Emicizumab is an anticancer drug that belongs to the class of medications called bispecific monoclonal antibodies. FDA approved the medicine on October 04, 2018, for its medical use.

Emicizumab is an intravenously administered drug. It is used to treat patients with r hemophilia A who have developed factor VIII inhibitors. It is also indicated to treat severe hemophilia A who have not developed factor VIII inhibitors (the FVIII blood level is less than 1%).

Emicizumab will be given by injection under the skin (subcutaneous). Your doctor or nurse or other healthcare professional will show you how to inject the medicine. Do not try to administer the medicine if you are well-trained. Your physician will decide the dose of the injection based on your disease condition and severity. 

The recommended places to give an injection are the front of the waist (lower abdomen), upper outer arms, or the front of the thighs. Use only recommended places for injection. Use a different area of the body for each injection than the one you used last time.

The common side effects of Emicizumab are injection site reactions, joint pain, and headache. Other serious side effects are heart problems, muscle pain and cramps, blood clots, bleeding, and destruction of RBC. 

Emicizumab may increase the risk of blood clots. Before beginning therapy, discussing any history of blood clots or risk factors with your healthcare physician is critical. Rare incidences of hypersensitivity events such as rash, itching, swelling, or difficulty breathing have been observed. If any allergy symptoms appear, seek quick medical assistance.

Do not take Emicizumab if you are allergic to Emicizumab or any other ingredients. Before you start using this medicine, it is very important to talk to your doctor about using any other medications.  Inform your physician immediately if bleeding occurs after taking this medicine. This medicine is used in all age groups. Do not give this injection where the skin is red, bruised, tender, or hard, or in areas with moles or scars. 

Regular laboratory monitoring may be necessary, including activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) and factor VIII activity. Inform your healthcare provider about all your medicines, including prescription, over-the-counter, nutritional, supplements, and herbal products. Certain medications interact with Emicizumab and reduce its effectiveness by causing undesirable side effects.

This medicine is given as a shot under your skin. It is usually injected into the upper outer arms, thighs, or stomach.  Use a different body area each time you give yourself a shot. Keep track of where you give each shot to ensure you rotate body areas. Do not inject into skin areas that are tender, red, bruised, hard, or not intact or into areas with moles or scars. Use a new needle and syringe each time you inject your medicine. 

Women should use an effective form of birth control to keep from getting pregnant. Tell your doctor right away if you think you have become pregnant. Your doctor will do lab tests at regular visits to check on the effects of this medicine. Keep all appointments.

1. Hemlibra 150 mg/mL Solution for Injection - Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC) - (emc). www.medicines.org.uk. Published September 2022. Accessed May 10, 2023. http://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/9043/smpc
2. Emicizumab Injection, Highlights of Prescribing Information, Revised 2017. Accessed May 10, 2023. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2017/761083s000lbl.pdf
3. H.G. Watson, J.I.O. Craig, L.M. Manson, Blood disease, Davidson’s Principles and Practice of Medicine, 22nd Edition, 2014, 989-1056.
4. Le Quellec, Clinical Evidence and Safety Profile of Emicizumab for the Management of Children with Hemophilia A, Drug Design, Development and Therapy, 2020:14, https://www.dovepress.com/getfile.php?fileID=55818

The drug information on this page is not a substitute for medical advice. It is meant for educational purposes only. For further details, consult your doctor about your medical condition to know if you can receive this treatment.