Learn more about ORENCIA for patients >/= 2 years of age with active psoriatic arthritis (PsA)

Is it time to consider another treatment option for your patients with active psoriatic arthritis?

ORENCIA was studied in 2 clinical trials in adults with active psoriatic arthritis.

The safety and effectiveness of subcutaneous ORENCIA have been established for treatment of psoriatic arthritis in pediatric patients 2 to 17 years old. Use of ORENCIA in this age group is supported by evidence from adequate and well-controlled studies of ORENCIA in adults with PsA, pharmacokinetic data from adult patients with RA, adult patients with PsA, and pediatric patients with pJIA, and safety data from clinical studies in pediatric patients 2 to 17 years old with pJIA using the subcutaneous formulation.

IV, intravenous; SC, subcutaneous.

ORENCIA IV is a 30-minute infusion for adults with active PsA

ORENCIA® (abatacept) single-dose vial for IV infusion ORENCIA® (abatacept) single-dose vial for IV infusion

4-week dosing schedule

Following the starter doses, ORENCIA IV is maintained with a regular 4-week schedule.*

ORENCIA IV is dosed on a 4-week schedule; starter doses are given on Day 1, Day 15, and Day 29, then on a schedule every 4 weeks thereafter

*Actual day of dosing may vary based on patient scheduling.

IV administration is not approved for pediatric patients with psoriatic athritis1

Adult weight-based dosing

Table showing adult weight-based dosing–greater than 132 pounds should receive 2 vials or 500 milligrams of ORENCIA, 132 pounds to 220 pounds should receive 3 vials or 750 milligrams, and anyone above 220 pounds should receive 4 vials or 1000 milligrams of ORENCIA. Table showing adult weight-based dosing–greater than 132 pounds should receive 2 vials or 500 milligrams of ORENCIA, 132 pounds to 220 pounds should receive 3 vials or 750 milligrams, and anyone above 220 pounds should receive 4 vials or 1000 milligrams of ORENCIA.

For injection: 250 mg white lyophilized powder in a single-dose vial (one may use less than the full contents of the vials or use more than one vial).

Immediately discard any unused portion in the vials. If there are any product defects, call 1-800-ORENCIA (1-800-673-6242) to receive a new vial.

ORENCIA SC allows patients once-weekly
self-injection at home

125-mg SC injection is supplied in a prefilled syringe with BD UltraSafe Passive™ needle guard for once-weekly use.

Recommendations for subcutaneous administration with ORENCIA prefilled syringe

  • ORENCIA prefilled syringes are intended for:
    • Subcutaneous use only and are not intended for intravenous infusion
    • Use under the guidance of a physician or healthcare provider
  • After proper training in subcutaneous injection technique, a patient or the patient’s caregiver may administer a subcutaneous injection of ORENCIA (prefilled syringe) if a healthcare provider determines that it is appropriate
  • Instruct patients and/or caregivers to follow the directions provided in the Instructions for Use for additional details on administration. Specifically instruct them to inject the full amount (which provides the proper dose of ORENCIA), rotate injection sites, and to avoid injections into areas where the skin is tender, bruised, red, or hard
  • Instruct patients and/or caregivers to follow the directions provided in the Instructions for Use for additional details on administration. Specifically instruct them to inject the full amount (which provides the proper dose of ORENCIA), rotate injection sites, and to avoid injections into areas where the skin is tender, bruised, red, or hard

Pediatric patients with psoriatic arthritis may self-inject with ORENCIA or the patient’s caregiver may administer ORENCIA if both the healthcare practitioner and the parent/legal guardian determine it is appropriate.

ORENCIA SC may be initiated with or without an IV loading dose

  • For patients initiating therapy with an IV loading dose, administer ORENCIA as a single IV infusion (as per body weight categories below), followed by the first ORENCIA SC injection administered within 1 day of the IV infusion
  • Patients switching from ORENCIA IV to ORENCIA SC administration should take their first SC dose instead of their next scheduled IV dose

Weight-based dosing for patients 2 years of age and older

Table showing pediatric weight-based dosing. Patients 22 to 55 pounds should receive 50 milligrams, patients 55 to 110 pounds should receive 87.5 milligrams, greater than 110 pounds should receive 125 milligrams of ORENCIA.

