PATIENT INFORMATION
STRENSIQ™
(stren' sik)
(asfotase alfa) injection, for subcutaneous use
What is STRENSIQ?
STRENSIQ is a prescription medicine used to treat people
with perinatal, infantile, and juvenile onset hypophosphatasia (HPP).
Before using STRENSIQ, tell your healthcare provider
about all of your medical conditions, including if you:
- are allergic to asfotase alfa or any of the ingredients
in STRENSIQ. See the end of this leaflet for a complete list of ingredients in
STRENSIQ.
- are pregnant or planning to become pregnant. It is not
known if STRENSIQ will harm your unborn baby.
- are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known
if STRENSIQ passes into your breast milk. Talk to your healthcare provider
about the best way to feed your baby if you use STRENSIQ.
Tell your healthcare provider about all the
medications you take, including prescription and over-the counter
medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
There is a registry for people who use STRENSIQ. The
purpose of this registry is to collect information about HPP and about what
happens when you use STRENSIQ for a long time. For more information about this
registry, talk with your healthcare provider or go to www.hppregistry.com.
How should I use STRENSIQ?
- See the “Instructions for Use” that come with STRENSIQ
for detailed instructions about the right way to use STRENSIQ.
- Use STRENSIQ exactly as your healthcare provider tells
you to.
- Your healthcare provider will tell you how much STRENSIQ
to use and when to use it.
- Your healthcare provider may change your dose if needed.
- Change (rotate) your injection site with each injection. Do
not use the same injection site for each injection.
What are the possible side effects of STRENSIQ?
STRENSIQ may cause serious side effects, including:
- serious allergic (hypersensitivity) reactions. Serious allergic reactions have happened in some people who use STRENSIQ. Stop
using STRENSIQ and go to the nearest hospital emergency room right away if you
have any of the signs and symptoms of a serious allergic reaction including:
- difficulty breathing
- nausea or vomiting
- swelling of your eyes, lips or tongue
- hives
- feeling faint
- dizziness
- itching of lips, tongue or throat
- choking sensation
- skin thickening or pits at the injection site
(lipodystrophy). Lipodystrophy at the injection site has happened several
months after using STRENSIQ.
- calcium build up in your eyes and kidneys. You
healthcare provider should check your eyes and kidneys while you use STRENSIQ.
The most common side effects of STRENSIQ include
local skin injection site reactions (including skin red patches, bruising,
color change, pain, itching, thinning, swelling, pits, and bumps) and calcium
build up in your eyes and kidneys.
These are not all the possible side effects of STRENSIQ.
For more information, ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist. Call your
healthcare provider for medical advice about side effects. You may report side
effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
General information about the safe and effective use
of STRENSIQ
Medicines are sometimes prescribed for purposes other
than those listed in a Patient Information leaflet. Do not use STRENSIQ for a
condition for which it was not prescribed. Do not give STRENSIQ to other
people, even if they have the same symptoms that you have. It may harm them.
You can ask your pharmacist or healthcare provider for information about
STRENSIQ that is written for healthcare professionals.
What are the ingredients in STRENSIQ?
- Active ingredient: asfotase alfa
- Inactive ingredients: dibasic sodium phosphate,
heptahydrate; monobasic sodium phosphate, monohydrate and sodium chloride.
Manufactured by: Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., New
Haven, CT 06510, USA U.S. License Number: 1743 For more information, go to
www.strensiq.com or call 888-765-4747. Revised: 9/2016
Instructions for Use
STRENSIQ™
(stren' sik)
(asfotase alfa) injection, for subcutaneous use vial
Read this Instructions for Use
before you start using STRENSIQ and each time you get a refill. There may be
new information. This information does not take the place of talking to your
healthcare provider about your medical condition or your treatment.
Do not share your syringes
or needles with anyone else. You may give an infection to them or get an
infection from them.
Supplies needed to give your
STRENSIQ injection (See Figure A):
- 1 or 2 STRENSIQ vial(s)
- 1 or 2 sterile disposable 1 mL
syringes for injection with 25 to 29 Gauge (G), ½ inch needles.
- 2 alcohol wipes
- 1 gauze or cotton ball
- a clean flat surface like a table
- 1 sharps container for throwing
away used needles and syringes. See “Disposing of used needles and syringes” at the end of these instructions.
