Klin Farmakol Farm. 2022;36(2):38-42 | DOI: 10.36290/far.2022.007

Clinical experience with facilitated subcutaneous immunoglobulin treatment

Zita Chovancová

Ústav klinické imunologie a alergologie FN u sv. Anny v Brně a LF MU

The immunoglobulin replacement therapy serves to compensate for the insufficient production of opsonizing and neutralizing antibodies against a wide range of pathogens in patients with congenital or acquired antibody production disorders. The basic routes of administration include intravenous, conventional subcutaneous and subcutaneous administration facilitated by hyalu­ronidase (fSCIG). Subcutaneous administration of this enzyme at the beginning of the treatment allows to temporarily grind the extracellular matrix and thus use the volume of normal human immunoglobulin in the dose and interval of administration as in intravenous route of administration (0.4-0.8 g/kg/month once every 2-4 weeks). The bioavailability of fSCIG treatment is around 93 % and is higher than with conventional subcutaneous administration. It is usually applied to 1-2 sites. The maximum recommended infusion rate is 300ml/h. The most common side effects of treatment include local reactions of pain or discomfort at the injection site, itchy, redness or swelling. The formation of antibodies against hyaluronidase is possible, however they are not neutralizing and their presence does not correlate with the occurrence of adverse reactions. The main advantage of fSCIG treatment is subcutaneous administration over a longer period of time in the home environment.

Keywords: immunoglobulin replacement therapy, recombinant human hyaluronidase, facilitated subcutaneous administration, antibody production disorders.

Published: July 7, 2022  Show citation