How to prepare and administer CIMZIA In-office Injection1

CIMZIA is available in lyophilized powder for administration by a healthcare professional*

For step-by-step instructions on how to reconstitute, withdraw, and inject CIMZIA in your practice.

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Necessary supplies (per injection):

The CIMZIA lyophilized powder kit contains the Instructions for Use booklet and all necessary supplies required for reconstitution and administration, including:

CIMZIA(R) (certolizumab pegol) bottle
  • 5 mL vial with 200 mg of CIMZIA lyophilized powder
  • 2 mL vial with 1 mL of sterile water for injection, USP
  • Alcohol swabs
  • 20-gauge reconstitution needles
  • 23-gauge dosing needle
  • 3 mL syringe

Preparation:

  • Remove CIMZIA from the refrigerator and allow the vial(s) to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before reconstituting. Do not warm the vial(s) in any other way
  • Use appropriate aseptic technique when preparing and administering CIMZIA

Reconstitution:

  1. Add 1 mL of sterile water for injection, USP, per vial. Use the 20-gauge needle provided. The sterile water for injection should be directed at the vial wall rather than directly on CIMZIA.
  2. Gently swirl each vial of CIMZIA for about 1 minute without shaking, assuring that all of the powder comes in contact with the sterile water for injection, USP. The swirling should be as gentle as possible in order to avoid creating a foaming effect.
  3. Continue swirling every 5 minutes as long as non-dissolved particles are observed. Full reconstitution may take as long as 30 minutes.

The final reconstituted solution contains 200 mg/mL and should be a clear to opalescent, colorless to pale yellow liquid essentially free from particles.

  • Once reconstituted, CIMZIA can be stored in the vials for up to 24 hours between 2° to 8° C (36° to 46° F) prior to injection. Do not freeze

Administation:

  • Prior to injecting, reconstituted CIMZIA should be at room temperature
  • Do not leave reconstituted CIMZIA at room temperature for more than 2 hours prior to administration
  • Withdraw the reconstituted solution into a separate syringe for each vial using a new 20-gauge needle for each vial so that each syringe contains 1 mL of CIMZIA (200 mg of CIMZIA)
  • Replace the 20-gauge needle(s) on the syringe(s) with a 23-gauge needle(s) for administration
  • Inject the full contents of the syringe(s) subcutaneously, by pinching the skin of the abdomen or thigh

Where a 400 mg dose is required, 2 injections are required; therefore, separate sites should be used for each 200 mg injection.

*See section 2 of the full Prescribing Information for complete preparation and administration information, or see the Preparation and Administration booklet found in the CIMZIA lyophilized powder for reconstitution.

USP: United States Pharmacopeia.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION & INDICATIONS

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

Serious and sometimes fatal side effects have been reported with CIMZIA, including tuberculosis (TB), bacterial sepsis, invasive fungal infections (such as histoplasmosis), and infections due to other opportunistic pathogens (such as Legionella or Listeria). Patients should be closely monitored for the signs and symptoms of infection during and after treatment with CIMZIA. Lymphoma and other malignancies, some fatal, have been reported in children and adolescent patients treated with TNF blockers, of which CIMZIA is a member. CIMZIA is not indicated for use in pediatric patients.

INDICATIONS

CIMZIA is indicated for:

  • Reducing signs and symptoms of Crohn’s disease (CD) and maintaining clinical response in adult patients with moderately to severely active disease who have had an inadequate response to conventional therapy
  • Treatment of adults with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
  • Treatment of adult patients with active psoriatic arthritis (PsA)
  • Treatment of adults with active ankylosing spondylitis (AS)
  • Treatment of adults with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis (PSO) who are candidates for systemic therapy or phototherapy
  • Treatment of adults with active non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA) with objective signs of inflammation

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION (CONT)

CONTRAINDICATIONS

CIMZIA is contraindicated in patients with a history of hypersensitivity reaction to certolizumab pegol or to any of the excipients. Reactions have included angioedema, anaphylaxis, serum sickness, and urticaria.

SERIOUS INFECTIONS

Patients treated with CIMZIA are at increased risk for developing serious infections that may lead to hospitalization or death. Most patients who developed these infections were taking concomitant immunosuppressants such as methotrexate or corticosteroids.

Discontinue CIMZIA if a patient develops a serious infection or sepsis.

Reported infections include:

  • Active tuberculosis (TB), including reactivation of latent TB. Patients with TB have frequently presented with disseminated or extrapulmonary disease. Test patients for latent TB before CIMZIA use and during therapy. Initiate treatment for latent TB prior to CIMZIA use.
  • Invasive fungal infections, including histoplasmosis, coccidioidomycosis, candidiasis, aspergillosis, blastomycosis, and pneumocystosis. Patients with histoplasmosis or other invasive fungal infections may present with disseminated, rather than localized, disease. Antigen and antibody testing for histoplasmosis may be negative in some patients with active infection. Consider empiric anti-fungal therapy in patients at risk for invasive fungal infections who develop severe systemic illness.
  • Bacterial, viral, and other infections due to opportunistic pathogens, including Legionella and Listeria.

