Soliris
eculizumab
Table of contents
Overview
Soliris is a medicine used to treat adults and children with paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria (PNH) and atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome (aHUS).
These are life-threatening genetic diseases that cause the breakdown of red blood cells resulting in various medical complications. PNH results in anaemia (low red blood cell counts), thrombosis (blood clots in the blood vessels), pancytopenia (low counts of blood cells) and dark urine, while aHUS results in anaemia, thrombocytopenia (a decrease in the number of platelets, components that help the blood to clot) and kidney failure.
Soliris is used to treat adults and children aged 6 years and above with myasthenia gravis (a disease where the immune system attacks and damages muscle cells causing muscle weakness), in whom other medicines do not work (refractory generalised myasthenia gravis, refractory gMG) and who have a specific antibody in their body called AChR antibody.
Soliris is also used to treat adults with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), a disease where the immune system damages nerve cells causing problems mostly with the optic (eye) nerve and the spinal cord (nerve tissue that runs from the base of the skull down the center of the back). It is used in patients who have an antibody called AQP4 and whose disease is relapsing (where the patient has attacks [relapses] between periods with no symptoms).
Soliris contains the active substance eculizumab.
These diseases are rare, and Soliris was designated an ‘orphan medicine’ (a medicine used in rare diseases). Further information on the orphan designations can be found on the European Medicines Agency’s website (PNH: 17 October 2003; aHUS: 24 July 2009; myasthenia gravis: 29 July 2014; NMOSD: 24 April 2019).
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Soliris : EPAR - Medicine overview (PDF/132.47 KB)
First published: 01/07/2009
Last updated: 08/08/2023 -
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Soliris : EPAR - Risk-management-plan summary (PDF/198.76 KB)
First published: 04/09/2019
Last updated: 08/08/2023
Authorisation details
Product details | |
---|---|
Name |
Soliris
|
Agency product number |
EMEA/H/C/000791
|
Active substance |
Eculizumab
|
International non-proprietary name (INN) or common name |
eculizumab
|
Therapeutic area (MeSH) |
Hemoglobinuria, Paroxysmal
|
Anatomical therapeutic chemical (ATC) code |
L04AA25
|
Accelerated assessment |
This medicine had an accelerated assessment. This means that it is a medicine of major interest for public health, so its timeframe for review was 150 evaluation days rather than 210. For more information, see Accelerated assessment. |
Orphan |
This medicine was designated an orphan medicine. This means that it was developed for use against a rare, life-threatening or chronically debilitating condition or, for economic reasons, it would be unlikely to have been developed without incentives. For more information, see Orphan designation. |
Publication details | |
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Marketing-authorisation holder |
Alexion Europe SAS
|
Revision |
36
|
Date of issue of marketing authorisation valid throughout the European Union |
20/06/2007
|
Contact address |
103-105 rue Anatole France |
Product information
14/08/2023 Soliris - EMEA/H/C/000791 - IA/0129
This medicine’s product information is available in all official EU languages.
Select ‘available languages’ to access the language you need.
Product information documents contain:
- summary of product characteristics (annex I);
- manufacturing authorisation holder responsible for batch release (annex IIA);
- conditions of the marketing authorisation (annex IIB);
- labelling (annex IIIA);
- package leaflet (annex IIIB).
You can find product information documents for centrally authorised human medicines on this website. For centrally authorised veterinary medicines authorised or updated from February 2022, see the Veterinary Medicines Information website.
Pharmacotherapeutic group
Immunosuppressants
Therapeutic indication
Soliris is indicated in adults and children for the treatment of:
- Paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria (PNH).
Evidence of clinical benefit is demonstrated in patients with haemolysis with clinical symptom(s) indicative of high disease activity, regardless of transfusion history (see section 5.1).
- Atypical haemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS).
Soliris is indicated in adults for the treatment of:
- Refractory generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) in patients who are anti-acetylcholine receptor (AChR) antibody-positive (see section 5.1).
- Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) in patients who are anti-aquaporin-4 (AQP4) antibody-positive with a relapsing course of the disease.