What is Fuzeon prescribed for?

Fuzeon is used with other anti-HIV medicines to treat adults and children ages 6 years and older with HIV infection. Fuzeon is not used by itself to treat HIV infection. Fuzeon does not cure HIV-infection or AIDS and does not prevent HIV-transmission.

Fuzeon is called an HIV fusion inhibitor. Fuzeon blocks HIV’s ability to infect healthy CD4 cells. When used with other anti-HIV medicines, Fuzeon can reduce the amount of HIV in the blood and increase the number of CD4 cells. This may keep your immune system healthy so it can help fight infection.

Who should not use Fuzeon?

Do not use Fuzeon if you are allergic to any of the ingredients in Fuzeon.

Special Warnings associated with Fuzeon:

• Almost all people get injection site reactions with Fuzeon. Reactions are usually mild to moderate but occasionally may be severe. Reactions on the skin where Fuzeon is injected include itching, swelling, redness, pain or tenderness, hardened skin, and bumps.
• Patients with HIV get bacterial pneumonia more often than patients without HIV. In clinical trials, patients taking Fuzeon with other HIV medicines got bacterial pneumonia more often than patients not receiving Fuzeon. It is unclear if this was related to the use of Fuzeon. You should contact your healthcare provider right away if you have a cough, fever or trouble breathing.
• Fuzeon can cause serious allergic reactions. Symptoms of a serious allergic reaction with Fuzeon can include trouble breathing, fever with vomiting and a skin rash, blood in your urine, and swelling of your feet. Call your healthcare provider right away if you get any of these symptoms.

General Precautions to take when on Fuzeon:

• Avoid doing anything that can spread HIV infection since Fuzeon does not stop you from passing the HIV infection to others.
• Do not share needles or other injection equipment.
• Do not share personal items that can have blood or body fluids on them, like toothbrushes or razor blades.
• Do not have any kind of sex without protection. Always practice safer sex by using a latex or polyurethane condom or other barrier method to reduce the chance of sexual contact with semen, vaginal secretions or blood.
• Do not drive or operate heavy machinery if Fuzeon makes you feel dizzy.
• Do not change your dose or stop taking Fuzeon without first talking with your healthcare provider.

There are some things that you should tell your doctor when taking this medication:

Tell your doctor:

• if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. We do not know if Fuzeon can harm your unborn child. You and your doctor will need to decide if Fuzeon is right for you. If you use Fuzeon while you are pregnant, talk to your doctor about how you can be in the Antiretroviral Pregnancy Registry.
• if you are breast-feeding. You should not breast-feed if you are HIV-positive because of the chance of passing the HIV virus to your baby. Also, it is not known if Fuzeon can pass into your breast milk and if it can harm your baby.
• about all your medical conditions.

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Fuzeon has not been tested with all medicines.

What side effects can you expect when taking Fuzeon? (This is only a partial list of side effects reported with Fuzeon. Your doctor or pharmacist can discuss with you a more complete list of side effects.)

Some side effects with Fuzeon include:

• pain and numbness in feet or legs
• loss of sleep
• depression
• decreased appetite
• weakness or loss of strength
• muscle pain
• constipation
• pancreas problems

For more detailed information about Fuzeon, ask your doctor or pharmacist.