You may have started treatment with SOLIRIS® (eculizumab)
For many people diagnosed with atypical-HUS, the first medication that a hospital or their doctor will start them on is called SOLIRIS. This is a medication that works similarly to ULTOMIRIS but is generally infused every 2 weeks.
If you are switching your treatment from SOLIRIS to ULTOMIRIS, you should receive your starting dose of ULTOMIRIS at the time of your next scheduled SOLIRIS dose.
Actor portrayal
Both ULTOMIRIS and SOLIRIS work to remove C5 from the bloodstream and help prevent the uncontrolled complement activity that can cause TMA. But only ULTOMIRIS provides the freedom of long-acting C5 control.
Actor portrayal
The scientists behind SOLIRIS were able to update the medicine and create ULTOMIRIS, a treatment that is recycled and reused by the body more effectively.* This improvement is what lets ULTOMIRIS stay in the body up to 4 times longer—and what makes it the first and only long-acting treatment for atypical-HUS.
Because ULTOMIRIS can keep you protected longer, you can take advantage of needing fewer infusions. That’s why so many people living with atypical-HUS are choosing to switch their treatment to long-acting ULTOMIRIS.
*Based on preclinical data.
SOLIRIS
Adults and children
26 infusions per year
(after starting dose)
ULTOMIRIS
Most people
6 or 7 infusions per year
(after starting dose)
or 13 infusions
for children
under
44 lb (20 kg)
With ULTOMIRIS, infusions may take less than 1 hour for most patients.‡
†At the time of your next scheduled SOLIRIS dose, you will receive an intravenous starting dose of ULTOMIRIS. The maintenance doses are infused intravenously every 8 weeks for most people and every 4 weeks for children under 44 pounds (20 kilograms).
‡Infusion times may vary depending on body weight. Estimated infusion time based on ULTOMIRIS 100 mg/mL formulation. After each infusion, you must be monitored for at least 1 hour for infusion-related reactions.
Your healthcare team is always your best source of information about your care—
but it is important that they understand your needs too.
I wanted to spend less time feeling like a patient and more time being a person. ULTOMIRIS helped me with that.”
Actor portrayal. Each person’s results with ULTOMIRIS may vary.
Quotes are composites based on actual experiences of real people living with atypical-HUS.
We’ve answered some Frequently Asked Questions about switching to ULTOMIRIS.
ULTOMIRIS may cost less than SOLIRIS
For most people, ULTOMIRIS is less expensive than SOLIRIS. Some pay as low as $0 in out-of-pocket costs.§
§The Alexion OneSource™ CoPay Program is not valid for patients covered by government insurance programs or other federal or state programs (including any state prescription drug assistance programs), including Medicaid, Medicare (including Medicare Part D), Medicare Advantage Plans, Medigap, Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense, or TRICARE. People residing in Massachusetts or Rhode Island are eligible for assistance with medication costs but are not eligible for assistance with infusion costs.
What is the most important information I should know about ULTOMIRIS?
ULTOMIRIS is a medicine that affects your immune system and may lower the ability of your immune system to fight infections.
Your healthcare provider will give you a Patient Safety Card about the risk of meningococcal infection. Carry it with you at all times during treatment and for 8 months after your last ULTOMIRIS dose. Your risk of meningococcal infection may continue for several months after your last dose of ULTOMIRIS. It is important to show this card to any healthcare provider who treats you. This will help them diagnose and treat you quickly.
ULTOMIRIS is only available through a program called the ULTOMIRIS and SOLIRIS Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS). Before you can receive ULTOMIRIS, your healthcare provider must: enroll in the REMS program; counsel you about the risk of serious meningococcal infections; give you information about the signs and symptoms of serious meningococcal infection; make sure that you are vaccinated against serious infections caused by meningococcal bacteria, and that you receive antibiotics if you need to start ULTOMIRIS right away and are not up to date on your vaccines; give you a Patient Safety Card about your risk of meningococcal infection.
ULTOMIRIS may also increase the risk of other types of serious infections, including Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Your child should receive vaccines against Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) if treated with ULTOMIRIS. Certain people may be at risk of serious infections with gonorrhea.
Who should not receive ULTOMIRIS?
Do not receive ULTOMIRIS if you have a serious meningococcal infection when you are starting ULTOMIRIS.
Before you receive ULTOMIRIS, tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditions, including if you: have an infection or fever, are pregnant or plan to become pregnant, and are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if ULTOMIRIS will harm your unborn baby or if it passes into your breast milk. You should not breastfeed during treatment and for 8 months after your final dose of ULTOMIRIS.
Tell your healthcare provider about all the vaccines you receive and medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements which could affect your treatment.
If you have aHUS, your healthcare provider will need to monitor you closely for at least 12 months after stopping treatment for signs of worsening aHUS or problems related to a type of abnormal clotting and breakdown of your red blood cells called thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA). Symptoms or problems that can happen with TMA may include: confusion or loss of consciousness, seizures, chest pain (angina), difficulty breathing and blood clots or stroke.
What are the possible side effects of ULTOMIRIS?
ULTOMIRIS can cause serious side effects including infusion-related reactions. Symptoms of an infusion-related reaction with ULTOMIRIS may include lower back pain, abdominal pain, muscle spasms, changes in blood pressure, tiredness, feeling faint, shaking chills (rigors), discomfort in your arms or legs, bad taste, or drowsiness. Stop treatment of ULTOMIRIS and tell your healthcare provider right away if you develop these symptoms, or any other symptoms during your ULTOMIRIS infusion that may mean you are having a serious infusion-related reaction, including: chest pain, trouble breathing or shortness of breath, swelling of your face, tongue, or throat, and feel faint or pass out.
The most common side effects of ULTOMIRIS in people treated for aHUS are upper respiratory tract infection, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, headache, high blood pressure and fever.
Tell your healthcare provider about any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away. These are not all the possible side effects of ULTOMIRIS. For more information, ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist. Call your healthcare provider right away if you miss an ULTOMIRIS infusion or for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
INDICATION
What is ULTOMIRIS?
ULTOMIRIS is a prescription medicine used to treat adults and children 1 month of age and older with a disease called atypical Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (aHUS). ULTOMIRIS is not used in treating people with Shiga toxin E. coli related hemolytic uremic syndrome (STEC-HUS).
It is not known if ULTOMIRIS is safe and effective in children younger than 1 month of age.
Please see the full Prescribing Information and Medication Guide for ULTOMIRIS, including Boxed WARNING regarding serious meningococcal infections.
