Pegfilgrastim-cbqv (subcutaneous route)
Available brands
Udenyca
About this medication
Pegfilgrastim-cbqv injection is used to treat neutropenia (low white blood cells) that is caused by cancer medicines. It is a synthetic (man-made) form of a substance that is naturally produced in your body called a colony stimulating factor. Pegfilgrastim-cbqv helps the bone marrow to make new white blood cells. When certain cancer medicines are used to fight cancer cells, they also affect the white blood cells that fight infections. Pegfilgrastim-cbqv is used to lower the risk of getting an infection while you are being treated with cancer medicines. This medicine is available only with your doctor's prescription. This product is available in the following dosage forms:
Before using this medication
In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For this medicine, the following should be considered: Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to this medicine or any other medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully. Appropriate studies performed to date have not demonstrated pediatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness of pegfilgrastim-cbqv injection in the pediatric population. Appropriate studies performed to date have not demonstrated geriatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness of pegfilgrastim-cbqv injection in the elderly. There are no adequate studies in women for determining infant risk when using this medication during breastfeeding. Weigh the potential benefits against the potential risks before taking this medication while breastfeeding. Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. Tell your healthcare professional if you are taking any other prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicine. Certain medicines should not be used at or around the time of eating food or eating certain types of food since interactions may occur. Using alcohol or tobacco with certain medicines may also cause interactions to occur. Discuss with your healthcare professional the use of your medicine with food, alcohol, or tobacco. The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of this medicine. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:
How to use this medication
A nurse or other trained health professional may give you this medicine. It is given as a shot under the skin of your upper arm, upper outer buttock, stomach, or thigh. You or your caregiver may be trained to prepare and inject this medicine at home. Be sure that you understand how to use it. If you use this medicine at home, you will be shown the body areas where this shot can be given. Use a different body area each time you give yourself a shot. Keep track of where you give each shot to make sure you rotate body areas. This will help prevent skin problems from the injections. Do not inject into skin areas that are tender, red, bruised, hard, or has scars, moles, or birthmarks. Pegfilgrastim-cbqv comes in 3 forms: aprefilled autoinjector, aprefilled syringe for manual use, and anOn-body Injector for Udenyca®. Your doctor will tell you which dosage form you should use. This medicine comes with a patient information leaflet and patient instructions. Read and follow these instructions carefully. Ask your doctor if you have any questions about: Allow the medicine to warm to room temperature for 30 minutes before you inject it. If the medicine in theprefilled autoinjectororprefilled syringehas changed color, looks cloudy, or if you see particles in it, do not use it. Do not shake. Use theprefilled autoinjectororprefilled syringeonly once. Do not save leftover medicine. Do not use this medicine between 14 days before and 24 hours after receiving chemotherapy. The dose of this medicine will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor's orders or the directions on the label. The following information includes only the average doses of this medicine. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so. The amount of medicine that you take depends on the strength of the medicine. Also, the number of doses you take each day, the time allowed between doses, and the length of time you take the medicine depend on the medical problem for which you are using the medicine. This medicine needs to be given on a fixed schedule. If you miss a dose or forget to use your medicine, call your doctor or pharmacist for instructions. Keep out of the reach of children. Do not keep outdated medicine or medicine no longer needed. Ask your healthcare professional how you should dispose of any medicine you do not use. Store in the refrigerator. Do not freeze. Udenyca® prefilled syringe or prefilled autoinjector:Protect from light. If it is frozen, thaw it in the refrigerator before using it. Throw this medicine away if it has been frozen more than once or if it has been left at room temperature for longer than 48 hours. Udenyca® Onbody™:Leave the medicine in the carton until you are ready to use it. You may let the medicine warm up to room temperature before you use it. Keep it away from heat or direct light. The medicine can stay out of the refrigerator for up to 12 hours. Discard any medicine that has been out of the refrigerator for more than 12 hours. Throw away used needles in a hard, closed container where the needles cannot poke through. Keep this container away from children and pets.
Disclaimer: August is a health information platform and its responses don't constitute medical advise. Always consult with a licenced medical professional near you before making any changes.