Amevive

Generic name: Alefacept
Drug class: Selective immunosuppressants

Usage of Amevive

Amevive is a protein that reduces specific actions of the immune system that are involved in causing psoriasis.

Amevive is used to treat plaque psoriasis (raised, silvery flaking of the skin) in adults.

Amevive may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide.

Amevive side effects

Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction to Amevive: hives; difficult breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Stop using Amevive and call your doctor at once if you have a serious side effect such as:

fever, chills, body aches, flu symptoms, sores in your mouth and throat;

cough with yellow or green mucus, stabbing chest pain, wheezing, feeling short of breath;

nausea, upper stomach pain, itching, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes);

swelling, warmth, redness, itching, or oozing from the skin;

new skin lesions, or a sunburn-like skin rash; or

worsening or no improvement of your skin condition.

Less serious Amevive side effects may include:

sore throat, cough;

dizziness;

mild nausea;

headache;

itching;

muscle pain;

pain or swelling where the medicine was injected.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Before taking Amevive

You should not use Amevive if you are allergic to alefacept, or if you have HIV (human immunodeficiency virus).

To make sure you can safely take Amevive, tell your doctor if you have other medical conditions, especially:

an active or chronic infection;

a history of cancer;

liver disease;

if you are receiving phototherapy (light therapy); or

if you use drugs that weaken the immune system (such as cancer medicine, steroids, and medicine to prevent organ transplant rejection).

Using Amevive may increase your risk of developing certain types of cancer. Talk with your doctor about your specific risk.

FDA pregnancy category B. Amevive is not expected to harm an unborn baby. However, tell your doctor if you become pregnant during treatment or within 8 weeks after you stop using Amevive.

It is not known whether alefacept passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing baby. You should not breast-feed while you are using Amevive.

Relate drugs

How to use Amevive

Usual Adult Dose of Amevive for Psoriasis:

7.5 mg once a week as an IV bolus or 15 mg once a week as an IM injection.

The recommended regimen is a course of 12 weekly injections. Retreatment with an additional twelve week course may be initiated provided that CD4+ T lymphocyte counts are within the normal range, and a minimum of a twelve week interval has passed since the previous course of treatment. Data on retreatment beyond two cycles are limited.

The CD4+ T lymphocyte counts of patients receiving alefacept should be monitored weekly before initiating dosing and throughout the course of the twelve week dosing regimen. Dosing should be withheld if CD4+ T lymphocyte counts are below 250 cells/microliter. The drug should be discontinued if the counts remain below 250 cells/microliter for one month.

Warnings

You should not use Amevive if you are allergic to alefacept, or if you have HIV (human immunodeficiency virus).

Before using Amevive, tell your doctor if you have an active or chronic infection, liver disease, a history of cancer, or if you are receiving phototherapy or using drugs that weaken the immune system.

Do not receive a "live" vaccine while using Amevive. Live vaccines include measles, mumps, rubella (MMR), Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), oral polio, rotavirus, smallpox, typhoid, yellow fever, varicella (chickenpox), H1N1 influenza, and nasal flu vaccine.

Amevive can lower blood cells that help your body fight infections. Your blood may need to be tested often. Avoid being near people who are sick or have infections. Tell your doctor at once if you develop signs of infection.

Using Amevive may increase your risk of developing certain types of cancer. Talk with your doctor about your specific risk.

Serious and sometimes fatal infections may occur during treatment with Amevive. Call your doctor right away if you have signs of infection such as: fever, chills, flu symptoms, mouth sores, swelling or warmth, skin redness or oozing, stabbing chest pain, feeling short of breath, or cough with yellow or green mucus.

What other drugs will affect Amevive

Tell your doctor about all other medicines you use, especially:

a blood thinner such as warfarin (Coumadin, Jantoven);

cyclosporine (Gengraf, Neoral, Sandimmune);

digoxin (digitalis, Lanoxin, Lanoxicaps);

fentanyl (Abstral, Actiq, Fentora, Duragesic, Lazanda, Onsolis);

levothyroxine (Synthroid, Levothroid);

lithium (Eskalith, Lithobid);

pimozide (Orap);

sirolimus (Rapamune) or tacrolimus (Prograf);

theophylline (Elixophyllin, Theo-24, Theochron, Uniphyl);

ergot medicine such as ergotamine (Ergomar, Cafergot) or dihydroergotamine (D.H.E. 45, Migranal Nasal Spray);

seizure medication such as carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Equetro, Tegretol), divalproex (Depakote), ethosuximide (Zarontin), phenytoin (Dilantin), or valproic acid (Depakene, Stavzor); or

heart rhythm medication such as disopyramide (Norpace), procainamide (Procan, Pronestyl), or quinidine (Quin-G).

This list is not complete and other drugs may interact with Amevive. Tell your doctor about all medications you use. This includes prescription, over-the-counter, vitamin, and herbal products. Do not start a new medication without telling your doctor.

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