 is a prescription medication used to treat adults with Dupuytren's contracture when a "Pin It")
Xiaflex Overview
Xiaflex (generic: collagenase clostridium histolyticum) is a prescription medication used to treat adults with Dupuytren's contracture when a "cord" can be felt. Xiaflex belongs to a group of drugs called proteolytic enzymes, which work by breaking the cord of tissue that is causing the finger to be bent.
Uses of Xiaflex
Xiaflex is a prescription medicine used to treat adults with Dupuytren’s contracture when a “cord” can be felt.
This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.
Side Effects of Xiaflex
Common side effects with Xiaflex include:
- swelling of the injection site or the hand
- bleeding or bruising at the injection site
- pain or tenderness of the injection site or the hand
- swelling of the lymph nodes (glands) in the elbow or underarm
- itching
- breaks in the skin
- redness or warmth of the skin
- pain in the underarm
These are not all of the possible side effects with Xiaflex. Tell your healthcare provider about any side effect that bothers you or does not go away.
Xiaflex Interactions
Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
Especially tell your healthcare provider if you use:
- a blood thinner medicine such as aspirin,
- clopidogrel (Plavix),
- prasugrel hydrochloride (Effient),
- or warfarin sodium (Coumadin).
If you are told to stop taking a blood thinner before your Xiaflex injection, your healthcare provider should tell you when to restart the blood thinner.
Xiaflex Precautions
Xiaflex can cause serious side effects, including:
- Tendon rupture or ligament damage. Receiving an injection of Xiaflex may cause damage to a tendon or ligament in your hand and cause it to break or weaken. This could require surgery to fix the damaged tendon or ligament. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have trouble bending your injected finger (towards the wrist) after the swelling goes down or you have problems using your treated hand after your follow-up visit.
- Nerve injury or other serious injury of the hand. Call your healthcare provider right away if you get numbness, tingling, or increased pain in your treated finger or hand after your injection or after your follow-up visit.
- Allergic Reactions. Allergic reactions can happen in people who take Xiaflex because it contains foreign proteins.
Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms of an allergic reaction after an injection of Xiaflex:
- hives
- swollen face
- breathing trouble
- chest pain
Xiaflex Food Interactions
Medicines can interact with certain foods. In some cases, this may be harmful and your doctor may advise you to avoid certain foods. In the case of Xiaflex there are no specific foods that you must exclude from your diet when receiving Xiaflex.
Inform MD
Before receiving Xiaflex, tell your healthcare provider if you:
- have had an allergic reaction to a previous Xiaflex injection.
- have a bleeding problem (e.g. hemophilia)
- have any other medical conditions.
- are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.
- are breastfeeding.
Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
Xiaflex and Pregnancy
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if Xiaflex will harm your unborn baby.
Xiaflex and Lactation
Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if Xiaflex passes into your breastmilk. Talk to healthcare provider about the best way to feed your baby if you receive Xiaflex.
Xiaflex Usage
- Your healthcare provider will inject Xiaflex into the cord that is causing your finger to bend.
- After an injection of Xiaflex, your affected hand will be wrapped with a bandage. You should limit moving and using the treated finger after the injection.
- Do not bend or straighten the fingers of the injected hand until your healthcare provider says it is okay. This will help prevent the medicine from leaking out of the cord.
- Do not try to straighten the treated finger yourself.
- Keep the injected hand elevated until bedtime.
Call your healthcare provider right away if you have:
- signs of infection after your injection, such as fever, chills, increased redness, or swelling
- numbness or tingling in the treated finger
- trouble bending the injected finger after the swelling goes down
Return to your healthcare provider’s office as directed on the day after your injection. During this first follow-up visit, if you still have the cord, your healthcare provider may try to extend the treated finger to “break” the cord and try to straighten your finger. Your healthcare provider will provide you with a splint to wear on the treated finger.
- Wear the splint as instructed by your healthcare provider at bedtime to keep your finger straight.
- Do finger exercises each day, as instructed by your healthcare provider.
- Follow your healthcare provider’s instructions about when you can start doing your normal activities with the injected hand.
Xiaflex Dosage
The dose of Xiaflex is 0.58 mg per injection into a palpable cord with a contracture of a metacarpophalangeal (MP) joint or a proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint.
Four weeks after the Xiaflex injection and finger extension procedure, if a MP or PIP contracture remains, the cord may be re-injected with a single dose of 0.58 mg of Xiaflex and the finger extension procedure may be repeated (approximately 24 hours after injection). Injections and finger extension procedures may be administered up to 3 times per cord at approximately 4-week intervals.
Xiaflex Overdose
The effects of overdose of Xiaflex are unknown. It is possible that multiple simultaneous or excessive doses of Xiaflex may cause more severe local effects including serious adverse reactions (e.g., tendon ruptures) than the recommended doses. Supportive care and symptomatic treatment are recommended in these circumstances.
Xiaflex is usually administered by a healthcare provider in a medical setting making it unlikely for an overdose to occur. However, if overdose is suspected, seek emergency medical attention.
Forms of Xiaflex
Active ingredient: collagenase clostridium histolyticum.
Ingredients: hydrochloric acid, sucrose, and tromethamine.
The diluent contains: calcium chloride dihydrate in 0.9% sodium chloride.
