For US Healthcare Professionals

Talk to Your Doctor About HEMLIBRA

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Choosing the right treatment is an important decision that involves careful consideration. When you’re ready to talk to your doctor, these questions can help get you started.

  • How is HEMLIBRA different from my current treatment?
  • What is half-life, and why does that matter?
  • How often do I need to take HEMLIBRA?
  • Do I need to take factor VIII or bypassing agents while I’m taking HEMLIBRA?
  • What are the side effects of HEMLIBRA?
  • Can I get a bleed while taking HEMLIBRA?

Download our Doctor Discussion Guide to get the conversation started

Is HEMLIBRA right for you? Download the guide.

Si desea descargar la Guía de temas a tratar con el médico de HEMLIBRA en español, haga clic aquí.

"We get to educate people so that they can have really great conversations with their healthcare teams...these people are some of my favorite people on the planet."

— Derek Nelson, Hemophilia Account and Community Manager

Your healthcare provider is your first source of information, but our trained Account and Community Managers are also here to help

Whether you are considering HEMLIBRA or are already on treatment, ACMs are here to help answer all your HEMLIBRA questions—everything from how HEMLIBRA works to understanding insurance coverage options. ACMs are Genentech employees and do not provide medical advice. Always talk to your doctor about treatment options. Get in touch with your ACM here.

"It’s easy to talk to my care team because they know me so well...and wanted me to have as much information as possible."

— Harvey, late 30s, with hemophilia A with inhibitors, Michigan

Watch Harvey’s Story 

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Important Safety Information & Indication

What is HEMLIBRA?

HEMLIBRA is a prescription medicine used for routine prophylaxis to prevent or reduce the frequency of bleeding episodes in adults and children, ages newborn and older, with hemophilia A with or without factor VIII inhibitors.

What is the most important information I should know about HEMLIBRA?

HEMLIBRA increases the potential for your blood to clot. People who use activated prothrombin complex concentrate (aPCC; Feiba®) to treat breakthrough bleeds while taking HEMLIBRA may be at risk of serious side effects related to blood clots.

These serious side effects include: 

  • Thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA), a condition involving blood clots and injury to small blood  vessels that may cause harm to your kidneys, brain, and other organs 
  • Blood clots (thrombotic events), which may form in blood vessels in your arm, leg, lung, or head  

Talk to your doctor about the signs and symptoms of these serious side effects, which can include: 

  • Confusion
  • Stomach, chest, or back pain
  • Weakness
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Swelling, pain, or redness
  • Feeling sick or faint
  • Decreased urination
  • Swelling of arms and legs
  • Yellowing of skin and eyes
  • Eye pain, swelling, or trouble seeing
  • Fast heart rate
  • Numbness in your face
  • Headache
  • Shortness of breath
  • Coughing up blood

If you experience any of these symptoms during or after treatment with HEMLIBRA, get medical help right away. 

Carefully follow your healthcare provider’s instructions regarding when to use an on-demand bypassing agent or factor VIII, and the dose and schedule to use for breakthrough bleed treatment. If aPCC (Feiba®) is needed, talk to your healthcare provider in case you feel you need more than 100 U/kg of aPCC (Feiba®) total. 

Your body may make antibodies against HEMLIBRA, which may stop HEMLIBRA from working properly. Contact your healthcare provider immediately if you notice that HEMLIBRA has stopped working for you (eg, increase in bleeds).

The most common side effects of HEMLIBRA include: injection site reactions (redness, tenderness, warmth, or itching at the site of injection), headache, and joint pain. These are not all of the possible side effects of HEMLIBRA. You can speak with your healthcare provider for more information.

What else should I know about HEMLIBRA?

See the detailed “Instructions for Use” that comes with your HEMLIBRA for information on how to prepare and inject a dose of HEMLIBRA, and how to properly throw away (dispose of) used needles and syringes.

  • Stop taking your prophylactic bypassing therapy the day before you start HEMLIBRA
  • You may continue taking your prophylactic factor VIII for the first week of HEMLIBRA

HEMLIBRA may interfere with laboratory tests that measure how well your blood is clotting and create an inaccurate result. Speak with your healthcare provider about how this may affect your care. 

Medicines are sometimes prescribed for purposes other than those listed in a Medication Guide. Only use HEMLIBRA for the condition it was prescribed. Do not give HEMLIBRA to other people, even if they have the same symptoms that you have. It may harm them.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription medicines, over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, or herbal supplements. Keep a list of them to show your healthcare provider and pharmacist.

Before using HEMLIBRA, tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditions, including if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, are breastfeeding, or plan to breastfeed.

Since HEMLIBRA was tested in males, there is no information on whether HEMLIBRA may impact your unborn baby or breast milk. Females who are able to become pregnant should use birth control during treatment.

Side effects may be reported to the FDA at (800) FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch. You may also report side effects to Genentech at (888) 835-2555.

Please see Important Safety Information, including Serious Side Effects, as well as the HEMLIBRA full Prescribing Information and Medication Guide.