What Is Gammagard?

Immunoglobulin is a product composed of antibodies, which are proteins produced by the body to protect and aid in the fight against infection. Gammagard is one of the most frequently used immunoglobulin products. It is made from the blood of thousands of donors.

Human plasma antibodies can be isolated from donated blood and used to make this medication.  Gammagard, also known as immune globulin and Gammagard liquid IV, is manufactured by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company. It has been used for several years to treat and manage Alzheimer’s disease.

Gammagard can also be used to treat primary immunodeficiency, which is characterized by an insufficient number of antibodies. Antibodies collected from healthy individuals are used to replace these missing antibodies. Gammagard is indicated for patients with this condition who are 2 years and older.

Gammagard is a 10% IgG solution (100 milligrams/ml) that is free of sucrose, added sugars, sodium, preservatives, and proline. As a result, this medication is ideal for individuals allergic to these additives.

Gammagard Dosing

IV (Intravenous) Administration for Primary Immunodeficiency (PI)

Dose:

300 – 600 mg/kg every 3 to 4 weeks. The dose will be adjusted based on the patient’s clinical response.

Initial infusion rate:

0.5 ml/kg/hr (0.8 mg/kg/min) for 30 minutes.

Maintenance infusion rate:

Every 30 minutes, increase (if tolerated) up to 5 ml per kg per hour (8 mg per kg per minute).

IV (Intravenous) Administration for Multifocal Motor Neuropathy (MMN)

Dose:

0.5 to 2.4 grams/kg/month. The dose will be adjusted based on the patient’s clinical response.

Initial infusion rate:

0.5ml/kg /hr (0.8 mg/kg/min).

Maintenance infusion rate:

If tolerated, the infusion rate can be increased to 5.4 ml/kg/hr (9 mg/kg/min).

SubQ Administration for PI

Dose:

The initial dose is 1.37 times the number of previous intravenous doses, divided by the number of weeks between intravenous doses. The maintenance dose is based on the clinical response of the patient.

Initial infusion rate:

• 40 kg body weight and greater: 30 ml/site at 20 ml/hr/site.
• Under 40 kg body weight: 20 ml/site at 15 ml/hr/site.

Maintenance infusion rate:

• 40 kg body weight and greater: 30 ml/site at 20 to 30 ml/hr/site.
• Under 40 kg body weight: 20 ml/site at 15 to 20 ml/hr/site.