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EUROPEAN MEDICINES AGENCY

SCIENCE MEDICINES HEALTH

EMA/925383/2011

EMEA/H/C/000899

EPAR summary for the public

Firazyr

icatibant

This is a summary of the European public assessment report (EPAR) for Firazyr. It explains how the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) assessed the medicine to reach its opinion in favour of granting a marketing authorisation and its recommendations on the conditions of use for Firazyr.

What is Firazyr?

Firazyr is a solution for injection that contains the active substance icatibant.

What is Firazyr used for?

Firazyr is used to treat the symptoms of attacks of hereditary angioedema in adults. Patients with angioedema have attacks of swelling that can occur anywhere in the body, such as in the face or limbs, or around the gut, causing discomfort and pain. Firazyr is used in patients whose angioedema is linked to naturally low levels of a protein called 'C1 esterase inhibitor'.

Because the number of patients who have angioedema is low, the disease is considered 'rare', and Firazyr was designated an 'orphan medicine' (a medicine used in rare diseases) on 17 February 2003.

The medicine can only be obtained with a prescription.

How is Firazyr used?

Firazyr is given as a slow injection under the skin, preferably in the abdomen (tummy). The recommended dose of Firazyr is one injection. If symptoms continue or come back, a second injection can be given after six hours. If needed, treatment can be repeated for a third time after an additional six hours. No more than three injections should be given in any 24-hour period.

The doctor may decide that the patient or their caregiver can administer the medicine themselves, after they have been properly trained by a healthcare professional.

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© European Medicines Agency, 2011. Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.

How does Firazyr work?

Patients with hereditary angioedema have high levels of a substance called 'bradykinin', which is involved in causing inflammation and swelling. The active substance in Firazyr, icatibant, blocks the receptors that bradykinin normally attaches itself to. This blocks the activity of bradykinin, helping to relieve the symptoms of the disease.

How has Firazyr been studied?

Firazyr has been studied in two main studies in patients with angioedema of the skin or the abdomen. The first study compared Firazyr with tranexamic acid (another medicine for hereditary angioedema) in 74 patients, and the second study compared Firazyr with placebo (a dummy treatment) in 56 patients. The main measure of effectiveness was how long it took until the patient's symptoms were relieved.

What benefit has Firazyr shown during the studies?

Firazyr was more effective than tranexamic acid and placebo in relieving the symptoms of the disease. In both studies, the time it took for the patient's symptoms to improve was shorter for patients taking Firazyr than for those taking tranexamic acid or placebo. Patients experienced relief an average of 2.0 to 2.5 hours after receiving Firazyr, compared with 12.0 hours for tranexamic acid in one study and 4.6 hours for placebo in the other study.

What is the risk associated with Firazyr?

The most common side effects with Firazyr (seen in more than 1 patient in 10) are erythema (redness), swelling,, burning, itching and pain at injection sites. For the full list of all side effects reported with Firazyr, see the package leaflet.

Firazyr should not be used in people who may be hypersensitive (allergic) to icatibant or to any of the other ingredients.

Why has Firazyr been approved?

The CHMP decided that Firazyr's benefits are greater than its risks and recommended that it be given marketing authorisation.

Other information about Firazyr

The European Commission granted a marketing authorisation valid throughout the European Union for Firazyr to Shire Orphan Therapies GmbH on 11 July 2008. The marketing authorisation is valid for five years, after which it can be renewed.

The full EPAR for Firazyr can be found on the Agency's website: ema.europa.eu/Find medicine/Human medicines/European Public Assessment Reports. For more information about treatment with Firazyr, read the package leaflet (also part of the EPAR) or contact your doctor or pharmacist.

The summary of the opinion of the Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products for Firazyr can be found on the Agency's website: ema.europa.eu/Find medicine/Human medicines/Rare disease designations.

This summary was last updated in 10-2011.

Firazyr

EMA/925383/2011