How Follistim® AQ Cartridge (follitropin beta injection) WorksFollistim® AQ Cartridge (follitropin beta injection) for use only with the Follistim Pen® is convenient and easy to use. Follistim® AQ Cartridge (follitropin beta injection) contains follitropin beta, which acts like naturally produced follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), the hormone that stimulates the ovaries. Although follitropin beta in the Follistim® AQ Cartridge (follitropin beta injection) causes the follicles to mature, it does not induce ovulation. For ovulation to occur, a second hormone, human chorionic gonadotropin, available as Pregnyl® is administered. Human chorionic gonadotropin acts like luteinizing hormone (LH). It induces ovulation and releases the mature egg from the follicle.
How is Follistim® AQ Cartridge (follitropin beta injection) Administered?Follistim® AQ Cartridge (follitropin beta injection) is administered as a subcutaneous injection (under the skin) using the Follistim Pen® injection device. You load a pre-mixed, pre-filled Follistim® AQ Cartridge (follitropin beta injection) containing the medication into the Follistim Pen®, dial up your exact dose and give yourself an injection. One Follistim® AQ Cartridge (follitropin beta injection) delivers 300 IU, 600 IU or 900 IU of medication so, depending on your prescription, you may use it multiple times before having to change it. If you have previously used other gonadotropin products, your dose may be different with Follistim® AQ Cartridge (follitropin beta injection). Your doctor will decide the dose based upon your medical history. Efficacy of Follistim® AQ Cartridge (follitropin beta injection)Clinical studies have shown the efficacy of Follistim® AQ Cartridge (follitropin beta injection) administered using the Follistim Pen® in ART procedures. In a clinical trial of women undergoing COH for IVF, the biochemical pregnancy rate was 56.7% per attempt.1 In a clinical trial of women undergoing ovulation induction, Follistim® AQ Cartridge (follitropin beta injection) led to successful ovulation in 95.3% of women, and a biochemical pregnancy rate of 34.9% per attempt. 2 In an observer questionnaire, designed to assess the “Ease of Use” of Follistim® AQ Cartridge (follitropin beta injection) with the Follistim Pen®, subjects rated their experience with the Follistim Pen®.1,2 Subjects undergoing ART and OI rated their injection experience in two separate studies. On Day 6 in the ART group, more subjects rated the overall experience as “very good” as compared to Day 2, 54 subjects (90%) versus 49 subjects (81.8%), respectively, and only one subject (1.7%) had a “neutral” response. In the Ovulation Induction group, the experience rating of “very good” increased from 90.7% on Day 2 to 95.2% on Day 8. Results of these studies have shown that self-injection with Follistim® AQ Cartridge (follitropin beta injection), for use with Follistim Pen®, is convenient, easy to use and well tolerated by patients. 1 Pang, S. et al. Administration of recombinant human FSH (solution in cartridge) with a pen device in women undergoing ovarian stimulation.” RBM online 7(3): 319-326, 2003. 2 Kettel LM. et al. “Evaluation of a pen device for self-administration of recombinant human FSH in clomiphene citrate-resistant anovulatory women undergoing ovulation induction.” RBM online 9(4): 373-380, 2003. Follistim® AQ (follitropin beta injection) is approved to help women who have problems with ovulation. Follistim® AQ will not help women whose ovaries do not work at all (primary ovarian failure). Follistim® AQ is also for women that are in an assisted reproductive technology (ART) program, such as in vitro fertilization. Important Safety Information: Always follow your health care professional’s dosing instructions when administering Follistim® AQ Cartridge. Your health care professional has individualized the dose to be administered based on your medical history. Do not change your dose unless instructed by your health care professional. Do not use Follistim® AQ if you are allergic to recombinant human FSH products; have primary ovarian failure (your ovaries do not work at all); are pregnant or think you might be pregnant; have uncontrolled thyroid or adrenal gland problems; have tumors in your ovaries, breasts, uterus, hypothalamus, or pituitary gland; have heavy or irregular vaginal bleeding and the cause is not known; have ovarian cysts or enlarged ovaries not due to polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS); or are allergic to streptomycin or neomycin. Follistim® AQ may contain traces of these antibiotics and may cause allergic reactions. Follistim® AQ may cause ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), which is a serious medical problem that can happen when the ovaries are overstimulated. In rare cases it has caused death. OHSS causes fluid to build up suddenly in the stomach and chest areas. OHSS may occur after treatment with Follistim® AQ. Call