Consumer medicine information

ORFADIN® Capsules

Nitisinone


Consumer Medicine Information

What is in this leaflet

This leaflet answers some common questions about ORFADIN hard capsules. It does not contain all the available information. It does not take the place of talking to your doctor or pharmacist.

All medicines have risks and benefits. Your doctor has weighed the risks of you taking ORFADIN against the benefits they expect it will have for you.

If you have any concerns about taking this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

Keep this leaflet with the medicine. You may need to read it again.

What ORFADIN is used for

ORFADIN contains a medicine called nitisinone which is used for the treatment of a disease called hereditary tyrosinaemia type 1 (HT-1). In this disease the body is unable to completely break down the amino acid tyrosine. Harmful substances can form and accumulate in the body.

ORFADIN blocks the breakdown of tyrosine and by doing so the harmful substances are not formed. However, tyrosine will remain in the body and therefore a special diet that is low in tyrosine and phenylalanine content must be followed when taking ORFADIN.

Nitisinone belongs to a group of medicines called ‘other alimentary and metabolism products’.

Ask your doctor if you have any questions about why this medicine has been prescribed for you. Your doctor may have prescribed it for another reason.

ORFADIN is not addictive.

ORFADIN is available only with a doctor’s prescription.

Before you take ORFADIN

When you must not take it

Do not take ORFADIN if you have an allergy to:

  • any medicine containing nitisinone
  • any of the ingredients listed at the end of this leaflet.

Some of the symptoms of an allergic reaction may include:

  • shortness of breath
  • wheezing or difficulty breathing
  • swelling of the face, lips, tongue or other parts of the body
  • rash, itching or hives on the skin

Do not breast-feed if you are taking this medicine.

Do not take this medicine after the expiry date printed on the pack or if the packaging is torn or shows signs of tampering. If it has expired or is damaged, return it to your pharmacist for disposal.

If you are not sure whether you should start taking this medicine, talk to your doctor.

Before you start to take it

Tell your doctor if you have allergies to any other medicines, foods, preservatives or dyes.

Tell your doctor about your diet regimen. Your doctor will advise you on how to maintain a diet restricted in tyrosine and phenylalanine content.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant or are breastfeeding. Your doctor can discuss with you the risks and benefits involved.

If you have not told your doctor about any of the above, tell him/her before you start taking ORFADIN.

Taking other medicines

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking any other medicines, including any that you get without a prescription from your pharmacy, supermarket or health food shop.

Some medicines and ORFADIN may interfere with each other. These include:

  • warfarin, a medicine used to thin your blood
  • phenytoin, a medicine used to treat epilepsy
  • furosemide (frusemide), a diuretic

These medicines may be affected by ORFADIN or may affect how well it works. You may need different amounts of your medicines, or you may need to take different medicines.

Your doctor and pharmacist have more information on medicines to be careful with or avoid while taking this medicine.

How to take ORFADIN capsules

Follow all directions given to you by your doctor or pharmacist carefully. They may differ from the information contained in this leaflet.

If you do not understand the instructions , ask your doctor or pharmacist for help.

How much to take

The recommended starting dose is 1 mg/kg body weight/day divided in 2 doses administered orally. Your doctor will prescribe the correct dose for you.

Your doctor may change your total dose from twice a day to once a day if you weigh more than 20 kg and you have been taking ORFADIN twice daily for at least 4 weeks.

Your doctor will adjust your ORFADIN dose based on your response to ORFADIN and your test results.

How to take it

Take ORFADIN with food.

Swallow the capsule whole with a full glass of water. If you have problems with swallowing the capsules, you may open the capsule and mix the powder with a small amount of water or formula just before you take it, making sure that you take the entire amount.

When to take it

If you are taking ORFADIN twice daily, take your first dose in the morning and your second dose in the evening.

Your doctor will advise you on the correct time to take ORFADIN when moving you to once daily dose.

Take your medicine at about the same time each day. Taking it at the same time each day will have the best effect. It will also help you remember when to take it.

How long to take it

Continue taking ORFADIN for as long as your doctor tells you.

This medicine helps to control your condition, but does not cure it. It is important to keep taking your medicine even if you feel well.

If you forget to take it

Do not take a double dose to make up for the dose that you missed. This may increase the chance of you getting an unwanted side effect.

If you are not sure what to do, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

If you have trouble remembering to take your medicine, ask your pharmacist for some hints.

If you take too much (overdose)

Immediately telephone your doctor or the Poisons Information Centre (telephone 13 11 26) for advice, or go to Accident and Emergency at the nearest hospital, if you think that you or anyone else may have taken too much ORFADIN. Do this even if there are no signs of discomfort or poisoning. You may need urgent medical attention.

While you are using ORFADIN

Things you must do

It is very important that you stay on the special diet, with low tyrosine and phenylalanine content that your doctor recommended. If you do not understand the instructions on your diet, ask your doctor for help.

If you are about to be started on any new medicine, remind your doctor and pharmacist that you are taking ORFADIN.

Tell any other doctors, dentists, and pharmacists who treat you that you are taking ORFADIN. Remind them if any new medicines are about to be started.

