GATTEX Brochure for Adult Patients
A guide to GATTEX and SBS for adults
DENISE AND MARRIKADENISE, PEGGY, AND MARRIKA Treating their SBS with GATTEX
For people 1 year of age and older with SHORT BOWEL SYNDROME (SBS) who are dependent on parenteral support (PS).
A wide collection of custom-made tools and resources for those with short bowel syndrome (SBS) and those who love someone with SBS. Find them all here.
Discover how some adults and children 1 year and older were able to achieve less parenteral support* volume with GATTEX.
*In a 6-month study, 27 out of 43 adults treated with GATTEX reduced their weekly PS volume by 20% or more vs 13 out of 43 adults on placebo. Additionally, 21 out of 39 adults treated with GATTEX achieved at least 1 day off PS per week vs 9 out of 39 with placebo. In a 24-month extension study, 10 out of 30 adults previously on GATTEX no longer needed PS after 30 months of treatment. In a 6-month study of 26 children (aged 1–17) who were treated with GATTEX, 18 children reduced their weekly PS volume by 20% or more, 10 achieved a reduction of at least 1 day off PS per week, and 3 no longer needed PS.
Narrator:
What is GATTEX?
GATTEX (teduglutide) for subcutaneous injection is a prescription medicine used in adults and children 1 year of age and older with Short Bowel Syndrome (SBS) who need additional nutrition or fluids from intravenous (IV) feeding (parenteral support). It is not known if GATTEX is safe and effective in children under 1 year of age.
What is the most important information I should know about GATTEX?
GATTEX may cause serious side effects including making abnormal cells grow faster, polyps in the intestines, blockage of the bowel (intestines), swelling (inflammation) or blockage of your gallbladder or pancreas, and fluid overload.
Please see additional Important Safety Information throughout this video.
MISA:
When I was a little girl, I always wanted a Rhodesian Ridgeback, always. And now I have three beautiful Rhodesians.
I find that we have something in common. Just, they have a calmness about them.
Raising and working with animals in general has always been my peace.
I was first diagnosed–in those early teenage years when I just started--with Crohn’s and colitis.
My symptoms were excruciating pain–I mean abdominal, crunched over.
Nonstop diarrhea.
You start to question these things. You start to question, “Why is this happening to me? Like what did I do? You know, I’m only a teenager.
I think at my lowest, lowest point I weighed about 87 pounds.
They would put me on some form of medication. My body didn’t respond to treatments.
Four or five years after the initial diagnosis, they had to do a bowel resection and some strictureplasties.
Three surgeries in, they did a total proctocolectomy, and that’s what gave me my first ostomy.
I have had more than 12 Crohn’s- and colitis-related surgeries.
When I heard from the doctor of my diagnosis of SBS, which is short bowel syndrome, that was a whole new open door.
Like somebody says, “Here you don’t have enough on your plate; Take this!”
I knew that short bowel syndrome was going to make me more malabsorbed.
I was on parenteral support. The PS support that I was receiving was seven days a week of IV hydration with potassium.
After talking to my healthcare team about treatment options that could help, my surgeon told me about GATTEX (teduglutide), a prescription medication for adults and children who are one year of age and older with SBS, who need additional nutrition or fluids from IV feeding.
I wanted to learn more about GATTEX, so I talked to my doctor, and I looked for more information.
I even attended a program that helped greatly.
I learned about possible serious side effects.
Together, we decided that treatment with GATTEX was right for me to start.
A Patient Support Manager from OnePath, a Takeda product support program, called me.
They arranged for a nurse to come to my home and taught me everything I needed to know to properly administer GATTEX.
Fitting my GATTEX treatment into my schedule was important to me.
So, I worked with my doctor to figure out the right time of day to take it.
I’ve also gotten the opportunity to help others with SBS through the SBS Connect Mentor Program where I participate in
one-on-one calls and share my story.
Since I’ve started GATTEX, me and my doctor are extremely pleased with where I am now today.
I also feel more confident in managing my SBS.
I have also been able to reduce my time on PS, which is important to me.
