How is orencia given

Therefore, you may want to recommend to these patients that they use a different testing monitor to avoid a possible false reading.

Generally speaking, be prepared to explain the infusion procedure, and tell patients specifically about what they can expect during an ORENCIA infusion. For all patients, be sure to ask how they're doing since the last infusion.

You may want to ask if they've felt any difference in joint stiffness or pain. Altogether, patients will probably be at the infusion center for about an hour. Patients will be seated with their arm resting comfortably. They will feel a small pinch when the needle is inserted into the arm at the beginning of the infusion process.

If anything feels uncomfortable or unusual after that, or at any time during the infusion, they should notify a nurse immediately. What are some of the possible signs and symptoms of infusion reactions? Patients need to contact their healthcare provider immediately or get emergency medical help right away if they have hives, a swollen face, eyelids, lips, or tongue, or if they have trouble breathing.

If patients are new to biologic therapy, a response could be seen in as little as 15 days but may take up to 3 months. If patients have been previously treated with a biologic, a response could be seen within 4 to 6 weeks but may take up to 4 months. After patients receive their first infusion, they will have to get another one in 2 weeks, and then another 2 weeks after that. Please listen to the Important Safety Information, which follows. And finally, from all of us at Bristol-Myers Squibb, a special thank you for all that you do.

Blood Glucose Testing: ORENCIA for intravenous administration contains maltose, which may result in falsely elevated blood glucose readings on the day of infusion when using blood glucose monitors with test strips utilizing glucose dehydrogenase pyrroloquinoline quinone GDH-PQQ.

Consider using monitors and advising patients to use monitors that do not react with maltose, such as those based on glucose dehydrogenase nicotine adenine dinucleotide GDH-NAD , glucose oxidase or glucose hexokinase test methods.

Healthcare professionals are encouraged to register patients by calling Lactation: There is no information regarding the presence of abatacept in human milk, the effects on the breastfed infant, or the effects on milk production. However, abatacept was present in the milk of lactating rats dosed with abatacept.

A higher rate of lymphoma was seen compared to the general population; however, patients with RA, particularly those with highly active disease, are at a higher risk for the development of lymphoma. Please click here for Full Prescribing Information. In general, the adverse events in pediatric pJIA and adult PsA patients were similar in frequency and type to those seen in adult RA patients.

Other drugs are available that can treat your condition. Some may be better suited for you than others. They can tell you about other medications that may work well for you. Note: Some of the drugs listed here are used off-label to treat these specific conditions. Examples of other drugs that may be used to treat rheumatoid arthritis RA include:. Examples of other drugs that may be used to treat psoriatic arthritis PsA include:.

Examples of other drugs that may be used to treat juvenile idiopathic arthritis JIA include:. You may wonder how Orencia compares to other medications that are prescribed for similar uses. Here we look at how Orencia and Humira are alike and different. Orencia contains the drug abatacept. Humira contains the drug adalimumab. These drugs work differently in your body, and they belong to different classes of drugs. These drugs are also approved to treat juvenile idiopathic arthritis JIA in children ages 2 years and older.

Orencia and Humira contain different drugs. But both medications affect the way your immune system works. Therefore, both medications can cause very similar side effects. Below are examples of these side effects. These lists contain examples of more common side effects that can occur with Orencia, with Humira, or with both drugs when taken individually. These lists contain examples of serious side effects that can occur with Orencia, with Humira, or with both drugs when taken individually.

A boxed warning is the strongest warning the FDA requires. It alerts doctors and patients about drug effects that may be dangerous.

Both Orencia and Humira are FDA-approved to treat rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and juvenile idiopathic arthritis. The effectiveness of both drugs in treating these conditions is compared below. Orencia and Humira have been directly compared in a clinical study as treatment options for rheumatoid arthritis RA.

In this study, adults with moderate to severe RA were taking either Orencia or Humira: people took Orencia, while people took Humira. Both groups of people also took methotrexate.

