Basiliximab
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From MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine
Specialty pharmacy: therapy management checklist, storage and cold chain, dosing calendar, Medicare Part D coverage.
Boxed warning
Only physicians experienced in immunosuppression therapy and management of organ transplantation patients should prescribe Simulect ® (basiliximab). The physician responsible for Simulect administration should have complete information requisite for the follow-up of the patient. Patients receiving the drug should be managed in facilities equipped and staffed with adequate laboratory and supportive medical resources.
Interleukin-2 Receptor Blocking Antibody
Dosing in kidney impairment
This label has no separate kidney-impairment dosing section. Check warnings and clinical pharmacology in the full label.
Preparation and administration
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DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION Simulect ® (basiliximab) is used as part of an immunosuppressive regimen that includes cyclosporine, USP (MODIFIED) and corticosteroids. Simulect is for central or peripheral intravenous administration only. Reconstituted Simulect should be given either as a bolus injection or diluted to a volume of 25 mL (10-mg vial) or 50 mL (20-mg vial) with 0.9% Sodium Chloride Injection, USP or 5% Dextrose Injection, USP and administered as an intravenous infusion over 20 to 30 minutes.
Parenteral drug products should be inspected visually for particulate matter and discoloration before administration. After reconstitution, Simulect should be a clear-to-opalescent, colorless solution. If particulate matter is present or the solution is colored, do not use. Care must be taken to assure sterility of the prepared solution because the drug product does not contain any antimicrobial preservatives or bacteriostatic agents.
It is recommended that after reconstitution, the solution should be used immediately. If not used immediately, it can be stored at 2ºC to 8ºC (36ºF to 46ºF) for 24 hours or at room temperature for 4 hours. Discard the reconstituted solution if not used within 24 hours. No incompatibility between Simulect and polyvinyl chloride bags or infusion sets has been observed.
No data are available on the compatibility of Simulect with other intravenous substances. Other drug substances should not be added or infused simultaneously through the same intravenous line. Adults In adult patients, the recommended regimen is two doses of 20 mg each. The first 20-mg dose should be given within 2 hours prior to transplantation surgery.
The first dose should be given within 2 hours prior to transplantation surgery. The recommended second dose should be given 4 days after transplantation. The second dose should be withheld if complications, such as severe hypersensitivity reactions to Simulect or graft loss occur. Reconstitution of 10 mg Simulect ® Vial To prepare the reconstituted solution, add 2.5 mL of Sterile Water for Injection, USP, using aseptic technique, to the vial containing the Simulect powder.
Shake the vial gently to dissolve the powder. The reconstituted solution is isotonic and may be given either as a bolus injection or diluted to a volume of 25 mL with 0.9% Sodium Chloride Injection, USP or 5% Dextrose Injection, USP for infusion. When mixing the solution, gently invert the bag in order to avoid foaming; DO NOT SHAKE .
Reconstitution of 20 mg Simulect ® Vial To prepare the reconstituted solution, add 5 mL of Sterile Water for Injection, USP, using aseptic technique, to the vial containing the Simulect powder. Shake the vial gently to dissolve the powder. The reconstituted solution is isotonic and may be given either as a bolus injection or diluted to a volume of 50 mL with 0.9% Sodium Chloride Injection, USP or 5% Dextrose Injection, USP for infusion.
When mixing the solution, gently invert the bag in order to avoid foaming; DO NOT SHAKE .
Drug interactions
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- Basiliximab
Label text (8 paragraphs)
Drug Interactions No dose adjustment is necessary when Simulect is added to triple-immunosuppression regimens, including cyclosporine, corticosteroids, and either azathioprine or mycophenolate mofetil. Three clinical trials have investigated Simulect use in combination with triple-therapy regimens. Pharmacokinetics were assessed in two of these trials. Total body clearance of Simulect was reduced by an average 22% and 51% when azathioprine and mycophenolate mofetil, respectively, were added to a regimen consisting of cyclosporine, USP (MODIFIED) and corticosteroids.
Nonetheless, the range of individual Simulect clearance values in the presence of azathioprine (12-57 mL/h) or mycophenolate mofetil (7-54 mL/h) did not extend outside the range observed with dual therapy (10-78 mL/h). The following medications have been administered in clinical trials with Simulect with no increase in adverse reactions: ATG/ALG, azathioprine, corticosteroids, cyclosporine, mycophenolate mofetil, and muromonab-CD3. Carcinogenesis/Mutagenesis/Impairment of Fertility No mutagenic potential of Simulect was observed in the i n vitro assays with Salmonella (Ames) and V79 Chinese hamster cells.
No long-term or fertility studies in laboratory animals have been performed to evaluate the potential of Simulect to produce carcinogenicity or fertility impairment, respectively. There are no adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women. No maternal toxicity, embryotoxicity, or teratogenicity was observed in cynomolgus monkeys 100 days post coitum following dosing with basiliximab during the organogenesis period; blood levels in pregnant monkeys were 13-fold higher than those seen in human patients. Immunotoxicology studies have not been performed in the offspring.