I did experience some of the side effects— redness around the injection site—I did have occasional nausea, occasional bloating, distension in my abdomen, and I did communicate with my doctor. I made sure he knew all the time what was going on.
Narrator:
What is GATTEX?
GATTEX® (teduglutide) for subcutaneous injection is a prescription medicine used in adults and children 1 year of age and older with Short Bowel Syndrome (SBS) who need additional nutrition or fluids from intravenous
(IV) feeding (parenteral support). It is not known if GATTEX is safe and effective in children under 1 year of age.
What is the most important information I should know about GATTEX?
GATTEX may cause serious side effects, including:
Making abnormal cells grow faster
GATTEX can make abnormal cells that are already in your body grow faster. There is an increased risk that
abnormal cells could become cancer. If you get cancer of the bowel (intestines), liver, gallbladder or pancreas while using GATTEX, your healthcare provider should stop GATTEX. If you get other types of cancers, you and your healthcare provider should discuss the risks and benefits of using GATTEX.
Polyps in the intestines
Polyps are growths on the inside of the intestines. For adult patients, your healthcare provider will have your colon and upper intestines checked for polyps within 6 months before starting GATTEX, and have any polyps removed. To keep using GATTEX, your healthcare provider should have your colon and upper intestines checked for polyps at the end of 1 year of using GATTEX.
For pediatric patients, your healthcare provider will check for blood in the stool within 6 months before starting GATTEX. If there is blood in the stool, your healthcare provider will check your colon and upper intestines for polyps, and have any polyps removed. To keep using GATTEX, your healthcare provider will check for blood in the stool every year during treatment of GATTEX. If there is blood in the stool, your healthcare provider will check your colon and upper intestines for polyps. The colon will be checked for polyps at the end of 1 year of using GATTEX.
For adult and pediatric patients, if no polyp is found at the end of 1 year, your healthcare provider should check you for polyps as needed and at least every 5 years. If any new polyps are found, your healthcare provider will have them removed and may recommend additional monitoring. If cancer is found in a polyp, your healthcare provider should stop GATTEX.
Blockage of the bowel (intestines)
A bowel blockage keeps food, fluids, and gas from moving through the bowels in the normal way. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms of a bowel or stomal blockage:
If a blockage is found, your healthcare provider may temporarily stop GATTEX.
Swelling (inflammation) or blockage of your gallbladder or pancreas
Your healthcare provider will do tests to check your gallbladder and pancreas within 6 months before starting GATTEX and at least every 6 months while you are using GATTEX. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get:
Fluid overload
Your healthcare provider will check you for too much fluid in your body. Too much fluid in your body may lead to heart failure, especially if you have heart problems. Tell your healthcare provider if you get swelling in your feet and ankles, you gain weight very quickly (water weight), or you have trouble breathing.
The most common side effects of GATTEX in adults include:
The side effects of GATTEX in children and adolescents are similar to those seen in adults.
Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.
What should I tell my healthcare provider before using GATTEX?
Tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions, including if you or your child:
Tell your healthcare providers about all the medicines you take, including prescription or over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Using GATTEX with certain other medicines may affect each other causing side effects. Your other healthcare providers may need to change the dose of any oral medicines (medicines taken by mouth) you take while using GATTEX. Tell the healthcare provider who gives you GATTEX if you will be taking a new oral medicine.
Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA.
Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800- FDA-1088.
Bree:
Liam is nine going on thirty some days. He’s very sassy. I say sassy because I feel like I rubbed off on him.
He loves baseball, soccer and is even getting his blackbelt in karate.
Liam has also been living with Short Bowel Syndrome, SBS, since he was very young.
It’s been colostomy bags, G Tubes, and surgery after surgery.
Our hope is for Liam to live his life like any other nine-year-old boy.
It’s been an uphill battle since my pregnancy, which was high risk.
We found out at sixteen weeks that there was a mass by the umbilical cord.
We finally got the results that he would be born with gastroschisis. I was nervous, I was scared. I did all the research I could.
There’s an abdominal wall defect during utero. The baby does not have their intestines inside their body. He eventually stopped growing.
He was born early. He had to get surgery done that first night and in the morning is when we finally met.