After 2 years of treatment, both drugs were equally effective in treating RA. Of those taking Orencia, Of people taking Humira, But separate studies have found that both drugs are effective to treat the condition.

Orencia and Humira were compared in a review of studies as treatment options for juvenile idiopathic arthritis JIA. After this review, experts found that both drugs had similar safety and effectiveness. Orencia and Humira are both brand-name drugs. There are currently no biosimilar forms of Orencia available. Talk with your doctor to find out if a biosimilar is right for you.

According to estimates on GoodRx. Here we look at how Orencia and Enbrel are alike and different. Enbrel contains the drug etanercept. These drugs belong to different classes of medications, and they work differently in your body.

Both drugs are also approved to treat juvenile idiopathic arthritis JIA in children ages 2 years and older. Orencia and Enbrel contain different drugs. But both of these drugs work on your immune system.

These lists contain examples of more common side effects that can occur with Orencia or with Enbrel. These lists contain examples of serious side effects that can occur with Orencia, with Enbrel, or with both drugs when taken individually.

Both Orencia and Enbrel are FDA-approved to treat rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and juvenile idiopathic arthritis. But separate studies have found that both Orencia and Enbrel are effective in treating rheumatoid arthritis RA. But separate studies have found that both Orencia and Enbrel are effective in treating psoriatic arthritis PsA.

A review of studies looked at how well Orencia and Enbrel work to treat juvenile idiopathic arthritis JIA in children. At the end of the review, experts agreed that both drugs have similar safety and effectiveness in treating the condition. Orencia and Enbrel are both brand-name drugs. But drinking too much alcohol may worsen both your arthritis symptoms and the progression of the disease.

Talk to your doctor about how much alcohol is safe for you to drink. Orencia can interact with several other medications. It can also interact with certain supplements as well as certain foods. Different interactions can cause different effects. For instance, some interactions can interfere with how well a drug works. Other interactions can increase side effects or make them more severe. Below are lists of medications that can interact with Orencia.

These lists do not contain all the drugs that may interact with Orencia. Before taking Orencia, talk with your doctor and pharmacist. Tell them about all prescription, over-the-counter, and other drugs you take.

Also tell them about any vitamins, herbs, and supplements you use. Sharing this information can help you avoid potential interactions. If you have questions about drug interactions that may affect you, ask your doctor or pharmacist. These drugs work by attaching to and blocking the action of a protein called tumor necrosis factor TNF.

Both Orencia and anti-TNFs lower the ability of your body to fight new or existing infections. Taking these drugs together can further increase your risk of getting new infections and reduce your ability to fight off infections that are already inside of your body.

Your doctor can discuss your treatment needs and recommend medications that are safe for you to take. Both Orencia and other rheumatic medications, including Xeljanz , affect your immune system. This can increase your risk of infections. Your doctor can order tests to check how well your immune system is working and recommend the best treatment plan for you.

Orencia is approved to treat certain autoimmune diseases. It works in your body to help reduce symptoms and slow the progression worsening of these diseases. Your immune system protects your body against infections. It does this by attacking bacteria and viruses that come inside or are already inside your body. But sometimes your immune system gets confused, and it starts attacking your own cells. This means that if you have these conditions, your immune system is attacking your own body.

Orencia works by attaching to two proteins called CD80 and CD86 that are found on certain immune system cells. Your T cells are a specific type of cell that helps your immune system fight infections.

By attaching to these proteins, Orencia stops the T cells from working properly. This prevents your immune system from attacking your own cells, tissues, and organs. Orencia helps slow the progression worsening of rheumatoid arthritis , psoriatic arthritis , and juvenile idiopathic arthritis. The drug also reduces the symptoms of these conditions, making you feel better. Orencia will start working in your body as soon as you start taking it.

But rheumatoid arthritis , psoriatic arthritis , and juvenile idiopathic arthritis are conditions that take time to treat. In clinical studies , people had improvement in their pain level and overall function within 3 months of starting treatment.