Carefully consider the risks and benefits of treatment with CIMZIA prior to initiating therapy in the following patients: with chronic or recurrent infection; who have been exposed to TB; with a history of opportunistic infection; who resided in or traveled in regions where mycoses are endemic; with underlying conditions that may predispose them to infection. Monitor patients closely for the development of signs and symptoms of infection during and after treatment with CIMZIA, including the possible development of TB in patients who tested negative for latent TB infection prior to initiating therapy.

  • Do not start CIMZIA during an active infection, including localized infections.
  • Patients older than 65 years, patients with co-morbid conditions, and/or patients taking concomitant immunosuppressants may be at greater risk of infection.
  • If an infection develops, monitor carefully and initiate appropriate therapy.

MALIGNANCY

Lymphoma and other malignancies, some fatal, have been reported in children and adolescent patients treated with TNF blockers, of which CIMZIA is a member. CIMZIA is not indicated for use in pediatric patients.

  • Consider the risks and benefits of CIMZIA treatment prior to initiating or continuing therapy in a patient with known malignancy.
  • In clinical trials, more cases of malignancies were observed among CIMZIA-treated patients compared to control patients.
  • In CIMZIA clinical trials, there was an approximately 2-fold higher rate of lymphoma than expected in the general U.S. population. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis, particularly those with highly active disease, are at a higher risk of lymphoma than the general population.
  • Malignancies, some fatal, have been reported among children, adolescents, and young adults being treated with TNF blockers. Approximately half of the cases were lymphoma, while the rest were other types of malignancies, including rare types associated with immunosuppression and malignancies not usually seen in this patient population.
  • Postmarketing cases of hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma (HSTCL), a rare type of T-cell lymphoma, have been reported in patients treated with TNF blockers, including CIMZIA. These cases have had a very aggressive disease course and have been fatal. The majority of reported TNF blocker cases have occurred in patients with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, and the majority were in adolescent and young adult males. Almost all of these patients had received treatment with azathioprine or 6-mercaptopurine concomitantly with a TNF blocker at or prior to diagnosis. Carefully assess the risks and benefits of treating with CIMZIA in these patient types.
  • Cases of acute and chronic leukemia were reported with TNF blocker use.

HEART FAILURE

  • Worsening and new onset congestive heart failure (CHF) have been reported with TNF blockers. Exercise caution and monitor carefully.

HYPERSENSITIVITY

  • Angioedema, anaphylaxis, dyspnea, hypotension, rash, serum sickness, and urticaria have been reported following CIMZIA administration. If a serious allergic reaction occurs, stop CIMZIA and institute appropriate therapy. The needle shield inside the removable cap of the CIMZIA prefilled syringe contains a derivative of natural rubber latex which may cause an allergic reaction in individuals sensitive to latex.

HEPATITIS B VIRUS REACTIVATION

  • Use of TNF blockers, including CIMZIA, may increase the risk of reactivation of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in patients who are chronic carriers. Some cases have been fatal.
  • Test patients for HBV infection before initiating treatment with CIMZIA.
  • Exercise caution in patients who are carriers of HBV and monitor them before and during CIMZIA treatment.
  • Discontinue CIMZIA and begin antiviral therapy in patients who develop HBV reactivation. Exercise caution when resuming CIMZIA after HBV treatment.

NEUROLOGIC REACTIONS

  • TNF blockers, including CIMZIA, have been associated with rare cases of new onset or exacerbation of central nervous system and peripheral demyelinating diseases, including multiple sclerosis, seizure disorder, optic neuritis, peripheral neuropathy, and Guillain-Barré syndrome.

HEMATOLOGIC REACTIONS

  • Rare reports of pancytopenia, including aplastic anemia, have been reported with TNF blockers. Medically significant cytopenia has been infrequently reported with CIMZIA.
  • Consider stopping CIMZIA if significant hematologic abnormalities occur.

DRUG INTERACTIONS

  • Do not use CIMZIA in combination with other biological DMARDs.

AUTOIMMUNITY

  • Treatment with CIMZIA may result in the formation of autoantibodies and, rarely, in development of a lupus-like syndrome. Discontinue treatment if symptoms of a lupus-like syndrome develop.

IMMUNIZATIONS

  • Patients on CIMZIA should not receive live or live-attenuated vaccines.

ADVERSE REACTIONS

  • The most common adverse reactions in CIMZIA clinical trials (≥8%) were upper respiratory infections (18%), rash (9%), and urinary tract infections (8%).

Please refer to full Prescribing Information.