Rabies immunoglobulin

Rabies immunoglobulin
Clinical data
Trade namesImogam Rabies-HT, Kedrab, Hyperrab, others
AHFS/Drugs.comMonograph
Pregnancy
category
Routes of
administration		Intramuscular injection
ATC code
Legal status
Legal status
Identifiers
DrugBank
ChemSpider
  • none
UNII

Rabies immunoglobulin (RIG) is a medication made up of antibodies against the rabies virus.[10] It is used to prevent rabies following exposure.[10] It is given after the wound is cleaned with soap and water or povidone-iodine and is followed by a course of rabies vaccine.[10] It is given by injection into the site of the wound and into a muscle.[10] It is not needed in people who have been previously vaccinated against rabies.[11]

Common side effects include pain at the site of injection, fever, and headache.[10] Severe allergic reactions such as anaphylaxis may rarely occur.[12] Use during pregnancy is not known to harm the baby.[10] It works by binding to the rabies virus before it can enter nerve tissue.[10] After the virus has entered the central nervous system, rabies immunoglobulin is no longer useful.[10]

The use of rabies immunoglobulin in the form of blood serum dates from 1891.[13] Use became common within medicine in the 1950s.[14] It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.[15] Rabies immunoglobulin is expensive and hard to come by in the developing world.[16] In the United States it is estimated to be more than US$1,000.00 per dose,[17] and around £600 in the United Kingdom.[18] It is made from the blood plasma of people or horses who have high levels of the antibody in their blood.[10][17] The horse version is less expensive but has a higher rate of side effects.[17][14]

  1. ^ a b "Kamrab". Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). 23 August 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  2. ^ "Kamrab PI". Health Canada. 25 April 2012. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  3. ^ "Imogam PI". Health Canada. 25 April 2012. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  4. ^ "Hyperrab S/D PI". Health Canada. 25 April 2012. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  5. ^ "Drug and medical device highlights 2018: Helping you maintain and improve your health". Health Canada. 14 October 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Imogam Rabies-HT FDA label was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Kedrab FDA label was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Hyperrab FDA label was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ "Hyperrab S/D (rabies immune globulin- human injection". DailyMed. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Rabies Immune Globulin". The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. Archived from the original on 18 March 2011. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  11. ^ World Health Organization (2009). Stuart MC, Kouimtzi M, Hill SR (eds.). WHO Model Formulary 2008. World Health Organization. p. 398. hdl:10665/44053. ISBN 9789241547659.
  12. ^ British national formulary : BNF 69 (69 ed.). British Medical Association. 2015. p. 869. ISBN 9780857111562.
  13. ^ Rupprecht CE, Plotkin SA (2013). "Rabies Vaccines". In Plotkin SA, Orenstein WA, Offit PA (eds.). Vaccines (6th ed.). [Edinburgh]: Elsevier/Saunders. p. 659. ISBN 978-1455700905. Archived from the original on 9 January 2017.
  14. ^ a b Jong EC, Zuckerman JN (2004). Travelers' Vaccines. PMPH-USA. p. 205. ISBN 9781550092257. Archived from the original on 9 January 2017.
  15. ^ World Health Organization (2019). World Health Organization model list of essential medicines: 21st list 2019. Geneva: World Health Organization. hdl:10665/325771. WHO/MVP/EMP/IAU/2019.06. License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.
  16. ^ Tintinalli JE (2010). Emergency Medicine: A Comprehensive Study Guide (Emergency Medicine (Tintinalli)) (7 ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Companies. p. 1054. ISBN 978-0-07-148480-0.
  17. ^ a b c Research Advances in Rabies. Academic Press. 2011. p. 351. ISBN 9780123870414. Archived from the original on 9 January 2017.
  18. ^ Kliff, Sarah (7 February 2018). "Why a simple, lifesaving rabies shot can cost $10,000 in America". Vox. Retrieved 26 September 2024.