What to Expect With Veletri
Your doctor has prescribed Veletri to treat your PAH*. The more you know about your PAH* medication, the more confident and in control you'll feel about your health. This is especially true when beginning a 24-hour intravenous (I.V.) therapy that requires daily preparation and measures to prevent infection.
Epoprostenol medications such as Veletri have a very short half-life (the time it takes for half of the medication to be broken down and eliminated from the body). Veletri has a half-life of 3 to 6 minutes—meaning that within 3 to 6 minutes after the drug is absorbed, half the drug has already been used by the body. Because of this, Veletri cannot be given as a pill that can be swallowed. Instead, it must be continuously delivered intravenously (into a vein) through an I.V. line. This line is connected to a catheter (a very thin tube) that is placed into your heart in a surgical procedure.
During this surgical procedure, you will get local anesthesia1 and your doctor (surgeon) will place the catheter into your heart and then connect it to a small, battery-powered pump that delivers the medication. Veletri, in liquid form, is stored in a small, removable cassette attached to the pump.
Your pump should be on and you must carry or wear the pump at all times.2 To avoid interruptions of your medication, be sure to have a backup infusion pump, I.V. infusion sets, and an extra cassette filled with prepared Veletri.
It is important to use Veletri as directed by your doctor. Veletri should not be used by patients with heart failure due to severe left heart disease, patients who develop fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema) during dose initiation, or patients who are allergic to epoprostenol. The most commonly reported side effects during clinical trials include flushing, jaw pain, headache, low blood pressure, fast heartbeat, nausea, vomiting, flu-like symptoms, anxiety/nervousness, and diarrhea.
Talk to your doctor if you have any questions about Veletri.
*What is Veletri?
Veletri is a prescription medicine that is given intravenously (in a vein). It is used to treat adults with certain kinds of severe pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) (WHO Group 1), a condition in which blood pressure is too high in the blood vessels between the heart and the lungs. Veletri may improve your ability to exercise as measured by how far you can walk in 6 minutes(6-minute walk test).
Studies showing Veletri is effective included mainly patients with NYHA Functional Class III-IV PAH. In these patients, PAH was caused by unidentified or hereditary factors or connective tissue disease.
Who should not take Veletri?
Veletri should not be used if you have heart failure due to severe left heart disease, if you develop fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema) when starting therapy, or if you are allergic to epoprostenol.
Some medications may interact with Veletri. Please talk to your doctor about all of your medications.
What is the most important information I should know about Veletri?
It is important to use Veletri as directed by your doctor. Veletri should be used only with Sterile Water for Injection, USP, or Sodium Chloride 0.9% Injection, USP. Do not mix Veletri with other intravenous medications. Do not freeze Veletri or expose to direct sunlight.
When you take epoprostenol for the first time, you must be in a setting (hospital or clinic) where you can be monitored for any serious side effects or in case of emergency. Your blood pressure and heart rate should also be monitored with any dose changes. If you are taking Veletri, your doctor may prescribe another kind of medicine used to prevent blood clots. Use of these types of medicines may increase the risk of bleeding.
Sudden and dramatic changes in dose may lead to unstable blood pressure, a return of pulmonary hypertension symptoms, or fatal low blood pressure (hypotension). Do not stop using Veletri without first talking to your doctor. To reduce the risk of infection in the bloodstream, it is important to know how to properly care for the catheter and infusion pump.
What are the possible side effects of Veletri?
The most commonly reported side effects during clinical trials include flushing, jaw pain, headache, low blood pressure, fast heartbeat, nausea, vomiting, flu-like symptoms, anxiety/nervousness, and diarrhea.
Talk to your doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away. These are not all the possible side effects of Veletri. For more information, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
Please see accompanying full prescribing information.
1. Pulmonary Hypertension: A Patient's Survival Guide. 3rd ed., Pulmonary Hypertension Association. 2010.
2. Veletri (epoprostenol for injection) Full Prescribing Information. Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc. March 2011.
