Reslizumab

Reslizumab is a prescription medication given with other asthma medications for the maintenance treatment of severe asthma in patients aged 18 years and older. 

It belongs to a group of drugs called interleukin blocker monoclonal antibodies. Reslizumab reduces severe asthma attacks by reducing the levels of a certain type of white blood cells (eosinophils) that are involved with the development of asthma.

It is available as an injection and is administered into the vein by a healthcare provider every 4 weeks. 

The most common side effect is throat pain. 

Reslizumab is a prescription medication given with other asthma medications for the maintenance treatment of severe asthma in patients aged 18 years and older and older whose asthma is not controlled with the current asthma medicines. 

• Reslizumab is not used to treat other problems caused by eosinophils.
• Reslizumab is not used to treat sudden breathing problems.
• It is not known if reslizumab is safe and effective in children less than 18 years of age.

This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Reslizumab may be found in some form under the following brand names:

• Cinqair

Reslizumab may cause serious side effects. See "Reslizumab Precautions".

A common side effect of reslizumab is throat pain. 

This is not a complete list of reslizumab side effects. Tell your doctor about any side effect that bothers you or does not go away.

Tell your doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

No formal clinical drug interaction studies have been performed with reslizumab. However, you should tell your doctor about all the medicines you take including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Not all drug interactions are known or reported and new drug interactions are continually being reported.

Reslizumab can cause serious side effects, including:

Serious allergic reactions (anaphylaxis). Serious allergic reactions can happen right after you receive your reslizumab infusion. These reactions can cause death. Allergic reactions sometimes do not happen right away. Your healthcare provider will watch you during and after you receive your treatment for any signs of a reaction. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any of the following symptoms that may be associated with an allergic reaction:

• breathing problems
• flushing
• itching
• symptoms of low blood pressure (fainting, dizziness, light headedness, confusion, fast heart beat)
• paleness
• skin rash (hives)
• swelling of your face, lips, mouth, or tongue
• nausea or abdominal discomfort

Medicines can interact with certain foods. In some cases, this may be harmful and your doctor may advise you to avoid certain foods. In the case of reslizumab there are no specific foods that you must exclude from your diet when receiving this medication.

Before receiving reslizumab, tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditions, including if you:

• are taking oral or inhaled corticosteroid medicines. Do not stop taking your corticosteroid unless your healthcare provider tells you to stop. This may cause other symptoms that were controlled by the corticosteroid medicine to come back.
• have or have had cancer (malignancy).
• have a parasitic (helminth) infection.
• are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if this medicine will harm your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant during treatment.
• are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if this medicine passes into your breast milk. You and your healthcare provider should decide if you will receive Reslizumab and breastfeed. Talk to your healthcare provider about the best way to feed your baby if you receive reslizumab.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

Do not stop taking your other asthma medicines unless your healthcare provider tells you to.

Before using reslizumab, tell your healthcare provider if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if this medicine can harm your unborn baby.

Before using reslizumab, tell your healthcare provider if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if this medicine passes into your breast milk.

• You will be given reslizumab by a healthcare provider using a needle placed in a vein (intravenous infusion) one time every four weeks. It will take about 20 to 50 minutes to receive the full dose of reslizumab.

The recommended dosage regimen is 3 mg/kg once every 4 weeks administered by intravenous infusion over 20-50 minutes.

Reslizumab is administered by a healthcare provider in a medical setting, therefore it is unlikely that an overdose will occur. However, if an overdose is suspected, seek emergency medical attention.

• Refrigerate at 2 ºC to 8ºC (36°F to 46°F).
• Do not freeze.
• Do not shake.
• Protect the vials from light by storing in the original package until time of use.

WARNING: ANAPHYLAXIS

Anaphylaxis occurred with CINQAIR infusion in 0.3% of patients in placebo-controlled studies.

Patients should be observed for an appropriate period of time after CINQAIR infusion; healthcare professionals should be prepared to manage anaphylaxis that can be life-threatening.

Discontinue CINQAIR immediately if the patient experiences anaphylaxis.