness (Type III hypersensitivity); no patient manifested the full serum sickness syndrome. Three patients were treated with systemic corticosteroids and five others received either no treatment or symptomatic therapy.
34 patients experienced a total of 39 severe adverse reactions such as respiratory distress, aspiration, hypoxia, ataxia, pneumonia, and eye swelling. It is not clear whether these adverse reactions were related to ANASCORP, envenomation, or a combination of both2.
Postmarketing Experience
The following adverse reactions have been identified during post approval use of ANASCORP. Because these reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure.
Chest tightness, palpitations, rash and pruritus.
Drug Interactions for Anascorp
No drug interaction studies have been conducted with ANASCORP.
REFERENCES
2. Boyer L, Degan J, Ruha AM, et al. Safety of intravenous equine F(ab’)2: Insights following clinical trials involving 1534 recipients of scorpion Antivenom. Toxicon 76 (2013) 386–393c.