Figure A
Preparing your STRENSIQ
dose:
- Prepare a clean flat surface,
like a table or counter top
- Gather all the supplies you
will need to give your STRENSIQ injection
- Wash your hands with soap and
water
Step 1: Check the liquid in the
STRENSIQ vial. STRENSIQ liquid should look clear or slightly yellow and may
have a few small white particles in it. Do not use it if the liquid is
discolored or contains any lumps or large particles in it. Throw it away and
get a new vial.
Step 2: Using your thumb, flip
the plastic cap off the STRENSIQ vial.
Step 3: Remove the needle from
the package. Pick up the syringe and place the needle on the tip of the
syringe. Push down and twist the needle onto the syringe until it is tight.
Step 4: Hold the syringe with
the needle pointing up and pull back the plunger until the top of the plunger
reaches the line for your prescribed dose.
Step 5: Pull the cap straight off
of the needle.
- Do not touch the needle or let
the needle touch any surface.
Step 6: Hold the STRENSIQ vial
firmly on a flat surface, then push the needle through the rubber stopper of
the STRENSIQ vial.
Step 7: Keeping the needle in the
STRENSIQ vial, lift the vial and turn it upside down with the needle pointing
toward the ceiling. Slowly push the plunger all the way in.
Step 8: With the needle tip still
in the liquid, slowly pull back the plunger until the top of the plunger
reaches the line slightly past the line for your prescribed dose. Do not pull
the needle out of the STRENSIQ vial. Slowly push the plunger up until the top
of the plunger reaches the line for your prescribed dose.
- Check the syringe to make sure
that you have the right dose.
Step 9: Turn the STRENSIQ vial
upright and pull the syringe straight out of the vial's rubber stopper.
- Do not touch the needle or allow
the needle to touch any surface.
Step 10: Hold the syringe with the
needle pointing up and tap the barrel of the syringe with your finger to remove
any air bubbles.
Giving your STRENSIQ injection:
- Inject your STRENSIQ exactly as your healthcare provider
has shown you.
- You should use STRENSIQ within 1 hour after you remove it
from the refrigerator.
Step 11: Choose your injection site. STRENSIQ is
injected under the skin (subcutaneously) of your stomach-area (abdomen), upper
arms, or upper legs.
- Change (rotate) your injection site with each
injection. Do not use the same injection site for each injection.
- Do not inject STRENSIQ into skin that is red, hot,
or swollen.
- Wipe your skin with an alcohol wipe. Let the site dry
before you inject your dose.
Step 12: Pinch the skin. Hold the syringe at a 90°
angle (straight up and down) and insert the needle into your skin. For patients
with little fat, hold the syringe at a 45° angle and insert the needle into
your skin.
Step 13: Push the plunger all the
way in to give your dose.
Step 14: Pull the needle out of
your skin.
- If you see blood after you take
the needle out of your skin, press your injection site with a piece of gauze or
alcohol wipe.
- Do not recap the needle.
Recapping the needle can lead to a needle stick injury.
If you need a second injection
for your prescribed dose, get another STRENSIQ vial and repeat steps 1 through
14.
Disposing of used needles
and syringes:
- Put your used needles in a
FDA-cleared sharps disposal container right away after use. Do not throw away
(dispose of) loose needles and syringes in your household trash.
- If you do not have a
FDA-cleared sharps disposal container, you may use a household container that
is:
- made of a heavy-duty plastic,
- can be closed with a
tight-fitting, puncture-resistant lid, without sharps being able to come out,
- upright and stable during use,
- leak-resistant, and
- properly labeled to warn of
hazardous waste inside the container.
- When your sharps disposal container
is almost full, you will need to follow your community guidelines for the right
way to dispose of your sharps disposal container. There may be state or local
laws about how you should throw away used needles and syringes. For more
information about safe sharps disposal, and for specific information about
sharps disposal in the state that you live in, go to the FDA's website at: http://www.fda.gov/safesharpsdisposal.
- Do not dispose of your used
sharps disposal container in your household trash unless your community
guidelines permit this. Do not recycle your used sharps disposal container.
How should I store STRENSIQ?
- Store STRENSIQ in the original
carton in the refrigerator between 36°F to 46°F (2°C to 8°C) until you are
ready to use it.
- Do not freeze your STRENSIQ
vials. Do not use STRENSIQ if it has been frozen.
- Do not shake your STRENSIQ
vials.
- Protect STRENSIQ from light
until you are ready to use it.
- Do not use STRENSIQ after the
expiration date printed on the carton.
- STRENSIQ vials are for 1 time
use only. Throw away any unused STRENSIQ left in the vial.
Keep STRENSIQ and all
medicines, needles and syringes out of the reach of children.
This Instructions for Use has
been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.