FORT LEE, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The KEDRAB® Dose Calculator launched today, at the height of rabies season in the U.S., and will help healthcare providers in treating rabies exposures. KEDRAB [Rabies Immune Globulin (Human)] is a human rabies immunoglobulin (HRIG) indicated for post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) of rabies infection. Administered concurrently with a full course of rabies vaccine, HRIG is an important component of rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) for previously unvaccinated persons. PEP is a highly effective treatment regimen issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).
The KEDRAB® Dose Calculator, created by Kedrion Biopharma, is a free, easy-to-use online tool that prompts healthcare providers to input the weight of a patient who has been exposed to rabies. Then, the tool immediately calculates the precise KEDRAB dose needed. Rabies is almost always fatal when left untreated. However, by administering rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) promptly and properly, healthcare professionals can prevent the onset of rabies symptoms. PEP, when administered according to ACIP guidelines, is essentially 100 percent effective in preventing human rabies.
“Rabies is a medical urgency and care should not be delayed. Because rabies is a fatal disease, there is no room for treatment error when a person exposed to rabies presents at the emergency room or clinic,” said Peter Costa, MPH, MCHES, AVES (Hon), Rabies Immunoglobulin Brand Director. “The KEDRAB® Dose Calculator was created to help clinicians quickly and accurately dose KEDRAB, which is a critical component of the rabies post-exposure prophylaxis regimen.”
About KEDRAB®
KEDRAB® [Rabies Immune Globulin (Human)] is a human rabies immunoglobulin (HRIG) manufactured by Kamada Ltd. and distributed by Kedrion Biopharma, indicated for passive, transient post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) of rabies infection, when given promptly after contact with a rabid or possibly rabid animal. KEDRAB should be administered concurrently with a full course of rabies vaccine.
- Additional doses of KEDRAB should not be administered once vaccine treatment has been initiated, since this may interfere with the immune response to the rabies vaccine.
- KEDRAB should not be administered to patients with a history of a complete pre-exposure or post-exposure vaccination regimen and confirmed adequate rabies antibody titer.
Important Safety Information
- Patients who can document previous complete rabies pre-exposure prophylaxis or complete post-exposure prophylaxis should only receive a booster rabies vaccine without KEDRAB, because KEDRAB may interfere with the anamnestic response to the vaccine.
- KEDRAB should not be injected into a blood vessel because of the risk of severe allergic or hypersensitivity reactions, including anaphylactic shock.
- Patients with a history of prior systemic allergic reactions following administration of human immune globulin preparations should be monitored for hypersensitivity.
- KEDRAB contains a small quantity of IgA. Patients who are deficient in IgA have the potential to develop IgA antibodies and may have anaphylactic reactions following administration of blood components containing IgA.
- Patients at increased risk of thrombosis or thrombotic complications should be monitored for at least 24 hours after KEDRAB administration.
- Hemolysis may occur in patients receiving immune globulin products, particularly those who are determined to be at increased risk.
- KEDRAB administration may interfere with the development of an immune response to live attenuated virus vaccines.
- A transient rise of the various passively transferred antibodies in the patient’s blood may result in misleading positive results of serologic tests after KEDRAB administration.
- KEDRAB is derived from human plasma; therefore, the potential exists that KEDRAB administration may transmit infectious agents.
- In clinical trials, the most common adverse reactions in subjects treated with KEDRAB were injection site pain, headache, muscle pain, and upper respiratory tract infection.
- Please see KEDRAB Full Prescribing Information for complete prescribing details.
About Rabies
Rabies is a preventable viral disease of mammals most often transmitted through the bite of a rabid animal. It is a serious, and nearly always fatal, infection. In the U.S., rabies in wild animals, especially raccoons, skunks, foxes, coyotes and bats, accounts for most cases of rabies passed on to humans, pets, and other domestic animals. An acute, progressive viral encephalomyelitis, rabies carries the highest case fatality rate of any conventional etiological agent. Rabies is one of the oldest described infectious diseases, known for over 5,000 years.
About Kedrion Biopharma
Kedrion Biopharma is an international company that collects and fractionates blood plasma to produce and distribute plasma-derived therapeutic products for use in treating and preventing serious diseases, disorders and conditions such as hemophilia, primary immune system deficiencies and Rh-sensitization. Kedrion Biopharma Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of Kedrion Biopharma, is headquartered in Fort Lee, New Jersey. Kedrion Biopharma launched US operations in 2011, but the company’s international roots stretch back several decades in the production of blood and plasma-derived products. Kedrion Biopharma places a high value on the welfare of those who benefit from its products, as well as on the people and the communities it serves. Additional information about Kedrion Biopharma can be found at www.kedrion.com and www.kedrion.us.
