Verteporfin

Verteporfin is a prescription medication used for the treatment of macular degeneration with classic subfoveal choroidal neovascularization.  

• Verteporfin is available under the following different brand names: Visudyne.

Common side effects of Verteporfin include:

• Slight changes in the vision,
• Seeing flashes of light,
• Dry eyes,
• Redness, swelling, or itching of the eyelids,
• Headache,
• Weakness,
• Tiredness,
• Mild itching,
• Skin rash,
• Constipation,
• Nausea,
• Joint pain,
• Muscle weakness,
• Fever,
• Chills,
• Flu symptoms, and
• Pain, swelling, bleeding, or itching at the injection site.

Serious side effects of Verteporfin include:

• Hives,
• Difficulty breathing,
• Swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat,
• Sweating,
• Dizziness,
• Severe decrease in vision,
• Sudden and severe pain,
• Severe redness or other discoloration of the eyes,
• Eye pain,
• Seeing halos around lights,
• Lightheadedness,
• Chest pain, and
• Flushing (warmth, redness, or tingly feeling)

Rare side effects of Verteporfin 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, loss of coordination, feeling 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

Lyophylized power for reconstitution

• 15 mg/vial

Macular Degeneration with Classic Subfoveal Choroidal Neovascularization

Adult dosage

• 6 mg/m² intravenous infusion, total volume 30 mL over 10 min  
• Follow with 50 J/cm² of 689 nm laser light on the retina at the intensity of 600 mW/cm² x 83 sec

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, health care provider, or pharmacist first.

• Verteporfin has severe interactions with no other drugs.
• Verteporfin has serious interactions with the following drugs:
  • aminolevulinic acid oral
  • aminolevulinic acid topical
  • methyl aminolevulinate
• Verteporfin has moderate interactions with the following drugs:
  • beta carotene
  • ranibizumab intravitreal injection
  • tobramycin inhaled.
• Verteporfin has minor interactions with at least 50 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 your products. 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, porphyria

Effects of drug abuse

• None

Short-Term Effects

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

Long-Term Effects

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

Cautions

• Avoid bright light for 5 days after injection.
• Moderate/severe hepatic impairment
• Chest pain, hypersensitivity, and vasovagal reactions were reported (observe the patient during infusion); cases of anaphylactic reactions were reported in patients receiving therapy; medical supervision was recommended during infusion; if an anaphylactic or other serious allergic reaction occurs during or following infusion, the administration should be discontinued immediately, and appropriate therapy initiated.
• Use with caution in patients with biliary obstruction.
• Patients under anesthesia were not studied.
• Use in both eyes concurrently not studied (if required, apply to the aggressive lesion first followed by the second eye a week later; may apply concurrently to both eyes thereafter)
• Use precaution to avoid extravasation (stop infusion immediately if it occurs); extravasation, especially if the affected area is exposed to light, can cause severe pain, inflammation, swelling, or discoloration at the injection site; localized (skin) necrosis at the injection site following extravasation also reported.
• Safety and efficacy of use for more than 2 years not established.
• Patients who experience a severe decrease of vision of 4 lines or more within 1 week, following treatment, should not be retreated, at least until the vision completely recovers to pretreatment levels and potential benefits and risks of subsequent treatment are carefully considered by the treating physician

Pregnancy and Lactation

• There are no data on use in pregnant women to inform a drug-associated risk; there are no adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women; drugs should be used during pregnancy only if the benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus.
• Lactation
  • The drug and its diacid metabolite have been found in human breast milk following an intravenous infusion at the recommended human dose of 6 mg/m2; the drug was present in breast milk at levels up to 66% of the corresponding plasma levels and declined below the limit of quantification (2 ng/mL) within 24 hours.
  • The diacid metabolite had lower peak concentrations but persisted up to at least 48 hours
  • Because of the potential for serious adverse reactions in nursing infants, a decision should be made whether to discontinue nursing or postpone treatment, considering the importance of the drug to the mother.