Nexium I.V. 40mg Powder for solution for injection/infusion

Package leaflet: Information for the user

Nexium IV 40 mg

Powder for solution for injection/infusion

esomeprazole

 Read all of this leaflet carefully before you are given this medicine because it contains important information for you.

·      Keep this leaflet. You may need to read it again.

·      If you have any further questions, ask your doctor, pharmacist or nurse.

·      If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. See section 4.

What is in this leaflet:

1. What Nexium is and what it is used for

2. What you need to know before Nexium is given to you

3. How Nexium is given to you

4. Possible side effects

5. How to store Nexium

6. Contents of the pack and other information

1. What Nexium is and what it is used for

Nexium contains a medicine called esomeprazole. This belongs to a group of medicines called ‘proton pump inhibitors’. They work by reducing the amount of acid that your stomach produces.

Nexium is used for the short‑term treatment of certain conditions, when you are unable to have treatment by mouth. It is used to treat the following conditions:

Adults

·      ‘Gastroesophageal reflux disease’ (GERD). This is where acid from the stomach escapes into the gullet (the tube which connects your throat to your stomach) causing pain, inflammation and heartburn.

·      Stomach ulcers caused by medicines called NSAIDs (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs). Nexium can also be used to stop stomach ulcers from forming if you are taking NSAIDs.

·      Prevention of rebleeding following therapeutic endoscopy for acute bleeding gastric or duodenal ulcers.

Children and adolescents aged 1-18 years

·      ‘Gastroesophageal reflux disease’ (GERD). This is where acid from the stomach escapes into the gullet (the tube which connects your throat to your stomach) causing pain, inflammation and heartburn.

2. What you need to know before Nexium is given to you

You must not be given Nexium:

·      If you are allergic to esomeprazole or any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6).

·      If you are allergic to other proton pump inhibitor medicines (e.g. pantoprazole, lansoprazole, rabeprazole, omeprazole).

·      If you are taking a medicine containing nelfinavir (used to treat HIV infection).

You must not be given Nexium if any of the above apply to you. If you are not sure, talk to your doctor or nurse before you are given this medicine.

Warnings and precautions

Talk to your doctor or nurse before you are given Nexium if:

·      You have severe liver problems.

·      You have severe kidney problems.

·      You have ever had a skin reaction after treatment with a medicine similar to Nexium that reduces stomach acid.

·     You are due to have a specific blood test (Chromogranin A).

Nexium may hide the symptoms of other diseases. Therefore, if any of the following happen to you before you are given Nexium or after you are given it, talk to your doctor straight away:

·      You lose a lot of weight for no reason and have problems swallowing.

·      You get stomach pain or indigestion.

·      You begin to vomit food or blood.

·      You pass black stools (blood-stained faeces).

Taking a proton pump inhibitor like Nexium, especially over a period of more than one year, may slightly increase your risk of fracture in the hip, wrist or spine. Tell your doctor if you have osteoporosis or if you are taking corticosteroids (which can increase the risk of osteoporosis).

Rash and skin symptoms

If you get a rash on your skin, especially in areas exposed to the sun tell your doctor as soon as you can, as you may need to stop your treatment with Nexium. Remember to also mention any other ill-effects like pain in your joints.

Serious skin rashes have occurred in patients taking esomeprazole (see also section 4). The rash can involve ulcers of the mouth, throat, nose, genitals and conjunctivitis (red and swollen eyes). These serious skin rashes often come after flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache, body ache. The rash may cover large parts of the body with blistering and peeling of the skin.

If at any time during the treatment (even after several weeks) you develop a rash or any of these skin symptoms, stop taking this medicine and contact your doctor immediately.

Other medicines and Nexium

Tell your doctor or nurse if you are taking, have recently taken, or might take any other medicines. This includes medicines that you buy without a prescription. This is because Nexium can affect the way some medicines work and some medicines can have an effect on Nexium.

You must not be given Nexium if you are taking a medicine containing nelfinavir (used to treat HIV infection).

Tell your doctor or nurse if you are taking any of the following medicines:

·      Atazanavir (used to treat HIV infection).

·      Clopidogrel (used to prevent blood clots).

·      Ketoconazole, itraconazole or voriconazole (used to treat infections caused by a fungus).

·      Erlotinib (used to treat cancer).

·      Citalopram, imipramine or clomipramine (used to treat depression).

·      Diazepam (used to treat anxiety, relax muscles or in epilepsy).

·      Phenytoin (used in epilepsy). If you are taking phenytoin, your doctor will need to monitor you when you start or stop having Nexium.

·      Medicines that are used to thin your blood, such as warfarin. Your doctor may need to monitor you when you start or stop having Nexium.

·      Cilostazol (used to treat intermittent claudication – a pain in your legs when you walk which is caused by an insufficient blood supply).

·      Cisapride (used for indigestion and heartburn).

·      Digoxin (used for heart problems).