Liam stayed in the NICU for three months. They later found his bowel was swollen and wrapped around a blood vessel. They would have to remove it.
Because of his SBS, he would have to use a colostomy bag and a G Tube was inserted for feeding.
He was transferred to a general pediatric floor. And there he would be spending 2 months of his life before he could finally come home. We had to learn everything on the spot so that way we could care for him.
Outside of our medical team, we were now on our own. He was getting his nutrition from PS or Parenteral Support. As well as nutrition through his G Tube.
It was a guessing game trying to figure out what formula he could tolerate without throwing up.
And I was getting frustrated, and my son was exhausted.
When Liam was a bit older, his doctor told us about GATTEX.
We didn’t know how it would affect him and we wanted to make sure that this was the right move for him, the right decision.
GATTEX is indicated for the treatment of patients 1 year of age and older with short bowel syndrome (SBS) who are dependent on parenteral support (PS). It comes in a bag, similar to an IV bag, and it gets funneled through an intravenous tube.
After discussing some of the possible side effects with GATTEX, we agreed to move forward with the treatment.
A nurse came and showed us how to administer the infusion. She taught Liam and me everything we needed to know to properly administer GATTEX. And now it’s become an everyday routine.
Working closely with his doctor, we have seen results that make a difference.
When first diagnosed there was a point where he spent 14 hours a day seven days a week receiving PS.
After working closely with his doctor to monitor his condition and sometime after starting GATTEX…
Liam was able to reduce his weekly volume and eventually completely wean off of PS.
This time off PS gave him freedom to do more of what he loves.
He must be mindful of what he eats, and we work closely with his doctor who provides guidance and help whenever needed.
GATTEX may cause serious side effects including making abnormal cells grow faster, polyps in the intestines, blockage of the bowel (intestines), swelling (inflammation) or blockage of your gallbladder or pancreas, and fluid overload. For more information on these serious side effects, please watch until the end of the video.
The most common side effects of GATTEX include: pain or swelling in the stomach area, nausea, cold or flu symptoms, skin reaction where the injection was given, vomiting, swelling of the hands or feet and allergic reactions. These are not all the possible side effects of GATTEX. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effect that bothers you or does not go away.
Tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions, including if you or your child: have cancer or a history of cancer, have or had polyps anywhere in your bowel or rectum, have heart problems, have high blood pressure, have problems with your gallbladder, pancreas, kidneys, are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. You should not breastfeed during treatment with GATTEX. Please watch until the end of the video for additional Important Safety Information.
Bree:
Liam, Liam loves to learn. He’s daring. He’s brave. For a nine-year-old, I feel he’s been through way more than most people can imagine. Thinking about SBS all the time, that was our focus, and it’s still our focus.
He’s just a loving and affectionate kid who’s still trying to figure out where he fits in the world. We are so thankful that GATTEX was a treatment option that worked for him.
To talk to other SBS caregivers like me, register for an SBS Connect call.
Please watch until the end of the video for additional Important Safety Information.
For the Full GATTEX Prescribing Information including the Medication guide, visit www.gattex.com. Talk to your doctor.
Narrator:
What is GATTEX?
GATTEX® (teduglutide) for subcutaneous injection is a prescription medicine used in adults and children 1 year of age and older with Short Bowel Syndrome (SBS) who need additional nutrition or fluids from intravenous
(IV) feeding (parenteral support). It is not known if GATTEX is safe and effective in children under 1 year of age.
What is the most important information I should know about GATTEX?
GATTEX may cause serious side effects, including:
Making abnormal cells grow faster
GATTEX can make abnormal cells that are already in your body grow faster. There is an increased risk that
abnormal cells could become cancer. If you get cancer of the bowel (intestines), liver, gallbladder or pancreas while using GATTEX, your healthcare provider should stop GATTEX. If you get other types of cancers, you and your healthcare provider should discuss the risks and benefits of using GATTEX.
Polyps in the intestines
Polyps are growths on the inside of the intestines. For adult patients, your healthcare provider will have your colon and upper intestines checked for polyps within 6 months before starting GATTEX, and have any polyps removed. To keep using GATTEX, your healthcare provider should have your colon and upper intestines checked for polyps at the end of 1 year of using GATTEX.