Pediatric patients with pJIA or PSA may self-inject with ORENCIA or the patient's
caregiver may administer ORENCIA if both the healthcare provider and the
parent/legal guardian determine it is appropriate. The ability of pediatric patients
to self-inject with the autoinjector has not been tested. ORENCIA SC should be
initiated without an IV loading dose in patients with pJIA.

Device highlights*

ORENCIA prefilled syringe has a large, contoured thumbpress and a BD UltraSafe Passive™ Needle Guard. ORENCIA prefilled syringe has a large, contoured thumbpress and a BD UltraSafe Passive™ Needle Guard.

*125-mg syringe shown (29-gauge needle).

Sample Rx for ORENCIA SC Sample Rx for ORENCIA SC

*125-mg syringe shown (29-gauge needle).

ORENCIA ClickJect™ Autoinjector—automatically delivers the full dose
with one push of a button

125-mg SC injection is supplied in the ClickJect™ Autoinjector for once-weekly use.

The ability of pediatric patients to self-inject with the autoinjector has not been tested.

Recommendations for subcutaneous administration

  • ORENCIA ClickJectTM autoinjectors are intended for:
    • Subcutaneous use only and are not intended for intravenous infusion
    • Use under the guidance of a physician or healthcare practitioner
  • Do not twist cap
  • After proper training in subcutaneous injection technique, a patient or the patient’s caregiver may administer a subcutaneous injection of ORENCIA (ClickJect™ autoinjector) if a physician/healthcare practitioner determines that it is appropriate
  • Instruct patients and/or caregivers to follow the directions provided in the Instructions for Use for additional details on administration. Specifically instruct patients to inject the full amount (which provides the proper dose of ORENCIA), rotate injection sites, and to avoid injections into areas where the skin is tender, bruised, red, or hard
  • Visually inspect for particulate matter and discoloration prior to administration. Do not use ORENCIA ClickJect autoinjectors exhibiting particulate matter or discoloration. ORENCIA should be clear to slightly opalescent and colorless to pale yellow

Pediatric patients with psoriatic arthritis may self-inject with ORENCIA or the patient’s caregiver may administer ORENCIA if both the healthcare practitioner and the parent/legal guardian determine it is appropriate.

ORENCIA SC may be initiated with or without an IV loading dose

  • For patients initiating therapy with an IV loading dose, administer ORENCIA as a single IV infusion (as per body weight categories above), followed by the first ORENCIA SC injection administered within 1 day of the IV infusion
  • Patients switching from ORENCIA IV to ORENCIA SC administration should take their first SC dose instead of their next scheduled IV dose
Want to learn more about
ORENCIA for active PsA?
For more details about clinical efficacy and safety results, dosing,
and administration options for adult patients, explore the guide
to ORENCIA in active PsA.
Want to learn more about
ORENCIA for active PsA?
For more details about clinical efficacy and safety results, dosing, and administration options for adult patients, explore the guide to ORENCIA in active PsA.

Important Safety Information
for ORENCIA® (abatacept)

Increased Risk of Infection with Concomitant Use with TNF Antagonists, Other Biologic RA/PsA Therapy, or JAK Inhibitors: Concurrent therapy with ORENCIA and a TNF antagonist is not recommended. In controlled clinical trials, adult moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients receiving concomitant intravenous ORENCIA and TNF antagonist therapy experienced more infections (63% vs 43%) and serious infections (4.4% vs 0.8%) compared to patients treated with only TNF antagonists, without an important enhancement of efficacy. Additionally, concomitant use of ORENCIA with other biologic RA/PsA therapy or JAK inhibitors is not recommended.

Hypersensitivity Reactions: There were 2 cases (<0.1%; n=2688) of anaphylaxis reactions in clinical trials with adult RA patients treated with intravenous ORENCIA. Other reactions potentially associated with drug hypersensitivity, such as hypotension, urticaria, and dyspnea, each occurred in <0.9% of patients. There was one case of a hypersensitivity reaction with ORENCIA in pJIA clinical trials (0.5%; n=190). In postmarketing experience, fatal anaphylaxis following the first infusion of ORENCIA and life-threatening cases of angioedema have been reported. Angioedema has occurred as early as after the first dose of ORENCIA, but also has occurred with subsequent doses. Angioedema reactions have occurred within hours of administration and in some instances had a delayed onset (i.e., days). Appropriate medical support measures for treating hypersensitivity reactions should be available for immediate use. If an anaphylactic or other serious allergic reaction occurs, administration of intravenous or subcutaneous ORENCIA should be stopped immediately and permanently discontinued, with appropriate therapy instituted.

