Before Receiving This Medicine

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For respiratory syncytial virus immune globulin intravenous (RSV-IGIV), the following should be considered:

Allergies—Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to intramuscular or intravenous immune globulins. Also tell your health care professional if you are allergic to any other substances, such as foods, preservatives, or dyes.

Diet—Make certain your health care professional knows if you are on any special diet, such as low-sodium or low-sugar diet.

Pregnancy—Studies on effects in pregnancy have not been done in either humans or animals.

Breast-feeding—It is not known whether RSV-IGIV passes into breast milk. However, this medicine has not been reported to cause problems in nursing babies.

Children—Children 24 months of age and older: Use is not recommended. Use is not recommended in children born with chronic heart disease. Also, too much fluid in the body is more likely to occur in infants and children with underlying lung disease.

Older adults—RSV-IGIV has been tested only in infants and young children less than 24 months of age and there is no specific information about its use in older patients.

Other medicines—Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. Tell your health care professional if you are using any other prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicine.

Other medical problems—The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of RSV-IGIV. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:

• Allergic reaction to human immunoglobulins or
• Immunoglobulin A (IgA) deficiencies—RSV-IGIV may cause severe reactions