Lucentis

Generic name: Ranibizumab (ophthalmic)
Drug class: Anti-angiogenic ophthalmic agents

Usage of Lucentis

Lucentis is made from a human antibody fragment. It works by keeping new blood vessels from forming under the retina (a sensory membrane that lines the inside of the eye). In people with certain types of eye disorders, new blood vessels grow under the retina where they leak blood and fluid.

Lucentis is used to treat the "wet form" of age-related macular degeneration.

Lucentis is also used to treat swelling in the retina caused by diabetes or by a blockage in the blood vessels.

Lucentis side effects

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

Call your doctor at once if you have:

eye pain or redness, swelling around your eyes;

blurred vision, tunnel vision, eye pain, or seeing halos around lights;

increased sensitivity to light;

discharge or bleeding from the eye;

seeing flashes of light or "floaters" in your vision;

sudden numbness or weakness (especially on one side of the body); or

sudden severe headache, problems with speech or balance.

Common Lucentis side effects may include:

eye pain or irritation;

feeling like something is in your eye;

itchy or watery eyes;

dry eyes, puffy eyelids;

blurred vision;

sinus pain, sore throat, cough; or

nausea.

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 Lucentis

You should not receive Lucentis if you are allergic to it, or if you have any type of infection in or around your eyes.

To make sure Lucentis is safe for you, tell your doctor if you have:

glaucoma; or

a history of blood clots or stroke.

It is not known whether Lucentis will harm an unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

It is not known whether ranibizumab passes into breast milk or if it could affect the nursing baby. Tell your doctor if you are breast-feeding.

Relate drugs

How to use Lucentis

Usual Adult Dose for Macular Degeneration:

0.5 mg via intravitreal injection once a month (approximately 28 days) Use: Neovascular (wet) age-related macular degeneration (AMD)

Usual Adult Dose for Diabetic Retinopathy:

-DME and Diabetic Retinopathy with DME: 0.3 mg via intravitreal injection once a month (approximately 28 days) -Macular Edema following RVO: 0.5 mg via intravitreal injection once a month (approximately 28 days) Uses: Diabetic macular edema (DME); diabetic retinopathy with DME; macular edema following retinal vein occlusion (RVO)

Usual Adult Dose for Macular Edema:

Warnings

You should not receive Lucentis if you are allergic to ranibizumab, or if you have any type of infection in or around your eyes.

Before you receive Lucentis, tell your doctor if you have glaucoma, or a history of blood clots or stroke.

Call your doctor at once if you have sudden vision problems, eye pain or irritation, discharge or bleeding from the eye, swelling around your eye, seeing flashes of light or "floaters" in your vision, sudden numbness or weakness in your body, sudden severe headache, or problems with speech or balance.

The timing of your monthly injections is very important for this medication to be effective. Call your doctor for instructions if you miss an appointment to receive your Lucentis injection.

What other drugs will affect Lucentis

Other drugs may interact with ranibizumab, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Tell each of your health care providers about all medicines you use now and any medicine you start or stop using.

Disclaimer

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Drugslib.com is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Drugslib.com information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Drugslib.com does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Drugslib.com's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Drugslib.com's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners.

The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Drugslib.com does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Drugslib.com provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.