Orencia Abatacept and/or alternatives

Product / Manufacturer

Quantity / Price (USD)

Orencia 125mg/mL

Manufacturer: Bristol Myers Squibb Source Country : United Kingdom
Shipped from : United Kingdom

This product is currently unavailable.

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  This item requires a prescription from your doctor
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Description of Orencia

Abatacept is the major ingredient of Orencia. It belongs to the class of drugs known as anti-rheumatic drugs. Apart from Abatacept 250mg, Orencia also contains 500mg maltose, 14.6mg sodium chloride and 17.2mg monobasic sodium phosphate. Patients can buy Orencia in the form of a white, sterile, lyophilized, preservative free powder. You will have to reconstitute it with 10ml sterile water. The drug is given to a patient in the form of an intravenous infusion.

Indications & Dosage of Orencia

Orencia is used for treating symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, and for preventing joint damage due to such conditions. It can also be used for treating arthritis in children over 6 years of age. Abatacept is a man-made protein which works by preventing the patient’s immune system from attacking healthy tissues like the joints. You must remember that the drug is not a cure for the condition, but can only relieve its symptoms.

For treating rheumatoid arthritis in adult patients, the drug is administered as a half an hour intravenous infusion. Patients weighing less than 60kgs are given 2 infusions of 250mg each, amounting to Orencia 500mg. Patients weighing between 60 to 100kgs receive 3 infusions of 250mg each, totaling to Orencia 750mg. If you weigh more than 100kgs, you will receive 4 infusions of 250mg each, totaling to Orencia 1000mg.

For treating juvenile idiopathic arthritis in patients from 6 to 17 years, Orencia 10mg/kg is given to patients weighing less than 75kg. Depending on the patient’s response to the drug, the dosage can be adjusted, until it reaches the maximum dosage of Orencia 1000mg.

Side Effects & Interactions of Orencia

Back pain, headache, nausea, dizziness, indigestion, stomach pain, diarrhea or symptoms of cold such as sneezing, cough, throat soreness or stuffy nose can be commonly experienced by Orencia patients. You need to seek medical attention immediately if you develop any serious side effects of the drug. Such side effects include:

• Weight loss, flu symptoms, night sweats, chills, fever
• Excessive tiredness
• Throat soreness, dry cough
• Pain, redness or warmth in skin
• Difficulty breathing
• Wheezing, stabbing chest pain, cough with green or yellow mucus
• Burning or pain while urinating
• Signs of a skin infection, including swelling, itching, redness, oozing or warmth

Some of the medicinal products that may interact with Orencia include TNF blocking agents (e.g. etanercept or adalimumab), other drugs that make your immune system weaker (e.g. cyclosporine or tacrolimus), anakinra or other drugs for treating rheumatoid arthritis.

Warnings & Precautions of Orencia

Before you buy Orencia, inform your doctor if you have a personal or family history of tuberculosis, or if you recently went to a place where this disease is common.

Also inform your doctor beforehand if you have diabetes, open sores, any infection, COPD, weak immunity, history of hepatitis, or if you are going to receive a shot soon.

Pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers should not use this drug without consulting a doctor. It is not yet known whether Orencia is safe for such women and their children or not.