Pegfilgrastim-fpgk (Subcutaneous)

Pegfilgrastim-fpgk injection is used to treat neutropenia (low white blood cells) caused by cancer medicines. It is a man-made version of a substance that your body naturally produces called a colony stimulating factor. Pegfilgrastim-fpgk helps the bone marrow produce new white blood cells.

When certain cancer medicines are used to kill cancer cells, they can also affect the white blood cells that help fight infections. Pegfilgrastim-fpgk is used to reduce the risk of getting an infection while you are undergoing cancer treatment.

This medicine is available only with your doctor's prescription.

It is very important for your doctor to check your or your child's progress at regular visits to ensure this medicine is working properly. Blood and urine tests may be needed to check for unwanted effects.

Contact your doctor immediately if you notice any signs of an infection, such as fever, chills, cough, sore throat, or unusual tiredness or weakness.

Contact your doctor immediately if you or your child are experiencing pain in the upper left part of your stomach or at the tip of the left shoulder. This could be a sign of a serious problem with the spleen.

Contact your doctor immediately if you or your child develop a fever, chest pain or tightness, or trouble breathing. These could be signs of a serious lung condition known as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

This medicine can cause serious allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, which can be life-threatening and require immediate medical attention. Notify your doctor right away if you or your child experiences a rash, itching skin, dizziness, lightheadedness, or fainting, swelling of the face, tongue, or throat, trouble breathing, or chest pain after receiving the medicine.

This medicine may lead to kidney problems. Call your doctor immediately if you or your child has swelling in the face or ankles, blood in the urine, or a decrease in how much or how often you urinate.

This medicine may cause a condition called capillary leak syndrome, which allows fluid to leak from blood vessels into your body's tissues. Call your doctor immediately if you or your child have swelling or puffiness and are urinating less often, trouble breathing, a feeling of fullness, dizziness, or feeling faint.

This medicine reduces the number of certain types of blood cells in your body, which may make you bleed more easily. Wash your hands frequently. Avoid rough sports or situations where you could get bruised, cut, or injured. Brush and floss your teeth gently. Be careful when using sharp objects, including razors and fingernail clippers. Contact your doctor immediately if you or your child has black or tarry stools, bleeding gums, blood in the urine or stools, pinpoint red spots on the skin, or unusual bleeding or bruising after receiving this medicine.

This medicine may cause aortitis (inflammation of the aorta, the largest artery in the body). Contact your doctor immediately if you have fever, stomach pain, unusual tiredness or weakness, or back pain.

This medicine may lead to blood or bone marrow problems (e.g., myelodysplastic syndrome, acute myeloid leukemia) in patients with breast or lung cancer. Contact your doctor immediately if you have chest pain, chills, cough or hoarseness, fever, lower back or side pain, painful or difficult urination, sores, ulcers, or white spots on the lips or in the mouth, swollen glands, unusual bleeding or bruising, or unusual tiredness or weakness.

Before undergoing any medical tests, inform the medical doctor in charge that you are using this medicine. The results of some tests (e.g., bone tests) may be influenced by this medicine.

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the benefits it will provide. This is a decision you and your doctor will make together. For this medicine, the following should be considered:

Allergies

Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to this medicine or any other medicines. Also inform your healthcare professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully.

Pediatric

Appropriate studies performed to date have not shown any pediatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness of pegfilgrastim-fpgk injection in children. Safety and effectiveness have been established.

Geriatric

Appropriate studies performed to date have not shown any geriatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness of pegfilgrastim-fpgk injection in older adults.

Breast Feeding

There are no adequate studies in women to determine the risk to infants when using this medication during breastfeeding. Weigh the potential benefits against the potential risks before taking this medication while breastfeeding.

Interactions with Medicines

Certain medicines should not be used together at all, while in other cases, two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these situations, your doctor may want to adjust the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. Tell your healthcare professional if you are taking any other prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicine.

Interactions with Food/Tobacco/Alcohol

Certain medicines should not be used around the time of eating food or certain types of food due to potential interactions. Using alcohol or tobacco with certain medicines may also cause interactions. Discuss with your healthcare professional how your medicine interacts with food, alcohol, or tobacco.

Other Medical Problems

Having other medical problems may affect the use of this medicine. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical issues, especially:

• Bone marrow cancer or other bone marrow problems or
• Glomerulonephritis (kidney disease) or
• Leukocytosis (high white blood cell count) or
• Lung disease or breathing problems or
• Sickle cell disease (red blood cell disease) or
• Thrombocytopenia (low platelets in the blood)—Use with caution. May worsen these conditions.

Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do, they may need medical attention.