Infections: Serious infections, including sepsis and pneumonia, were reported in 3% and 1.9% of RA patients treated with intravenous ORENCIA and placebo, respectively. Some of these infections have been fatal. Many of the serious infections have occurred in patients on concomitant immunosuppressive therapy which, in addition to their underlying disease, could further predispose them to infection. Caution should be exercised in patients with a history of infection or underlying conditions which may predispose them to infections. Treatment with ORENCIA should be discontinued if a patient develops a serious infection. Patients should be screened for tuberculosis and viral hepatitis in accordance with published guidelines, and if positive, treated according to standard medical practice prior to therapy with ORENCIA.

Immunizations: Prior to initiating ORENCIA in pediatric and adult patients, update vaccinations in accordance with current vaccination guidelines. ORENCIA-treated patients may receive current non-live vaccines. Live vaccines should not be given concurrently with ORENCIA or within 3 months after discontinuation. ORENCIA may blunt the effectiveness of some immunizations. In addition, it is unknown if the immune response of an infant who was exposed in utero to abatacept and subsequently administered a live vaccine is impacted. Risks and benefits should be considered prior to vaccinating such infants.

Increased Risk of Adverse Reactions When Used in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD): In Study V, adult COPD patients treated with ORENCIA for RA developed adverse reactions more frequently than those treated with placebo, including COPD exacerbations, cough, rhonchi, and dyspnea. In the study, 97% of COPD patients treated with ORENCIA developed adverse events versus 88% treated with placebo. Respiratory disorders occurred more frequently in patients treated with ORENCIA compared to those on placebo (43% vs 24%, respectively), including COPD exacerbation, cough, rhonchi, and dyspnea. A greater percentage of patients treated with ORENCIA developed a serious adverse event compared to those on placebo (27% vs 6%), including COPD exacerbation [3 of 37 patients (8%)] and pneumonia [1 of 37 patients (3%)]. Use of ORENCIA in patients with COPD should be undertaken with caution, and such patients monitored for worsening of their respiratory status.

Immunosuppression: In clinical trials in adult RA patients, a higher rate of infections was seen in ORENCIA-treated patients compared to placebo-treated patients. The impact of treatment with ORENCIA on the development and course of malignancies is not fully understood. There have been reports of malignancies, including skin cancer in patients receiving ORENCIA. Periodic skin examinations are recommended for all ORENCIA-treated patients, particularly those with risk factors for skin cancer.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) Reactivation in aGVHD Prophylaxis after Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant (HSCT): Post-Transplant Lymphoproliferative Disorder (PTLD) occurred in patients who received ORENCIA for aGVHD prophylaxis during unrelated HSCT. Of 116 patients who received ORENCIA, 4 patients (3.4%) experienced PTLD. All the PTLD events were associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection. The range of time to onset of the event was 49 to 89 days post-transplant. Monitor patients for EBV reactivation in accordance with institutional practices. Before administering ORENCIA, provide recommended prophylaxis for EBV infection and continue for 6 months post-transplantation to prevent EBV-associated PTLD. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) invasive disease occurred in patients who received ORENCIA for aGVHD prophylaxis during unrelated HSCT. Of 116 patients who received ORENCIA, 7% (n=8) experienced CMV invasive diseases up to day 225 post-transplant. The median time to onset of the event was 91 days post-transplant. CMV invasive diseases predominantly involved the gastrointestinal tract. Monitor patients for CMV infection/reactivation for 6 months post-transplant regardless of the results of donor and recipient pre-transplant CMV serology. Consider prophylaxis for CMV infection/reactivation during treatment and for six months following HSCT.