your health care professional right away if you get any of the following symptoms: severe pelvic pain (lower stomach area), nausea, vomiting, sudden weight gain, or reduced urine output. Follistim® AQ and other FSH products may cause serious lung problems including fluid in the lungs, trouble breathing, and worsening of asthma. Follistim® AQ and other FSH products may also cause blood clots in blood vessels. This can lead to blood vessel problems (thrombophlebitis), stroke, loss of limb, or a blood clot in the lung (pulmonary embolus). Follistim® AQ and other FSH products can cause multiple births. Your health care professional will discuss your chances of multiple births. Follistim® AQ should only be prescribed by physicians experienced in infertility treatments. Other side effects with Follistim® AQ include stomach pain, gas, pelvic pain, nausea, breast pain, injection site problems, enlarged stomach area, back pain, constipation, headache, and ovarian pain. If you get any side effects that concern you, call your health care professional. These are not all the side effects of Follistim® AQ. Contact your doctor or other health care professional without delay if you are experiencing symptoms including significant abdominal pain or if symptoms develop some days after the last injection has been given. Please click here for important Product Information on Follistim® AQ Cartridge. Please click here for important Product Information on Follistim® AQ Vial. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit http://www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088. Pregnyl® (chorionic gonadotropin for injection, USP) is approved to induce ovulation and pregnancy in women who have problems with ovulation and who have been appropriately pretreated with human menopausal gonadotropins (medications containing follicle-stimulating hormone [FSH] and luteinizing hormone [LH]). Pregnyl® will not help women whose ovaries do not work at all (primary ovarian failure).
Important Safety Information:
Pregnyl® should be used in conjunction with human menopausal gonadotropins. Pregnyl® should only be prescribed by physicians experienced in infertility treatments. Pregnyl® may cause ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), which is a serious medical problem that can happen when the ovaries are overstimulated. In rare cases it has caused death. OHSS causes fluid to build up suddenly in the stomach and chest areas. OHSS may occur after treatment with Pregnyl®. Call your health care professional right away if you get any of the following symptoms: severe pelvic pain (lower stomach area), nausea, vomiting, sudden weight gain, or reduced urine output. Pregnyl® may also cause rupture of ovarian cysts resulting in internal bleeding (hemoperitoneum), multiple births, and artery blockage by a blood clot (arterial thromboembolism). Other side effects with Pregnyl® include headache, irritability, restlessness, depression, fatigue, edema, and pain at the site of injection. If you get any side effects that concern you, call your health care professional. Please click here for important Product Information. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit http://www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088. Ganirelix Acetate Injection is approved for the inhibition of premature luteinizing hormone (LH) surges in women undergoing controlled ovarian hyperstimulation.
Important Safety Information:
Ganirelix Acetate Injection should only be prescribed by physicians experienced in infertility treatments. Before starting treatment with Ganirelix, pregnancy must be excluded. Hypersensitivity (allergic) reactions, some severe, have been reported after the first dose of Ganirelix Acetate Injection. Call your health care professional right away if you get any of the following symptoms: hives, difficulty breathing, chest tightness, high or low blood pressure, vomiting, or diarrhea. The packaging of this product contains natural rubber latex which may cause allergic reactions. Ganirelix Acetate Injection may cause ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), which is a serious medical problem that can happen when the ovaries are overstimulated. In rare cases it has caused death. OHSS causes fluid to build up suddenly in the stomach and chest areas. Call your health care professional right away if you get any of the following symptoms: severe pelvic pain (lower stomach area), nausea, vomiting, sudden weight gain, or reduced urine output. Other side effects with Ganirelix Acetate Injection include abdominal pain, death of unborn child, headache, vaginal bleeding, injection site reaction, and nausea. If you get any side effects that concern you, call your health care professional. Please click here for important Product Information. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit http://www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088. |
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