What is the most important information I should know about SOLIRIS?

• SOLIRIS increases your chance of getting serious meningococcal infections that may quickly become life-threatening or cause death if not recognized and treated early.

1. You must complete or update your meningococcal vaccine(s) at least 2 weeks before your first dose of SOLIRIS
2. If you have not completed your vaccines and SOLIRIS must be started right away, you should receive the required vaccine(s) as soon as possible.
3. If you have not been vaccinated and SOLIRIS must be started right away, you should also receive antibiotics for as long as your healthcare provider tells you.
4. If you had a meningococcal vaccine in the past, you might need additional vaccines before starting SOLIRIS. Your healthcare provider will decide if you need additional meningococcal vaccines.
5. Meningococcal vaccines do not prevent all meningococcal infections.  Call your healthcare provider or get emergency medical care right away if you get any of these signs and symptoms of a serious meningococcal infection: fever, fever with high heart rate, headache and fever, confusion, body aches with flu-like symptoms, fever and a rash, headache with nausea or vomiting, headache with a stiff neck or stiff back, or eyes sensitive to light

Your healthcare provider will give you a Patient Safety Card about the risk of serious meningococcal infection. Carry it with you at all times during treatment and for 3 months after your last SOLIRIS dose. Your risk of meningococcal infection may continue for several weeks after your last dose of SOLIRIS.  It is important to show this card to any healthcare provider who treats you.  This will help them diagnose and treat you quickly. 

SOLIRIS is only available through a program called the SOLIRIS Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS).  Before you can receive SOLIRIS, your healthcare provider must: enroll in the REMS program; counsel you about the risk of serious meningococcal infections; give you information about the signs and symptoms of serious meningococcal infection;  make sure that you are vaccinated against serious infections caused by meningococcal bacteria, and that you receive antibiotics if you need to start SOLIRIS right away and you are not up to date on your vaccines;  give you a Patient Safety Card about your risk of meningococcal infection.

SOLIRIS may also increase the risk of other types of serious infections, including Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Neisseria gonorrhoeae.   Your child should receive vaccines against Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) if treated with SOLIRIS.  Certain people may be at risk of serious infections with gonorrhea. Certain fungal infections (Aspergillus) may occur if you take SOLIRIS and have a weak immune system or a low white blood cell count.

Who should not receive SOLIRIS?

Do not receive SOLIRIS if you have a serious meningococcal infection when you are starting SOLIRIS.

Before you receive SOLIRIS, tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions, including if you: have an infection or fever, are pregnant or plan to become pregnant, and are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if SOLIRIS will harm your unborn baby or if it passes into your breast milk.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the vaccines you receive and medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements which could affect your treatment.

If you have PNH, your healthcare provider will need to monitor you closely for at least 8 weeks after stopping SOLIRIS. Stopping treatment with SOLIRIS may cause breakdown of your red blood cells due to PNH. Symptoms or problems that can happen due to red blood cell breakdown include: drop in the number of your red blood cell count, drop in your platelet count, confusion, kidney problems, blood clots, difficulty breathing, and chest pain.

If you have aHUS, your healthcare provider will need to monitor you closely during and for at least 12 weeks after stopping SOLIRIS for signs of worsening aHUS symptoms or problems related to abnormal clotting (thrombotic microangiopathy). Symptoms or problems that can happen with abnormal clotting may include: stroke, confusion, seizure, chest pain (angina), difficulty breathing, kidney problems, swelling in arms or legs, and a drop in your platelet count.

SOLIRIS can cause serious side effects including serious infusion-related reactions. Tell your healthcare provider or nurse right away if you get any of these symptoms during your SOLIRIS infusion: chest pain, trouble breathing or shortness of breath, swelling of your face, tongue, or throat, and feel faint or pass out.  If you have an infusion-related reaction to SOLIRIS, your healthcare provider may need to infuse SOLIRIS more slowly or stop SOLIRIS.

The most common side effects in people with PNH treated with SOLIRIS include: headache, pain or swelling of your nose or throat (nasopharyngitis), back pain, and nausea.

The most common side effects in people with aHUS treated with SOLIRIS include: headache, diarrhea, high blood pressure (hypertension), common cold (upper respiratory infection), stomach-area (abdominal) pain, vomiting, pain or swelling of your nose or throat (nasopharyngitis), low red blood cell count (anemia), cough, swelling of legs or feet (peripheral edema), nausea, urinary tract infections, and fever.