For pediatric patients, your healthcare provider will check for blood in the stool within 6 months before starting GATTEX. If there is blood in the stool, your healthcare provider will check your colon and upper intestines for polyps, and have any polyps removed. To keep using GATTEX, your healthcare provider will check for blood in the stool every year during treatment of GATTEX. If there is blood in the stool, your healthcare provider will check your colon and upper intestines for polyps. The colon will be checked for polyps at the end of 1 year of using GATTEX.
For adult and pediatric patients, if no polyp is found at the end of 1 year, your healthcare provider should check you for polyps as needed and at least every 5 years. If any new polyps are found, your healthcare provider will have them removed and may recommend additional monitoring. If cancer is found in a polyp, your healthcare provider should stop GATTEX.
Blockage of the bowel (intestines)
A bowel blockage keeps food, fluids, and gas from moving through the bowels in the normal way. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms of a bowel or stomal blockage:
If a blockage is found, your healthcare provider may temporarily stop GATTEX.
Swelling (inflammation) or blockage of your gallbladder or pancreas
Your healthcare provider will do tests to check your gallbladder and pancreas within 6 months before starting GATTEX and at least every 6 months while you are using GATTEX. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get:
Fluid overload
Your healthcare provider will check you for too much fluid in your body. Too much fluid in your body may lead to heart failure, especially if you have heart problems. Tell your healthcare provider if you get swelling in your feet and ankles, you gain weight very quickly (water weight), or you have trouble breathing.
The most common side effects of GATTEX in adults include:
The side effects of GATTEX in children and adolescents are similar to those seen in adults.
Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.
What should I tell my healthcare provider before using GATTEX?
Tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions, including if you or your child:
Tell your healthcare providers about all the medicines you take, including prescription or over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Using GATTEX with certain other medicines may affect each other causing side effects. Your other healthcare providers may need to change the dose of any oral medicines (medicines taken by mouth) you take while using GATTEX. Tell the healthcare provider who gives you GATTEX if you will be taking a new oral medicine.
Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA.
Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800- FDA-1088.
Everyday people living with SBS are ready to share their stories with you.
TALK TO SOMEONE WITH SBSA guide to GATTEX—made for caregivers
Looking to have a more informed discussion with your doctor?
A step-by-step guide on how to prep and inject GATTEX
View full important Prescribing Information
Acceda a nuestra información de prescripción en español
You're not alone with SBS. Community and support are closer than you may think.
Making caregiving more sustainable, equitable, and dignified through research, policy, and programming
Visit caregiving.orgImproving the health and well-being of people with rare diseases by driving advances in care, research, and policy
VISIT RAREDISEASES.ORGEducates and supports those living with an ostomy
VISIT OSTOMY.ORGLinks to third-party websites are provided as resources and not intended to be an endorsement. Takeda is not responsible for their content.
What is the most important information I should know about GATTEX?
Making abnormal cells grow faster
GATTEX can make abnormal cells that are already in your body grow faster. There is an increased risk that abnormal cells could become cancer. If you get cancer of the bowel (intestines), liver, gallbladder or pancreas while using GATTEX, your healthcare provider should stop GATTEX. If you get other types of cancers, you and your healthcare provider should discuss the risks and benefits of using GATTEX.
Polyps in the intestines
Polyps are growths on the inside of the intestines. For adult patients, your healthcare provider will have your colon and upper intestines checked for polyps within 6 months before starting GATTEX, and have any polyps removed. To keep using GATTEX, your healthcare provider should have your colon and upper intestines checked for polyps at the end of 1 year of using GATTEX.
For pediatric patients, your healthcare provider will check for blood in the stool within 6 months before starting GATTEX. If there is blood in the stool, your healthcare provider will check your colon and upper intestines for polyps, and have any polyps removed. To keep using GATTEX, your healthcare provider will check for blood in the stool every year during treatment of GATTEX. If there is blood in the stool, your healthcare provider will check your colon and upper intestines for polyps. The colon will be checked for polyps at the end of 1 year of using GATTEX.
