Lemtrada Safety
A look at some of the potential side effects
When considering LEMTRADA as your relapsing MS medicine, it's important to discuss potential common and serious side effects with your healthcare provider.
In two 2-year clinical trials, LEMTRADA was studied in over 800 patients.
LEMTRADA can cause serious infusion reactions that may cause death. Serious infusion reactions may happen while you receive, or up to 24 hours or longer after you receive LEMTRADA. You will receive your infusion at a healthcare facility with equipment and staff trained to manage infusion reactions, including serious allergic reactions, and urgent heart or breathing problems. You will be watched while you receive, and for 2 hours or longer after you receive, LEMTRADA. If a serious infusion reaction happens while you are receiving LEMTRADA, your infusion may be stopped. 92% of patients experienced infusion reactions on LEMTRADA, 3% of these reactions were serious.
Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any of the following symptoms of a serious infusion reaction during the infusion, and after you have left the healthcare facility:
- swelling in your mouth or throat
- trouble breathing
- weakness
- fast, slow, or irregular heartbeat
- chest pain
- rash
These are not the only possible side effects of LEMTRADA. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effects that bother you or don't go away.
PREMEDICATIONS
To lower your chances of getting a serious infusion reaction, your healthcare provider will give you a medicine called corticosteroids before your first 3 infusions of a treatment course. You may also be given other medicines before or after the infusion to try to reduce your chances of having these reactions or herpes viral infection.
CORTICOSTEROIDS
These will be given to you right before your LEMTRADA infusion for the first 3 days of each round of treatment
ANTIHISTAMINES AND/OR FEVER REDUCERS
Your healthcare provider may consider administering antihistamines and/or a fever reducer prior to your LEMTRADA infusion
ANTIVIRALS
You’ll be given an antiviral before treatment and will continue it until your immune cells reach certain levels
Infusion reactions can occur despite pretreatment.