About HAE Attacks | KALBITOR® (ecallantide)

HAE Attacks

Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is characterized by unpredictable episodes of swelling.²

Clinical presentation of HAE attacks can vary widely, occurring at highly variable frequencies – in some patients on a weekly basis and in others only once or twice a year⁶
Subcutaneous and submucosal swelling typically develops over 12 to 36 hours and gradually subsides over 2 to 5 days⁶
Attack triggers are often unidentified, but may include stress, minor trauma (such as dental procedures), menstruation and pregnancy, some drugs such as oral contraceptives, or infection³

HAE attacks typically involve 3 main sites:¹

Abdominal organs such as the GI tract
Larynx
Periphery, including the face, hands, feet and genitals

KALBITOR is the first subcutaneous treatment approved for acute attacks of hereditary angioedema in patients 16 years of age and older.⁸

Important Safety Information

WARNING: Anaphylaxis

Anaphylaxis has been reported after administration of KALBITOR^®.
Because of the risk of anaphylaxis, KALBITOR should only be administered by a healthcare professional with appropriate medical support to manage anaphylaxis and hereditary angioedema.
Healthcare professionals should be aware of the similarity of symptoms between hypersensitivity reactions and hereditary angioedema and patients should be monitored closely.
Do not administer KALBITOR to patients with known clinical hypersensitivity to KALBITOR.

CONTRAINDICATIONS

Do not administer KALBITOR to a patient who has known clinical hypersensitivity to KALBITOR.

WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS

In 255 HAE patients treated with intravenous or subcutaneous KALBITOR in clinical trials, 10 patients (3.9%) experienced anaphylaxis. For the subgroup of 187 patients treated with subcutaneous KALBITOR, 5 patients (2.7%) experienced anaphylaxis. These reactions occurred within the first hour after dosing.

Symptoms associated with these reactions have included chest discomfort, flushing, pharyngeal edema, pruritus, rhinorrhea, sneezing, nasal congestion, throat irritation, urticaria, wheezing, and hypotension.

Patients should be observed for an appropriate period of time after administration of KALBITOR, taking into account the time to onset of anaphylaxis seen in clinical trials. Given the similarity in hypersensitivity symptoms and acute HAE symptoms, patients should be monitored closely in the event of hypersensitivity reaction.

ADVERSE EVENTS

The most common adverse events (≥3% and greater than placebo) in HAE patients were headache, nausea, diarrhea, pyrexia, injection site reactions, and nasopharyngitis. There is a potential for immunogenicity with the use of KALBITOR. Patients who seroconvert may be at a higher risk of hypersensitivity reaction. The long-term effects of antibodies to KALBITOR are not known.

USAGE

KALBITOR should only be administered by a healthcare professional with appropriate medical support to manage anaphylaxis and hereditary angioedema. Safety and effectiveness of KALBITOR in patients below 16 years of age have not been established.

Please see Full Prescribing Information, including Boxed Warning and Medication Guide.

Healthcare professionals should report all suspected adverse events associated with the use of KALBITOR. Please contact Dyax Corp. at 1-888-452-5248. Alternatively, this information may be reported to the FDA MedWatch System by phone at 1-800-FDA-1088 or by mail using Form 3500 at www.fda.gov/medwatch.

kalbitor ecallantide