Soliris®

What is Soliris®?

Soliris® (eculizumab) is given through an IV. In neurology it treats two conditions: generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) in people 6 and older who are AChR antibody positive, and Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) in adults who are AQP4 antibody positive. It also treats two blood conditions.

There is something important to know before you start. Soliris raises your risk of a serious infection called meningococcal disease. Because of that, you need certain vaccines at least two weeks before your first treatment, and Soliris is only available through a special safety program. Read the safety section below carefully — this is not fine print.

Soliris is given at our MS Infusion Therapy | Rocky Mountain MS Clinic:

• Starting treatments: Once a week for the first 4 weeks

• How often after that: Every 2 weeks

• Total appointment time: About 2 hours

You need meningococcal vaccines finished at least 2 weeks before your first treatment. If you need to start sooner than that, your doctor will give you an antibiotic to take in the meantime and get you vaccinated as soon as possible. You will also carry a safety card so any doctor who treats you knows you are on this medicine.

How does Soliris work?

Your immune system has a group of proteins called complement. They help you fight off germs. They work like a chain — one protein switches on the next, and so on down the line.

In myasthenia gravis and NMOSD, that chain gets switched on in the wrong place. Instead of attacking germs, it damages healthy tissue: the spot where your nerves meet your muscles in myasthenia gravis, or your optic nerves and spinal cord in NMOSD.

Soliris breaks the chain partway through.

Here is what it does:

• Soliris grabs a protein called C5. C5 sits in the middle of the complement chain.

• The chain stops there. The proteins after C5 never get switched on.

• The damaging step never happens. That last step is what punches holes in healthy cells.

• Your tissue is protected. Either the nerve-muscle connection or your optic nerves and spinal cord, depending on your condition.

If you have myasthenia gravis, many people notice their strength improving during those first few weeks of treatment.

If you have NMOSD, the goal is different. Soliris is there to stop attacks before they happen. Success looks like an attack you never had. That is harder to feel, but it matters — each NMOSD attack can cause damage that does not go away.

Common side effects:

• Headache

• Colds and other infections in your nose, throat, or sinuses

• Upset stomach

• Feeling tired

• Back pain

Serious side effects — get medical help right away:

• Serious meningococcal infections (BOXED WARNING). This is a severe infection that can become life threatening very quickly. It has happened to people who were vaccinated as well as people who were not. Get emergency care right away if you have a fever with a headache, a stiff neck, confusion, a rash, or sensitivity to light.

• Special safety program. Soliris is only available through a program called the ULTOMIRIS and SOLIRIS REMS. Your doctor has to be enrolled, and you have to be vaccinated and counseled before you start.

• Other serious infections. Your risk is also higher for certain pneumonia and flu-type bacteria. Your doctor will recommend vaccines for these.

• Reactions during treatment. These can include allergic reactions.