Because IgG molecules are known to cross the placental barrier, because the IL-2 receptor may play an important role in development of the immune system, and because animal reproduction studies are not always predictive of human response, Simulect should only be used in pregnant women when the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus. Women of childbearing potential should use effective contraception before beginning Simulect therapy, during therapy, and for 4 months after completion of Simulect therapy. Nursing Mothers It is not known whether Simulect is excreted in human milk.
Because many drugs, including human antibodies are excreted in human milk, and because of the potential for adverse reactions, a decision should be made to discontinue nursing or to discontinue the drug, taking into account the importance of the drug to the mother. Pediatric Use No randomized, placebo-controlled studies have been completed in pediatric patients.
In a safety and pharmacokinetic study, 41 pediatric patients (1-11 years of age [n = 27], 12-16 years of age [n = 14], median age 8.1 years) were treated with Simulect via intravenous bolus injection in addition to standard immunosuppressive agents, including cyclosporine, USP (MODIFIED), corticosteroids, azathioprine, and mycophenolate mofetil. The acute rejection rate at 6 months was comparable to that in adults in the triple-therapy trials. The most frequently reported adverse events were hypertension, hypertrichosis, and rhinitis (49% each), urinary tract infections (46%), and fever (39%).
Overall, the adverse event profile was consistent with general clinical experience in the pediatric renal transplantation population and with the profile in the controlled adult renal transplantation studies. The available pharmacokinetic data in children and adolescents are described in CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY and DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION. It is not known whether the immune response to vaccines, infection, and other antigenic stimuli administered or encountered during Simulect therapy is impaired or whether such response will remain impaired after Simulect therapy.
Geriatric Use Controlled clinical studies of Simulect have included a small number of patients 65 years and older (Simulect 28; placebo 32). From the available data comparing Simulect and placebo-treated patients, the adverse event profile in patients ≥ 65 years of age is not different from patients < 65 years of age and no age-related dosing adjustment is required. Caution must be used in giving immunosuppressive drugs to elderly patients.
Contraindications
Simulect ® (basiliximab) is contraindicated in patients with known hypersensitivity to basiliximab or any other component of the formulation. See composition of Simulect under DESCRIPTION. WARNINGS. See Boxed WARNING. General Simulect ® (basiliximab) should be administered under qualified medical supervision. Patients should be informed of the potential benefits of therapy and the risks associated with administration of immunosuppressive therapy.
While neither the incidence of lymphoproliferative disorders nor opportunistic infections was higher in Simulect-treated patients than in placebo-treated patients, patients on immunosuppressive therapy are at increased risk for developing these complications and should be monitored accordingly. Hypersensitivity Severe acute (onset within 24 hours) hypersensitivity reactions, including anaphylaxis have been observed both on initial exposure to Simulect and/or following re-exposure after several months. These reactions may include hypotension, tachycardia, cardiac failure, dyspnea, wheezing, bronchospasm, pulmonary edema, respiratory failure, urticaria, rash, pruritus, and/or sneezing.
Extreme caution should be exercised in all patients previously given Simulect when being administered a subsequent course of Simulect. A subgroup of patients may be particularly at risk of developing severe hypersensitivity reactions on re-administration. These are patients in whom concomitant immunosuppression was discontinued prematurely (e.g., due to abandoned transplantation or early loss of the graft) following the initial administration of Simulect. If a severe hypersensitivity reaction occurs, therapy with Simulect should be permanently discontinued. Medications for the treatment of severe hypersensitivity reactions, including anaphylaxis should be available for immediate use.
Safety data
Reported adverse events (FAERS)
Liver injury (LiverTox)
ELikelihood score E: Unlikely cause of clinically apparent liver injury.
Basiliximab is a chimeric mouse-human monoclonal antibody to CD25, the alpha subunit of the IL-2 receptor, which is found on the surface of T cells. Basiliximab has potent immunosuppressive activity and is used for prevention of organ transplant rejection. Basiliximab has not been linked to serum enzyme elevations during therapy or implicated in cases of clinically apparent liver injury.
ABCDEA: well known cause; E: unlikely cause. [HD]: high doses only.
Pregnancy and lactation
Lactation
Nursing Mothers It is not known whether Simulect is excreted in human milk. Because many drugs, including human antibodies are excreted in human milk, and because of the potential for adverse reactions, a decision should be made to discontinue nursing or to discontinue the drug, taking into account the importance of the drug to the mother.
Breastfeeding (LactMed)
No information is available on the clinical use of basiliximab during breastfeeding. Because basiliximab is a large protein molecule with a molecular weight of about 144,000 Da, the amount in milk is likely to be very low. It is also likely to be partially destroyed in the infant's gastrointestinal tract and absorption by the infant is probably minimal. Until more data become available, basiliximab should be used with caution during breastfeeding, especially while nursing a newborn or preterm infant. Waiting for at least 2 weeks postpartum to resume therapy may minimize transfer to the infant. The manufacturer recommends that breastfeeding be discontinued during basiliximab therapy.
Supply and cost
Drug shortage status
Recalls (last 24 months)
Therapeutic equivalence (Orange Book)
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