·      Methotrexate (a chemotherapy medicine used in high doses to treat cancer) – if you are taking a high dose of methotrexate, your doctor may temporarily stop your Nexium treatment.

·      Tacrolimus (organ transplantation).

·      Rifampicin (used for treatment of tuberculosis).

·      St. John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum) (used to treat depression).

Pregnancy, breast-feeding and fertility

If you are pregnant, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before you are given this medicine. Your doctor will decide whether you can take Nexium during this time.

It is not known if Nexium passes into breast milk. Therefore, you should not be given Nexium if you are breastfeeding.

Driving and using machines

Nexium is not likely to affect you being able to drive or use any tools or machines. However, side effects such as dizziness and blurred vision may uncommonly occur (see section 4). If affected, you should not drive or use machines.

3. How Nexium is given to you

Nexium can be given to children and adolescents aged 1-18 years and adults, including the elderly.

Being given Nexium

Use in adults

·      Nexium will be given to you by your doctor who will decide how much you need.

·      The recommended dose is 20 mg or 40 mg once a day.

·      If you have severe liver problems, the maximum dose is 20 mg a day (GERD).

·      The medicine will be given to you as an injection or infusion into one of your veins. This will last for up to 30 minutes.

·      The recommended dose for prevention of re-bleeding of gastric or duodenal ulcer, is 80 mg administered as intravenous infusion over 30 minutes followed by a continuous infusion of 8 mg/hr given over 3 days. If you have severe liver problems, a continuous infusion of 4 mg/hr given over 3 days may be sufficient.

Use in children and adolescents

·      Nexium will be given by your doctor who will decide how much you need.

·      For children 1-11 years, the recommended dose is 10 or 20 mg given once a day.

·      For children 12-18 years, the recommended dose is 20 or 40 mg given once a day.

·      The medicine will be given as an injection or infusion into a vein. This will last up to 30 minutes.

If you are given more Nexium than you should

If you think you have been given too much Nexium, talk to your doctor straight away.

4. Possible side effects

Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.

If you notice any of the following serious side effects, stop taking Nexium and contact a doctor immediately:

·    Yellow skin, dark urine and tiredness which can be symptoms of liver problems. These effects are rare, and may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people.

·    Sudden wheezing, swelling of your lips, tongue and throat or body, rash, fainting or difficulties in swallowing (severe allergic reaction). These effects are rare, and may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people.

·    Sudden onset of a severe rash or reddening of the skin with blisters or peeling may occur even after several weeks of treatment. There may also be severe blisters and bleeding in the lips, eyes, mouth, nose and genitals. The skin rashes may develop into serious widespread skin damage (peeling of the epidermis and superficial mucous membranes) with life threatening consequences. This could be ‘erythema multiforme’, ‘Stevens-Johnson syndrome’, ‘toxic epidermal necrolysis’ or ‘drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms’. These effects are very rare and may affect up to 1 in 10,000 people.

Other side effects include:

Common (may affect up to 1 in 10 people)

·    Headache.

·    Effects on your stomach or gut: diarrhoea, stomach pain, constipation, wind (flatulence).

·    Feeling sick (nausea) or being sick (vomiting).

·    Injection site reaction.

·    Benign polyps in the stomach.

Uncommon (may affect up to 1 in 100 people)

·    Swelling of the feet and ankles.

·    Disturbed sleep (insomnia).

·    Dizziness, tingling feelings such as “pins and needles”, feeling sleepy.

·    Spinning feeling (vertigo).

·    Eyesight problems such as blurred vision.

·    Dry mouth.

·    Changes in blood tests that check how the liver is working.

·    Skin rash, lumpy rash (hives) and itchy skin.

·    Fracture of the hip, wrist or spine (if Nexium is used in high doses and over long duration).

Rare (may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people)

·    Blood problems such as a reduced number of white cells or platelets. This can cause weakness, bruising or make infections more likely

·    Low levels of sodium in the blood. This may cause weakness, being sick (vomiting) and cramps.

·    Feeling agitated, confused or depressed.

·    Taste changes.

·    Suddenly feeling wheezy or short of breath (bronchospasm).

·    An inflammation of the inside of the mouth.

·    An infection called “thrush” which can affect the gut and is caused by a fungus.

·    Liver problems, including jaundice which can cause yellow skin, dark urine, and tiredness.

·    Hair loss (alopecia).

·    Skin rash on exposure to sunshine.

·    Joint pains (arthralgia) or muscle pains (myalgia).

·    Generally feeling unwell and lacking energy.

·    Increased sweating.

Very rare (may affect up to 1 in 10,000 people)

·    Changes in blood count including agranulocytosis (lack of white blood cells)

·    Aggression.

·    Seeing, feeling or hearing things that are not there (hallucinations).

·    Severe liver problems leading to liver failure and inflammation of the brain.

·    Sudden onset of a severe rash or blistering or peeling skin. This may be associated with a high fever and joint pains (Erythema multiforme, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis, drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms).

·    Muscle weakness.

·    Severe kidney problems.

·    Enlarged breasts in men.

