Grifols announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new higher potency formulation of HyperRAB (rabies immune globulin [human]) for rabies post-exposure prophylaxis. The new formulation has twice the potency (300 IU/mL) of currently available rabies immune globulin options. This allows for fewer injections, along with a significantly lower volume of the drug administered in each dose.
Source: Pharmacy Practice News, February 7, 2018.
Because patients are required to be dosed by weight, the increased potency of this new formulation allows more rabies antibodies per mL to go directly into wounds in delicate areas, such as the extremities or face. Administration in these areas has proven to be very uncomfortable for patients, especially children, and challenging for healthcare professionals in administration of the full dose,” said Dr. Charles Rupprecht, expert technical advisor on rabies for the PAHO/WHO, and former chief of the rabies program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
INSIGHTS: Approximately 60,000 people in the U.S. each year are treated with post-exposure prophylaxis following exposure to an animal that is known, or thought, to have rabies.