Dosing & Administration
ACTEMRA offers flexible dosing
- When used in combination with disease-modifying antiheumatic drugs (DMARDs) or as monotherapy, the recommended starting dose of ACTEMRA for adult patients who have had an inadequate response to one or more TNF antagonists is 4 mg/kg followed by a increase to 8 mg/kg based on clinical response
- ACTEMRA should be given once every 4 weeks as a 60-minute single intravenous drip infusion
- Patients treated with ACTEMRA 8 mg/kg showed higher response rates than patients treated with ACTEMRA 4 mg/kg
Use this tool to calculate proper dosing of ACTEMRA
ACTEMRA dosing-related safety information
- Doses exceeding 800 mg per infusion are not recommended
- ACTEMRA must not be used in combination with biological DMARDs because of the possibility of increased immunosuppression and increased risk of infection
- Reduction of dose from 8 mg/kg to 4 mg/kg is recommended for management of certain dose-related laboratory changes including elevated liver enzymes, neutropenia and thrombocytopenia
- Do not administer treatment if patient has known hypersensitivity to ACTEMRA
Drug Interactions
Prescribers should exercise caution when ACTEMRA is coadministered with CYP3A4 substrate drugs where decrease in effectiveness is undesirable, eg, oral contraceptives, lovastatin, atorvastatin, etc.
INDICATION
ACTEMRA is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who have had an inadequate response to one or more tumor necrosis factor (TNF) antagonist therapies.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
Patients treated with ACTEMRA are at increased risk for developing serious infections that may lead to hospitalization or death, including tuberculosis (TB), bacterial, invasive fungal, viral, or other opportunistic infections. If a serious infection develops, interrupt ACTEMRA until the infection is controlled.
ACTEMRA should not be administered to patients with known hypersensitivity to ACTEMRA.
- If anaphylaxis or other clinically significant hypersensitivity reaction occurs, administration of ACTEMRA should be stopped immediately and ACTEMRA should be permanently discontinued.
Other serious or potentially life-threatening adverse reactions that have been reported in clinical trials with ACTEMRA include gastrointestinal perforations and hypersensitivity reactions. Other potential risks of ACTEMRA include demyelinating disorders, malignancies, and changes to certain lab parameters.
Common adverse reactions include upper respiratory infection, nasopharyngitis, headache, hypertension, and increased ALT.
Please see full Prescribing Information including Boxed Warning for additional important safety information.
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