Orencia is meant to be taken as a long-term medication. It works every day in your body to keep your condition treated. If you stop taking it abruptly, your symptoms may come back again. If you want to stop taking this drug, talk with your doctor. Animal studies suggest that Orencia may affect a developing fetus if used during pregnancy.

A pregnancy registry is available for women who have taken or are taking Orencia during pregnancy. The registry allows doctors to collect information on the safety of Orencia use in pregnant women.

To find out more information about the registry, call or visit the registry website. Studies in animals have shown that Orencia passes into the breast milk of animals who are given the drug. If you need financial support to pay for Orencia, or if you need help understanding your insurance coverage, assistance is available. Bristol-Myers Squibb, the manufacturer of Orencia, offers a copay program for people who are using the self-injected form of Orencia.

To find out more information, call or visit the program website. Your infusion will take about 30 minutes. During this time, the liquid containing Orencia will move from the IV bag, through the needle, and into your vein.

Your doctor may want to monitor you for a while before you leave the clinic. Your doctor may recommend that you receive Orencia through a subcutaneous injection an injection under your skin. Initially, your healthcare provider may want to give you your Orencia injection.

This allows them to explain the injection process and show you exactly how to do it. After your doctor has shown you how to do Orencia injections, they may ask you to start giving yourself injections of the drug. Each Orencia injection can be done through two different devices: a prefilled syringe or a prefilled ClickJect autoinjector.

Each device will come with the exact amount of Orencia that your doctor prescribed. You can also visit the Orencia website to read more about how to self-inject the drug. You should take Orencia according to that schedule. You may be able to. Orencia is sometimes recommended for use in people with forms of arthritis who also have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease COPD.

But these people should be closely monitored while using the drug. You should not be given any live vaccines, such as Flu-Mist the nasal-spray flu vaccine , the chicken pox vaccine, the shingles vaccine or the measles vaccines, while on abatacept or within three months of stopping abatacept.

The flu-shot flu injection vaccine is not a live virus and all patients should consider having this vaccination yearly. Many patients need to continue another oral medication for RA, like methotrexate or plaquenil, while on abatacept, and should continue to take this if advised to do so by their doctor. When you are taking Abatacept, it is very important that your doctors know if you are taking any other medicine. This includes prescription and non-prescription medicines as well as birth control pills, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

The abatacept syringes should be kept in the refrigerator in the original carton. Do not freeze this medicine. You must continue your regular visits to the rheumatologist. Your doctor will monitor you for any improvements in your rheumatoid arthritis and for any signs of infections. It may take two months of Abatacept treatment before any improvement in symptoms occurs.

Your doctor will need to monitor your blood to make sure you are not getting any side effects from abatacept or other medications you may be taking. Has a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease COPD?

Patients with COPD may have more respiratory adverse events, such as worsening of asthma. Remove the flip-top of the vial and swab with alcohol before needle puncture. To reconstitute the abatacept powder, direct the stream of Sterile Water for Injection, USP, against the glass wall of the vial. Do not use the vial if the vacuum is not present. Rotate the vial with gentle swirling until the contents are completely dissolved. Avoid prolonged or vigorous agitation.

Upon complete dissolution of the lyophilized powder, the vial should be vented with a needle to dissipate any foam that may be present. The reconstituted abatacept solution must be further diluted to mL in one of 2 ways, as follows. From a mL infusion bag or bottle, withdraw a volume of 0. Gently mix the solution. Any unused portions in the vials must be immediately discarded.

Prior to administration, the abatacept solution should be inspected visually for particulate matter and discoloration. Discard the solution if any particulate matter or discoloration is noted. Abatacept should not be infused concomitantly in the same intravenous line with other agents.

No physical or biochemical compatibility studies have been conducted to evaluate the co-administration of abatacept with other agents. Infusion of the fully diluted abatacept solution must be completed within 24 hours of reconstitution of the abatacept vials.