Carbaglu (carglumic acid) Side Effects, Dosage, & Interactions

Generic drug: carglumic acid

Brand name: Carbaglu

What is Carbaglu (carglumic acid), and how does it work?

Carbaglu (carglumic acid) is a man-made form of a liver enzyme used to treat hyperammonemia, a urea cycle disorder caused by lack of a certain liver enzyme. Carbaglu is usually given with other medications to treat this lifelong disorder.

What are the side effects of Carbaglu?

Common side effects of Carbaglu include:

• vomiting,
• diarrhea,
• stomach pain,
• headache,
• stuffy nose,
• sore throat,
• ear infection,
• changes in sense of taste,
• fever,
• infection,
• flu symptoms,
• weight loss,
• sleepiness, and
• skin rash

What is the dosage for Carbaglu?

Recommended Dosage For Acute Or Chronic Hyperammonemia Due To NAGS Deficiency

Treatment Initiation

Initiate
Carbaglu treatment as soon as the diagnosis of NAGS deficiency is suspected, which may be as soon as at birth, and managed by a physician and medical team experienced in metabolic disorders.

Dosage For Acute Hyperammonemia Due To NAGS Deficiency

• The recommended daily dosage of
  Carbaglu in pediatric and adult patients for acute hyperammonemia due to NAGS deficiency is 100 mg/kg to 250 mg/kg.
• Divide the daily dosage into 2 to 4 doses and round to the nearest 100 mg (i.e., half of a
  Carbaglu tablet).
• During acute hyperammonemic episodes, administer
  Carbaglu with other ammonia lowering therapies, such as alternate pathway medications, hemodialysis, and protein restriction.

Dosage For Chronic Hyperammonemia Due To NAGS Deficiency

• The recommended daily dosage of
  Carbaglu in pediatric and adult patients for chronic hyperammonemia due to NAGS deficiency is 10 mg/kg to 100 mg/kg.
• Divide the daily dosage into 2 to 4 doses and round to the nearest 100 mg (i.e., half of a
  Carbaglu tablet).
• During maintenance therapy, the concomitant use of other ammonia lowering therapies and protein restriction may be needed based on plasma ammonia levels.

Therapeutic Monitoring

Closely monitor plasma ammonia levels. Titrate the
Carbaglu dosage to maintain the plasma ammonia level within the normal range for the patient’s age, taking into consideration their clinical condition (e.g., nutritional requirements, protein intake, growth parameters, etc.).

Recommended Dosage For Acute Hyperammonemia Due To PA Or MMA

Treatment Initiation

Initiate
Carbaglu for the treatment of acute hyperammonemia in patients with a suspected or confirmed diagnosis of PA or MMA.

Dosage For Acute Hyperammonemia Due To PA Or MMA

• The recommended daily dosage of
  Carbaglu in pediatric and adult patients with acute hyperammonemia due to PA or MMA is:
  • 150 mg/kg/day for patients less than or equal to 15 kg
  • 3.3 g/m²/day for patients greater than 15 kg
• Divide the daily dosage into 2 equal doses and round up to the next multiple of 50 mg (i.e., one-quarter of a
  Carbaglu tablet). Administer doses 12 hours apart.
• Continue Carbaglu treatment until the patient’s ammonia level is less than 50 micromol/L and for a maximum duration of 7 days.
• During acute hyperammonemic episodes, administer
  Carbaglu with other ammonia lowering therapies, such as intravenous glucose, insulin, L-carnitine, protein restriction, and dialysis.

Preparation And Administration

Overview

• Disperse Carbaglu tablets in water. Do not swallow whole or crushed.
• Carbaglu tablets do not dissolve completely in water, and undissolved particles of the tablet may remain in the mixing container.
• Take
  Carbaglu immediately before meals or feedings.
• The Carbaglu suspension has a slightly acidic taste.
• For all preparations, use in foods or liquids other than water has not been studied and is not recommended.

Oral Administration

For oral administration, administer
Carbaglu as follows:

• Add a minimum of 2.5 mL of water into a small cup for each
  Carbaglu tablet or each ½ or ¼ Carbaglu tablet needed for the prescribed dose.
• Add the
  Carbaglu tablets to the water in the cup.
• Carefully stir the tablet and water mixture.
• Swallow the mixture immediately. Pieces of the tablet may remain in the cup.
• Rinse the cup with additional water and swallow the mixture immediately. Repeat as needed until no pieces of the tablet are left in the cup.

Use Of An Oral Syringe For Oral Administration

For administration via an oral syringe, administer
Carbaglu as follows:

• Add a minimum of 2.5 mL of water into a small cup for each
  Carbaglu tablet or each ½ or ¼ Carbaglu tablet needed for the prescribed dose.
• Add the
  Carbaglu tablets to the water in the cup.
• Carefully stir the tablet and water mixture.
• Draw up the mixture in an oral syringe and administer immediately. Pieces of the tablet may remain in the oral syringe.
• Refill the oral syringe with a minimum volume of water (1 mL to 2 mL) and administer immediately.
• Flush the oral syringe again, as needed, until no pieces of the tablet are left in the syringe.

Use Of Nasogastric Tube (NG Tube) Or Gastrostomy Tube (G-Tube) For Feeding Tube Administration

For patients who have a NG tube or G-tube in place, administer
Carbaglu as follows:

• Add a minimum of 2.5 mL of water into a small cup for each
  Carbaglu tablet or each ½ or ¼ Carbaglu tablet needed for the prescribed dose.
• Add the
  Carbaglu tablets to the water in the cup.
• Carefully stir the tablet and water mixture.
• Draw up the mixture into a catheter-tip syringe.
• Administer the mixture immediately through the NG tube or G-tube. Pieces of the tablet may remain in the catheter-tip syringe or the feeding tube.
• Flush immediately with 1 to 2 mL of additional water to clear the NG tube or G-tube.
• Flush the NG tube or G-tube again, as needed, until no pieces of the tablet are left in the syringe or the feeding tube.

What drugs interact with Carbaglu?

No Information Provided

Is Carbaglu safe to use while pregnant or breastfeeding?

• Although rare case reports of Carbaglu use in pregnant women are insufficient to inform a drug-associated risk of major birth defects, miscarriage, or adverse maternal or fetal outcomes, untreated NAGS deficiency, PA and MMA can result in irreversible neurologic damage and death in pregnant women.
• It is not known whether carglumic acid is present in human milk. There are no available data on the effects of carglumic acid on the breastfed infant or the effects on milk production.
• Carglumic acid is present in milk from treated rats. When a drug is present in animal milk, it is likely that the drug will be present in human milk.
• The developmental and health benefits of breastfeeding should be considered along with the mother’s clinical need for
  Carbaglu and any potential adverse effects on the breastfed child from
  Carbaglu or from the underlying maternal condition.