What is Somatuline Depot?
Somatuline Depot is a type of medication called a somatostatin analog, or SSA. After surgery and/or radiation, SSAs are medications doctors use to treat acromegaly. Somatuline Depot is thought to work by reducing the growth hormone (GH) production in your body. When there is less GH in your body, your liver produces less insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1).
Starting treatment: What to expect
Once you begin treatment with Somatuline Depot, you may not see or feel any immediate changes. Remember, Somatuline Depot works by lowering the hormone levels in your body, so you might not know if it is working.
Your doctor can adjust your dose of Somatuline Depot based on your response
Once you are controlled on your starting dose of 90 mg every 4 weeks for 3 months, the dose may then be adjusted, depending on your GH and IGF-1 levels and symptoms. If you are controlled* on 90 mg once every 4 weeks, then you may be considered for an extended dosing interval of Somatuline Depot 120 mg once every 6 or 8 weeks. By changing the dosing interval to once every 6 or 8 weeks, less frequent injections would be needed over the year. Your doctor will continue to monitor your response and adjust the dose as needed.
Controlled patients may have the opportunity to have fewer injections a year.
*Controlled is defined as GH level from >1.0 ng/mL to ≤2.5 ng/mL, normalized IGF-1 level, and satisfactory management of clinical symptoms as determined by the healthcare provider.
How Somatuline Depot is administered
Somatuline Depot should be administered by a healthcare professional every 4 weeks.
Somatuline Depot comes in a sterile, prefilled syringe. It is injected deep under the skin of the upper outer area of your buttock.
- Your injection site should change (alternate) between your right and left buttock from one injection of Somatuline Depot to the next.
- During your treatment, your healthcare professional may do certain blood tests to see if Somatuline Depot is working.
In addition, the redesigned delivery system provides:
- Prefilled, low-volume syringe, which helps support full delivery of your dose
- Transparent design
- Retractable needle that engages automatically
- Manufacturing process using no latex or natural dry rubber
- Reinforced plunger design
Options of how to get your injections
- In the doctor’s office
- At home, via Home Health Administration, arranged through the IPSEN CARES® program; the cost is covered by Ipsen for eligible patients
Support & Resources
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION & INDICATION
Do not take SOMATULINE DEPOT if you are allergic to lanreotide.
SOMATULINE DEPOT may cause serious side effects, including:
- Gallstones
- Changes to your blood sugar (high or low blood sugar),
- Slow heart rate,
- High blood pressure, and
- Changes in thyroid function in acromegaly patients.
Tell your healthcare provider (HCP) if you have any of the following symptoms:
- Symptoms of gallstones may include sudden pain in your upper right stomach area (abdomen), sudden pain in your right shoulder or between your shoulder blades, yellowing of your skin and whites of your eyes, fever with chills, and nausea.
- Symptoms of high blood sugar may include increased thirst, increased appetite, nausea, weakness or tiredness, urinating more than normal, and fruity smelling breath.
- Symptoms of low blood sugar may include dizziness or lightheadedness, sweating, confusion, headache, blurred vision, slurred speech, shakiness, fast heartbeat, irritability or mood changes, and hunger.
- Symptoms of slow heart rate may include dizziness or lightheadedness, fainting or near-fainting, chest pain, shortness of breath, confusion or memory problems, and weakness or extreme tiredness.
- SOMATULINE DEPOT can cause the thyroid gland to not make enough thyroid hormone in people with acromegaly. Symptoms of low thyroid levels may include fatigue, weight gain, puffy face, being cold all the time, constipation, dry skin, thinning or dry hair, decreased sweating, and depression.
The most common side effects of SOMATULINE DEPOT in people with acromegaly include diarrhea; stomach (abdominal) pain; nausea; and pain, itching, or a lump at the injection site.
SOMATULINE DEPOT may cause dizziness. If this happens, do not drive a car or operate machinery.
Tell your HCP right away if you have signs of an allergic reaction after receiving SOMATULINE DEPOT, including swelling of your face, lips or tongue; breathing problems; fainting, dizziness or feeling lightheaded (low blood pressure); itching; skin flushing or redness; rash; or hives.
Before taking SOMATULINE DEPOT, tell your HCP about all your medical conditions including if you:
have diabetes; have gallbladder, heart, thyroid, kidney or liver problems; are pregnant or plan to become pregnant; or are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if SOMATULINE DEPOT will harm your unborn baby or pass into breast milk. You should not breastfeed if you receive SOMATULINE DEPOT and for 6 months after your last dose. SOMATULINE DEPOT may affect your ability to become pregnant.
Tell your HCP about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. SOMATULINE DEPOT and other medicines may affect each other, causing side effects. SOMATULINE DEPOT may affect the way other medicines work, and other medicines may affect how SOMATULINE DEPOT works. Your dose of SOMATULINE DEPOT or your other medications may need to be changed. If you have diabetes, your HCP may change your dose of diabetes medication when you first start receiving SOMATULINE DEPOT or if your dose of SOMATULINE DEPOT is changed.
Especially tell your HCP if you take:
- Insulin or other diabetes medicines,
- A cyclosporine (Gengraf, Neoral, or Sandimmune), or
- Medicines that lower your heart rate, such as beta blockers.
Know the medicines you take. Keep a list of them to show your HCP when you get a new medicine.
Tell your HCP if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away. These are not all the possible side effects of SOMATULINE DEPOT. For more information, ask your HCP.
What is SOMATULINE® DEPOT (lanreotide) Injection?
SOMATULINE DEPOT is a prescription medicine used in adults for the long-term treatment of people with acromegaly when surgery or radiotherapy have not worked well enough or a patient is unable to have surgery or radiotherapy.
It is not known if SOMATULINE DEPOT is safe and effective in children.
To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Ipsen Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. at 1-855-463-5127 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/safety/medwatch-fda-safety-information-and-adverse-event-reporting-program.
Please click here for the full Prescribing Information and Patient Information.