Fasenra

• Are you pregnant or breastfeeding?
• Do you have a worm infection?
• Are you taking other medicines?

If so, it’s important that you tell your doctor before you start Fasenra. Sometimes a medicine isn’t suitable for a person with certain conditions, or it can only be used with extra care.

In Aotearoa New Zealand Fasenra is available as an injection given under your skin. Fasenra comes as a single-use pen injection, which means that each pen is used only once for 1 injection. The pen is ready to use meaning it's pre-filled with the medicine, and the needle is already fitted onto the pen. The pen is very easy to use – you don't need to measure or mix anything, or handle a needle.

• The usual dose of Fasenra is a 30 mg (one prefilled syringe) injection every 4 weeks for the first 3 doses, then one injection every 8 weeks after that.
• On the day of your injection, take your asthma medication as usual.
• If you have missed a dose of Fasenra contact your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist as soon as possible. They will tell you what you need to do.

Fasenra injection is given under your skin (called subcutaneous). If you are injecting it by yourself, give it in your thigh or abdomen. If the injection is given by someone else (for example a caregiver or your doctor, nurse or pharmacist), it may also be given in the upper arm. Don't try to inject yourself in the arm.

Store Fasenra in the fridge, in the original package. Don't freeze it – if your pen has been frozen, don't use it. Take your Fasenra pen out of the fridge and leave it at room temperature for about 30 minutes before injecting. Don't warm Fasenra in any other way, eg, in the microwave or hot water. When refrigeration isn't possible (eg, when you are on holiday), you can keep your pen at room temperature (20°C to 25°C ) for up to 14 days.

It's important to get rid of your used injection pens safely.

• Keep them out of reach of children and pets, and places where they could hurt others. You can do this by buying a sharps container from your pharmacy. This is a special container made of hard plastic that has a tight-fitting lid so used needles and syringes can be stored securely.
• Don't flush used needles and syringes down the toilet or put them in household or public rubbish or recycle bins. Once your sharps container is full, take it to your pharmacy for safe disposal.

Like all medicines, Fasenra can cause side effects, although not everyone gets them. Often side effects improve as your body gets used to the new medicine.

The following links provide further information on Fasenra.

Medsafe Consumer Information Sheets: Fasenra(external link)

Asthma in adults
Asthma topics | Mate huango

1. Benralizumab(external link) New Zealand Formulary