Not known (frequency cannot be estimated from the available data)

·      If you are on Nexium for more than three months it is possible that the levels of magnesium in your blood may fall. Low levels of magnesium can be seen as fatigue, involuntary muscle contractions, disorientation, convulsions, dizziness or increased heart rate. If you get any of these symptoms, please tell your doctor promptly. Low levels of magnesium can also lead to a reduction in potassium or calcium levels in the blood. Your doctor may decide to perform regular blood tests to monitor your levels of magnesium.

·      Inflammation in the gut (leading to diarrhoea).

·      Rash, possibly with pain in the joints.

Nexium may in very rare cases affect the white blood cells leading to immune deficiency. If you have an infection with symptoms such as fever with a severely reduced general condition or fever with symptoms of a local infection such as pain in the neck, throat or mouth or difficulties in urinating, you must consult your doctor as soon as possible so that a lack of white blood cells (agranulocytosis) can be ruled out by a blood test. It is important for you to give information about your medication at this time.

Reporting of side effects

If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly (see details below). By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.

Ireland

HPRA Pharmacovigilance

Website: www.hpra.ie

5. How to store Nexium

·      The doctor and hospital pharmacist are responsible for storing, using and disposing of Nexium correctly.

·      Do not use this medicine after the expiry date which is stated on the carton and vial after EXP. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month.

·      Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children.

·      Do not store above 30°C.

·      Keep the vial in the outer carton in order to protect from light. Vials can, however, be stored exposed to normal indoor light outside the box for up to 24 hours.

6. Contents of the pack and other information

What Nexium contains

The active substance is esomeprazole sodium. Each vial of powder for solution for injection/infusion contains 42.5 mg of esomeprazole sodium, equivalent to 40 mg of esomeprazole.

The other ingredients are disodium edetate and sodium hydroxide. Each vial contains less than 1 mmol sodium (23 mg) i.e. essentially ‘sodium-free’.

What Nexium looks like and contents of the pack

Nexium is a white to off-white ‘cake’ or powder. This is made into a solution before it is given to you.

Pack sizes: 1 vial, 10 vials. Not all pack sizes may be marketed.

Marketing Authorisation Holder and Manufacturer

The Marketing Authorisation for Nexium in Ireland is held by Grünenthal Pharma Ltd., 4045 Kingswood Road, Citywest Business Park, Citywest, Co. Dublin, Ireland.

Nexium is released by AstraZeneca AB, 152 57, Södertälje, Sweden and Grünenthal GmbH, Zieglerstraße 6, 52078 Aachen, Germany.

This medicine is authorised in the Member States of the EEA under the following names:

Member States

Name of the medicinal product

Austria, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom (NI)

Nexium

Belgium, Luxembourg

Nexiam

France

Inexium

Portugal

Nexium I.V.

This leaflet was last revised in February 2023.

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The following information is intended for healthcare professionals only:

Nexium IV 40 mg contains 40 mg of esomeprazole, as a sodium salt. Each vial also contains disodium edetate and sodium hydroxide (<1 mmol sodium).

Vials are for single use only. If the entire reconstituted content of the vial is not required for a single dose, any unused solution should be discarded.

For further information on dose recommendations and storage conditions, see sections 3 and 5, respectively.

Preparation and Administration of Reconstituted Solution:

For the reconstitution of solution, withdraw the plastic cap of colour at the top of the vial of Nexium, and pierce the stopper in the centre of the designed circle, by maintaining the needle vertically, in order to be able to cross the stopper correctly.

The reconstituted solution for injection or infusion should be clear and colourless to very slightly yellow. It should be inspected visually for particulate matter and discolouration before administration and only clear solution should be used.

The shelf life after reconstitution in terms of chemical and physical stability has been demonstrated for 12 hours at 30°C. However, from a microbiological point of view, the product should be used immediately.

Nexium Injection

To prepare a solution for injection:

Injection 40 mg

For 8 mg/ml esomeprazole reconstituted solution: Prepare the solution by adding 5 ml of 0.9% sodium chloride for intravenous use to the esomeprazole 40 mg vial.

The reconstituted solution for injection should be administered intravenously over a period of at least 3 minutes.

For further information on dose administration, please see SmPC section 4.2.

Nexium Infusion

To prepare a solution for infusion:

Infusion 40 mg

Dissolve the content of one esomeprazole 40 mg vial in up to 100 ml of 0.9% sodium chloride for intravenous use.

Infusion 80 mg

Dissolve the contents of two esomeprazole 40 mg vials in up to 100 ml of 0.9% sodium chloride for intravenous use.

For further information on dose administration, please see SmPC section 4.2.

Disposal

Any unused product or waste material should be disposed of in accordance with local requirements.

Marketing Authorisation Holder

The Marketing Authorisation for Nexium in Ireland is held by Grünenthal Pharma Ltd., 4045 Kingswood Road, Citywest Business Park, Citywest, Co. Dublin, Ireland.

This leaflet was last revised in February 2023.