Fuzeon (Enfuvirtide) Drug Information: Description, User Reviews, Drug Side Effects, Interactions

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May 26, 2012

Fuzeon

HIV and AIDS: Antiretroviral Drugs, Treatments and Medications »

Entry Inhibitors (including Fusion Inhibitors) and CCR5 Co-receptor Antagonist

Entry Inhibitors
Entry inhibitors block HIV entry into CD4+ cells.

Fusion inhibitors
The only drug in this class is T-20, which is administered as a twice daily subcutaneous injection. The most common side effect is redness and pain at the site of injection. Rarely, infection can occur at the injection site. There also are reports of generalized allergic reactions.

CCR5 antagonist
Although there were some early concerns of liver inflammation for drugs in this class, MVC appeared to be well tolerated in clinical trials without any specific toxicities attributable to the drug. However, it is a new drug in a new class and the first to actually target the cell. For these reasons, longer follow-up from clinical trials and those followed in the clinic will be very important for assessing the overall safety of the...

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FUZEON®
(enfuvirtide) for Injection

DRUG DESCRIPTION

FUZEON (enfuvirtide) is an inhibitor of the fusion of HIV-1 with CD4 cells. Enfuvirtide is a linear 36-amino acid synthetic peptide with the N-terminus acetylated and the C-terminus is a carboxamide. It is composed of naturally occurring L-amino acid residues.

Enfuvirtide is a white to off-white amorphous solid. It has negligible solubility in pure water and the solubility increases in aqueous buffers (pH 7.5) to 85-142 g/100 mL. The empirical formula of enfuvirtide is C₂₀₄H₃₀₁N₅₁O₆₄, and the molecular weight is 4492. It has the following primary amino acid sequence:

CH3CO-Tyr-Thr-Ser-Leu-Ile-His-Ser-Leu-Ile-Glu-Glu-Ser-Gln-Asn-Gln-Gln-Glu-Lys-Asn-Glu-Gln-Glu-LeuLeu-Glu-Leu-Asp-Lys-Trp-Ala-Ser-Leu-Trp-Asn-Trp-Phe-NH2 and the following structural formula:

FUZEON® (enfuvirtide) Structural Formula Illustration

The drug product, FUZEON (enfuvirtide) for Injection, is a white to off-white, sterile, lyophilized powder. Each single-use vial contains 108 mg of enfuvirtide for the delivery of 90 mg. Prior to subcutaneous administration, the contents of the vial are reconstituted with 1.1 mL of Sterile Water for Injection giving a volume of approximately 1.2 mL to provide the delivery of 1 mL of the solution. Each 1 mL of the reconstituted solution contains approximately 90 mg of enfuvirtide with approximate amounts of the following excipients: 22.55 mg of mannitol, 2.39 mg of sodium carbonate (anhydrous), and sodium hydroxide and hydrochloric acid for pH adjustment as needed. The reconstituted solution has an approximate pH of 9.0.

What are the possible side effects of enfuvirtide (Fuzeon)?

Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: skin rash or hives; fever, chills; nausea, vomiting; difficulty breathing; feeling light-headed or fainting; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Stop using enfuvirtide and call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:

cough with fever, chest congestion, and shortness of breath;
signs of a new infection, such as fever or chills, cough, or flu symptoms.
nerve pain lasting for several...

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What are the precautions when taking enfuvirtide (Fuzeon)?

Before using enfuvirtide, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are allergic to it; or if you have any other allergies. This product may contain inactive ingredients, which can cause allergic reactions or other problems. Talk to your pharmacist for more details.

Before using this medication, tell your doctor or pharmacist your medical history, especially of: bleeding problems (e.g., hemophilia, coagulopathy), smoking, IV drug abuse, lung disease.

This medication should be used only when clearly needed during pregnancy. Discuss the risks and benefits with your doctor.

It is not known whether this drug passes into breast milk. Because breast milk can transmit HIV, do not...

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Last reviewed on RxList: 6/9/2011
This monograph has been modified to include the generic and brand name in many instances.