Check with your doctor immediately if any of the following side effects occur:

More common

• Bone pain
• Pain in the arms or legs

Incidence not known

• Back pain
• Black, tarry stools
• Bleeding gums
• Blood in the urine or stools
• Blue lips, fingernails, or skin
• Blurred vision
• Change in the amount of urine
• Chest pain or tightness
• Chills
• Cloudy or bloody urine
• Cough
• Difficult or fast breathing
• Difficulty swallowing
• Dizziness
• Eye pain
• Fainting or lightheadedness
• Fast heartbeat
• Feeling of fullness
• Fever
• Fever sores on the skin
• General feeling of discomfort or illness
• Headache
• Hives, itching, skin rash
• Lower back or side pain
• Nausea
• Nervousness
• Pain spreading to the left shoulder
• Painful or difficult urination
• Pale skin
• Pinpoint red spots on the skin
• Pounding in the ears
• Puffiness or swelling of the eyelids or around the eyes, face, lips, or tongue
• Redness of the skin
• Slow or fast heartbeat
• Sore throat
• Sores, welts, or blisters
• Stomach pain
• Swelling of the hands, ankles, feet, or lower legs
• Trouble breathing
• Ulcers or white spots on the lips or in the mouth
• Unusual bleeding or bruising
• Unusual tiredness or weakness

Some side effects may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects. Check with your health care professional if any of the following side effects continue, are bothersome, or if you have any questions about them:

Incidence not known

• Bleeding, blistering, burning, coldness, discoloration of the skin, feeling of pressure, hives, infection, inflammation, itching, lumps, numbness, pain, rash, redness, scarring, soreness, stinging, swelling, tenderness, tingling, ulceration, or warmth at the injection site

Other side effects not listed may also occur in some patients. If you notice any other effects, check with your healthcare professional.

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

In the U.S.

• Stimufend

Available Dosage Forms:

• Solution

Therapeutic Class: Hematopoietic

Pharmacologic Class: Pegfilgrastim

Find detailed information on biosimilars for this medication.

A nurse or other trained health professional may give you this medicine. It is given as a shot under the skin of your upper arm, upper outer buttock, stomach, or thigh. You or your caregiver may be trained to prepare and inject this medicine at home. Be sure that you understand how to use it.

If you use this medicine at home, you will be shown the body areas where this shot can be given. Use a different body area each time you give yourself a shot. Keep track of where you give each shot to make sure you rotate body areas. This will help prevent skin problems from the injections. Do not inject into skin areas that are tender, red, bruised, hard, or has scars or stretch marks.

This medicine comes with a patient information leaflet and patient instructions. Read and follow these instructions carefully. Ask your doctor if you have any questions about:

• How to prepare the injection.
• The proper use of disposable syringes.
• How to give the injection.
• How long the injection can be stored at home.

Allow the medicine to warm to room temperature for 30 minutes before using it. Do not warm it by using a heat source (eg, hot water or microwave) or in any other way. Do not shake.

Check the liquid in the prefilled syringe. It should be clear and colorless. Do not use it if it is cloudy, discolored, or has flakes or particles in it.

Use the syringe only once. Do not save leftover medicine.

Do not use this medicine between 14 days before and 24 hours after receiving chemotherapy.

Dosing

The dose of this medicine will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor's orders or the directions on the label. The following information includes only the average doses of this medicine. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so.

The amount of medicine that you take depends on the strength of the medicine. Also, the number of doses you take each day, the time allowed between doses, and the length of time you take the medicine depend on the medical problem for which you are using the medicine.

• For injectable dosage form (solution):For neutropenia: Adults and children weighing more than 45 kilograms (kg)—6 milligrams (mg) as a single injection under the skin once every cancer treatment cycle. Children weighing less than 45 kilograms (kg)—Dose is based on body weight and must be determined by your doctor. Weighing 31 kg to 44 kg—4 milligrams (mg) as a single injection under the skin once every cancer treatment cycle. Weighing 21 kg to 30 kg—2.5 mg as a single injection under the skin once every cancer treatment cycle. Weighing 10 kg to 20 kg—1.5 mg as a single injection under the skin once every cancer treatment cycle. Weighing less than 10 kg—0.1 mg per kg of body weight as a single injection under the skin once every cancer treatment cycle.

Missed Dose

This medicine needs to be given on a fixed schedule. If you miss a dose or forget to use your medicine, call your doctor or pharmacist for instructions.

Storage

Keep out of the reach of children.

Do not keep outdated medicine or medicine no longer needed.

Ask your healthcare professional how you should dispose of any medicine you do not use.

Store in the refrigerator. Do not freeze.

Protect from light. Throw this medicine away if it has been frozen or if it has been left at room temperature for longer than 72 hours.

Throw away used needles in a hard, closed container where the needles cannot poke through. Keep this container away from children and pets.

• What is the difference between Fulphila and Neulasta?
• What biosimilars have been approved in the United States?
• What is the difference between Udenyca and Neulasta?
• How is Fulphila injected / administered?
• Is Fulphila a chemo drug?
• What is the difference between Udenyca and Fulphila?
• What does cbqv stand for in pegfilgrastim?
• Why do you take Claritin with Neulasta?
• How long do the side effects of the Neulasta (pegfilgrastim) shot last?

View more FAQ