Blood Glucose Testing: ORENCIA for intravenous administration contains maltose, which may result in falsely elevated blood glucose readings on the day of infusion when using blood glucose monitors with test strips utilizing glucose dehydrogenase pyrroloquinoline quinone (GDH-PQQ). Consider using monitors and advising patients to use monitors that do not react with maltose, such as those based on glucose dehydrogenase nicotine adenine dinucleotide (GDH-NAD), glucose oxidase or glucose hexokinase test methods. ORENCIA for subcutaneous (SC) administration does not contain maltose; therefore, patients do not need to alter their glucose monitoring.

Pregnancy: There are no adequate and well-controlled studies of ORENCIA use in pregnant women and the data with ORENCIA use in pregnant women are insufficient to inform on drug-associated risk. A pregnancy registry has been established to monitor pregnancy outcomes in women exposed to ORENCIA during pregnancy. Healthcare professionals are encouraged to register patients by calling 1-877-311-8972.

Lactation: There is no information regarding the presence of abatacept in human milk, the effects on the breastfed infant, or the effects on milk production. However, abatacept was present in the milk of lactating rats dosed with abatacept.

Most Serious Adverse Reactions: In controlled clinical trials, adult RA patients experienced serious infections (3% ORENCIA vs 1.9% placebo) and malignancies (1.3% ORENCIA vs 1.1% placebo). In the GVHD-1 study, serious adverse reactions reported in >5% of patients who received ORENCIA in combination with a calcineurin inhibitor and methotrexate included pyrexia (20%), pneumonia (8%), acute kidney injury (7%), diarrhea (6%), hypoxia (5%), and nausea (5%).

Malignancies: The overall frequency of malignancies was similar between adult RA patients treated with ORENCIA or placebo. However, more cases of lung cancer were observed in patients treated with ORENCIA (0.2%) than those on placebo (0%). A higher rate of lymphoma was seen compared to the general population; however, patients with RA, particularly those with highly active disease, are at a higher risk for the development of lymphoma. The potential role of ORENCIA in the development of malignancies in humans is unknown.

Most Frequent Adverse Events (≥10%): Headache, upper respiratory tract infection, nasopharyngitis, and nausea were the most commonly reported adverse events in the adult RA clinical studies. Other events reported in ≥5% of pJIA patients were diarrhea, cough, pyrexia, and abdominal pain. In general, the adverse events in pediatric pJIA and adult PsA patients were similar in frequency and type to those seen in adult RA patients. The most frequent adverse reactions of all grades reported in ≥10% of patients with aGVHD who received ORENCIA with a difference of ≥2% for the 7/8 cohort, 8/8 cohort ORENCIA arm, and 8/8 cohort placebo arm, respectively, were anemia (56%, 69%, and 57%), CD4 lymphocytes decreased (14%, 14%, and 9%), hypertension (49%, 43%, and 38%), pyrexia (28%, 19%, and 20%), CMV reactivation/CMV infection (26%, 32%, and 22%), pneumonia (19%, 12%, and 10%), epistaxis (12%, 16%, and 10%), acute kidney injury (9%, 15%, and 10%), and hypermagnesemia (5%, 18%, 10%).

Incidence rates of grade 3 or 4 adverse reactions were the same as incidence rates of all grades, with the exception of grade 3 or 4 pyrexia in all arms (9% [7/8 cohort], 10% [8/8 cohort, ORENCIA arm], and 4% [8/8 cohort, placebo arm]), pneumonia in the 8/8 cohort placebo arm (9%) and acute kidney injury in the 7/8 cohort ORENCIA arm (7%). Clinically relevant adverse reactions in <10% of patients who received ORENCIA in combination with calcineurin inhibitor and methotrexate in Study GVHD-1 included EBV reactivation.

Note concerning ORENCIA administration options: ORENCIA may be administered as an intravenous infusion only for patients 6 years of age and older. PJIA or pediatric PsA patients may self-inject with ORENCIA or the patient’s caregiver may administer ORENCIA if both the healthcare practitioner and the parent/legal guardian determines it is appropriate. The ability of pediatric patients to self-inject with the autoinjector has not been tested. ORENCIA for the prophylaxis of aGVHD in patients undergoing HSCT may only be administered as an intravenous (IV) infusion. The safety and effectiveness of ORENCIA have not been established in pediatric patients younger than 2 years of age for prophylaxis of aGVHD.

Please click here for Full Prescribing Information

Reference: 1. ORENCIA® [package insert]. Princeton, NJ: Bristol Myers Squibb.