What is Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIG)?
Category: Prescription Drugs
Most popular types: Gammaglobulin (IVIg) Gammagard Gamunex Show all
Intravenous Immune Globulin (IVIG) is a human blood product consisting of antibodies which is used to treat immunodeficiency disorders, B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia, inflammatory demyelinating disorders. It may also be used to treat Guillain-Barré, Multiple Sclerosis, and myasthenia gravis.
| Purpose | Patients | Evaluations | Perceived Effectiveness |
|---|---|---|---|
| Myasthenia gravis | 402 | 36 | |
| Hypogammaglobulinemia | 292 | 53 | |
| Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy | 244 | 33 | |
| Common variable immune deficiency | 200 | 32 | |
| Multifocal motor neuropathy | 103 | 21 | |
| Guillain-Barré syndrome | 98 | 7 |
- Major
- Moderate
- Slight
- None
- Can't tell
Side effects
Side effects as an overall problem
| Severity | Evaluations | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Severe | 35 | |
| Moderate | 71 | |
| Mild | 130 | |
| None | 95 |
Commonly reported side effects and conditions associated with Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIG)
| Side effect | Patients | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Headaches | 88 | |
| Fatigue | 27 | |
| Nausea | 27 | |
| Migraine headaches | 21 | |
| Fever/chills | 10 | |
| Aseptic meningitis | 7 |
Why patients stopped taking Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIG)
Multiple reasons could be selected
| Reason | Patients | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Did not seem to work | 79 | |
| Course of treatment ended | 73 | |
| Doctor's advice | 58 | |
| Side effects too severe | 36 | |
| Other | 33 | |
| Expense | 16 | |
| Change in health plan coverage | 15 | |
| Personal research | 3 |
Duration
Stopped taking Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIG)
| Duration | Patients | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 1 month | 77 | |
| 1 - 6 months | 57 | |
| 6 months - 1 year | 26 | |
| 1 - 2 years | 26 | |
| 2 - 5 years | 27 | |
| 5 - 10 years | 11 | |
| 10 years or more | 6 |
What people switch to and from
Patients started taking Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIG) after stopping:
| Treatment | Patients | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Subcutaneous immune globulin (Hizentra) | 5 | |
| Methylprednisolone (Solu-Medrol Infusion) | 4 | |
| Prednisone (Prednisone Intensol) | 4 | |
| Azathioprine (Imuran) | 3 | |
| Methotrexate (Apo-Methotrexate) | 3 |
Patients stopped taking Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIG) and switched to:
| Treatment | Patients | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Subcutaneous immune globulin (Hizentra) | 18 | |
| Rituximab (Rituxan) | 7 | |
| Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIG) (Gammaglobulin (IVIg)) | 2 | |
| Methylprednisolone (Solu-Medrol Infusion) | 2 | |
| Prednisone (Prednisone Intensol) | 2 |
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