If you are going to have surgery, tell the surgeon or anaesthetist that you are taking ORFADIN. It may affect other medicines used during surgery.

If you become pregnant while taking this medicine, tell your doctor immediately.

If you are about to have any blood tests, tell your doctor that you are taking this medicine. It may interfere with the results of some tests.

Keep all of your doctor’s appointments so that your progress can be checked.

  • Your doctor will do regular blood and urine checks to ensure that you are on the right dose of ORFADIN and to make sure that there are no possible side effects causing blood disorders.
  • Your doctor will also check your liver regularly as the disease can affect the liver.
  • Your doctor will also check on your general development.

Things you must not do

Do not take ORFADIN to treat any other complaints unless your doctor tells you to.

Do not give ORFADIN to anyone else, even if they have the same condition as you.

Do not stop taking ORFADIN or lower the dosage without checking with your doctor. If you stop taking it suddenly, your condition may worsen or you may have unwanted side effects.

Do not breast-feed while taking ORFADIN.

Things to be careful of

ORFADIN is not known to cause dizziness or light headedness, but ORFADIN can affect your vision if you develop certain side effects. Be careful driving or operating machinery or doing other jobs until you know how ORFADIN affects you.

Side effects

Tell your doctor or pharmacist as soon as possible if you do not feel well while you are taking ORFADIN.

This medicine helps most people with HT-1, but it may have some unwanted side effects. All medicines can have side effects. Sometimes they are serious, most of the time they are not. You may need medical attention if you get some of the side effects.

Do not be alarmed by the following lists of side effects. You may not experience any of them.

Ask your doctor or pharmacist to answer any questions you may have.

If you experience red eyes, or any of the following eye problems, tell your doctor immediately.

Your doctor will immediately check your eyes.

Eye problems could be a sign of inadequate dietary control.

  • different eye symptoms as listed below:
    – scarring or clouding of the cornea
    – inflammation in the cornea
    – inflammation in the eye
    – inflammation in the eyelid
    – sensitivity to light
    – eye pain

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you notice any of the following symptoms, and they worry you:

  • rash
  • itching or irritating sensation of skin
  • redness and peeling of skin
  • headache
  • stomach pain
  • constipation

The above list includes the more common side effects of your medicine.

There may be other side effects affecting your liver and certain blood cell counts that your doctor will carefully monitor by doing regular blood and urine checks.

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you notice anything that is making you feel unwell.

Other side effects not listed above may also occur in some people.

Some of these side effects can only be found when your doctor does tests from time to time to check your progress.

After using ORFADIN

Storage

Keep your capsules in the bottle until it is time to take them. If you take the capsules out of the bottle they may not keep well.

ORFADIN capsules should be stored in the box/bottle, in a refrigerator between 2°C – 8°C. Do not freeze. Alternatively, and for a period of 2 months only, ORFADIN capsules can also be stored in a cool dry place where the temperature stays below 25°C.

To help you remember, write the discard date in the space provided on the ORFADIN bottle when you stop refrigerating.

After this period, discard all ORFADIN capsules that have not been refrigerated.

Do not store ORFADIN or any other medicine in the bathroom or near a sink. Do not leave it on a window sill or in the car, especially on hot or cold days. Heat and dampness can destroy some medicines.

Keep it where children cannot reach it. A locked cupboard at least one-and-a-half metres above the ground is a good place to store medicines.

Disposal

If your doctor tells you to stop taking this medicine or the expiry date has passed, ask your doctor or pharmacist what to do with any medicine that is left over.

Product description

What it looks like

ORFADIN capsules are white, opaque, hard gelatin capsules, imprinted with “NTBC” and the strength “2 mg”, “5 mg” “10 mg” or “20 mg” in black.

The capsules contain a white to off-white powder.

Ingredients

Each ORFADIN capsule contains either 2 mg, 5 mg, 10 mg, or 20 mg of nitisinone.

It also contains the following inactive ingredients:

  • pregelatinised maize starch
  • gelatin
  • titanium dioxide
  • printing ink: Capsugel Ink 10A1 Black (Proprietary Ingredient Number 109522) or
  • printing ink: Capsugel Ink 10A2 Black (Proprietary Ingredient Number 109521)

This medicine does not contain lactose, sucrose, gluten, tartrazine or any other azo dyes.

ORFADIN capsules are available in plastic bottles with child resistant closures.

Each bottle contains 60 capsules.

Supplier

ORFADIN is supplied in by:

A. Menarini Australia Pty. Ltd.
Level 8, 67 Albert Avenue
CHATSWOOD NSW 2067
Medical Information: 1800 644 542

Australian Registration Number:

ORFADIN 2 mg: AUST R 164163

ORFADIN 5 mg: AUST R 164173

ORFADIN 10 mg: AUST R 164174

ORFADIN 20 mg: AUST R 297735

ORFADIN® is a registered trademark of Swedish Orphan Biovitrum International AB, used under license by A. Menarini Australia Pty. Ltd.

This leaflet was revised September 2020.

For the most up to date version of this leaflet, please go to www.menarini.com.au/cmi

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Published by MIMS November 2020