For adult and pediatric patients, if no polyp is found at the end of 1 year, your healthcare provider should check you for polyps as needed and at least every 5 years. If any new polyps are found, your healthcare provider will have them removed and may recommend additional monitoring. If cancer is found in a polyp, your healthcare provider should stop GATTEX.
Blockage of the bowel (intestines)
A bowel blockage keeps food, fluids, and gas from moving through the bowels in the normal way. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms of a bowel or stomal blockage:
If a blockage is found, your healthcare provider may temporarily stop GATTEX.
Swelling (inflammation) or blockage of your gallbladder or pancreas
Your healthcare provider will do tests to check your gallbladder and pancreas within 6 months before starting GATTEX and at least every 6 months while you are using GATTEX. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get:
Fluid overload
Your healthcare provider will check you for too much fluid in your body. Too much fluid in your body may lead to heart failure, especially if you have heart problems. Tell your healthcare provider if you get swelling in your feet and ankles, you gain weight very quickly (water weight), or you have trouble breathing.
The side effects of GATTEX in children and adolescents are similar to those seen in adults.
Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.
Tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions, including if you or your child:
Tell your healthcare providers about all the medicines you take, including prescription or over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Using GATTEX with certain other medicines may affect each other causing side effects. Your other healthcare providers may need to change the dose of any oral medicines (medicines taken by mouth) you take while using GATTEX. Tell the healthcare provider who gives you GATTEX if you will be taking a new oral medicine.
Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
GATTEX® (teduglutide) for subcutaneous injection is a prescription medicine used in adults and children 1 year of age and older with Short Bowel Syndrome (SBS) who need additional nutrition or fluids from intravenous (IV) feeding (parenteral support). It is not known if GATTEX is safe and effective in children under 1 year of age.
For additional safety information, click here for full Prescribing Information and Medication Guide, and discuss any questions with your doctor.
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SCROLL FOR FULL MEDICATION GUIDE INFORMATION
GATTEX® (Ga’-tex)
(teduglutide)
for injection, for subcutaneous use
Read this Medication Guide carefully before you start taking GATTEX and each time you get a refill. There may be new information. This information does not take the place of talking with your healthcare provider about your medical condition or your treatment.
GATTEX may cause serious side effects, including:
Before you start using GATTEX, your healthcare provider will:
To keep using GATTEX, your healthcare provider should:
If cancer is found in a polyp, your healthcare provider should stop GATTEX.
A bowel blockage keeps food, fluids, and gas from moving through the bowels in the normal way. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms of a bowel or stomal blockage:
If a blockage is found, your healthcare provider may temporarily stop GATTEX.
Your healthcare provider will do tests to check your gallbladder and pancreas within 6 months before starting GATTEX and at least every 6 months while you are using GATTEX.
Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get:
These are not all the side effects of GATTEX. For more information, see “What are the possible side effects of GATTEX?”
Before using GATTEX, tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions, including if you or your child:
Tell your healthcare providers about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Using GATTEX with certain other medicines may affect each other causing side effects. Your other healthcare providers may need to change the dose of any oral medicines (medicines taken by mouth) you take while using GATTEX. Tell the healthcare provider who gives you GATTEX if you will be taking a new oral medicine.
Know the medicines you take. Keep a list of them to show your healthcare provider and pharmacist when you get a new medicine.
GATTEX may cause serious side effects, including:
The most common side effects of GATTEX in adults include:
The side effects of GATTEX in children and adolescents are similar to those seen in adults.
Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.
These are not all of the possible side effects of GATTEX.
Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
Keep GATTEX and all medicines out of the reach of children.
Medicines are sometimes prescribed for purposes other than those listed in a Medication Guide. Do not use GATTEX for a condition for which it was not prescribed. Do not give GATTEX to other people, even if they have the same symptoms that you have. It may harm them.
If you would like more information about GATTEX talk with your healthcare provider. You can ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist for information about GATTEX that is written for health professionals.
Active ingredient: teduglutide
Inactive ingredients: dibasic sodium phosphate heptahydrate, L-histidine, mannitol, and monobasic sodium phosphate monohydrate. Sterile Water for Injection is provided as a diluent.
Please see full Prescribing Information and Important Safety Information.