Hemin

Hemin is a prescription medication indicated for amelioration of recurrent attacks of acute intermittent porphyria temporally related to the menstrual cycle in susceptible women.

• Hemin is available under the following different brand names: Panhematin

Common side effects of Hemin include:

discoloration of the skin

• pain, tenderness, or swelling along the veins

Serious side effects of Hemin include:

• swelling, pain, or irritation around the IV needle
• easy bruising or bleeding (nosebleeds, bleeding gums)
• little or no urination
• swelling, rapid weight gain, feeling short of breath

Rare side effects of Hemin include:

• none

Seek medical care or call 911 at once if you have the following serious side effects:

• Severe headache, confusion, slurred speech, arm or leg weakness, trouble walking, coordination loss, unsteady, very stiff muscles, high fever, profuse sweating, or tremors.
• Serious eye symptoms such as sudden vision loss, blurred vision, tunnel vision, eye pain or swelling, or seeing halos around lights.
• Serious heart symptoms include fast, irregular, or pounding heartbeats; fluttering in the chest; shortness of breath; sudden dizziness, lightheadedness, or passing out.

This is not a complete list of side effects and other serious side effects or health problems that may occur because of the use of this drug. Call your doctor for medical advice about serious side effects or adverse reactions. You may report side effects or health problems to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Adult dosage

Lyophilized powder for reconstitution

• Approximately 301 mg/vial
• Approximately 7 mg/mL (after reconstitution)

Acute intermittent porphyria

Adult dosage

• Similar efficacy reported in other patients with acute intermittent porphyria, porphyria variegata, and hereditary coproporphyria
• Before administering Hemin, consider an appropriate period of alternate therapy (ie, 400 g glucose/day for 1-2 days); if the improvement is unsatisfactory, then initiate Hemin
• 1-4 mg/kg/day IV infused over 10-15 minutes for 3-14 days based on the clinical signs
• In more severe cases, this dose may be repeated no earlier than every 12 hours
• Not to exceed 6 mg/kg/24 hours

Dosage Considerations – Should be Given as Follows: 

• See “Dosages”

If your medical doctor is using this medicine to treat your pain, your doctor or pharmacist may already be aware of any possible drug interactions and may be monitoring you for them. Do not start, stop, or change the dosage of any medicine before checking with your doctor, healthcare provider, or pharmacist first.

• Hemin has no noted severe interactions with any other drugs.
• Hemin has no noted serious interactions with any other drugs.
• Hemin has no noted moderate interactions with any other drugs.
• Hemin has no noted minor interactions with any other drugs.

This information does not contain all possible interactions or adverse effects. Visit the RxList Drug Interaction Checker for any drug interactions. Therefore, before using this product, tell your doctor or pharmacist about all the products you use. Keep a list of all your medications with you and share this information with your doctor and pharmacist. Check with your healthcare professional or doctor for additional medical advice, health questions, or concerns.

Contraindications

• Hypersensitivity

Effects of drug abuse

• None

Short-Term Effects

• See “What Are Side Effects Associated with Using Hemin?”

Long-Term Effects

• See “What Are Side Effects Associated with Using Hemin?”

Cautions

• Made from human blood; may carry the risk for infectious agents, including Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease agent
• Clinical benefit from hemin depends on prompt administration; attacks of porphyria may progress to a point where irreversible neuronal damage has occurred; hemin therapy is intended to prevent an attack from reaching the critical stage of neuronal degeneration and is not effective in repairing neuronal damage
• May increase iron and serum ferritin levels
• Not indicated in porphyria cutanea tarda
• Reversible renal shutdown has been observed in a case where an excessive hematin dose (12.2 mg/kg) was administered in a single infusion; treatment, in this case, consisted of ethacrynic acid and mannitol

Pregnancy and Lactation

• Use with caution if the benefits outweigh the risks during pregnancy
• Lactation
  • Unknown whether distributed in breast milk