Patient leaflet - Bridion
1. What Bridion is and what it is used for
What Bridion is
Bridion contains the active substance sugammadex. Bridion is considered to be a Selective Relaxant Binding Agent since it only works with specific muscle relaxants, rocuronium bromide or vecuronium bromide.
What Bridion is used for
When you have some types of operations, your muscles must be completely relaxed. This makes it easier for the surgeon to do the operation. For this, the general anaesthetic you are given includes medicines to make your muscles relax. These are called muscle relaxants , and examples include rocuronium bromide and vecuronium bromide. Because these medicines also make your breathing muscles relax, you need help to breathe (artificial ventilation) during and after your operation until you can breathe on your own again.
Bridion is used to speed up the recovery of your muscles after an operation to allow you to breathe on your own again earlier. It does this by combining with the rocuronium bromide or vecuronium bromide in your body. It can be used in adults whenever rocuronium bromide or vecuronium bromide is used and in children and adolescents (aged 2 to 17 years) when rocuronium bromide is used for a moderate level of relaxation.
2. What you need to know before Bridion is given
You should not be given Bridion
- if you are allergic to sugammadex or any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6).
^ Tell your anaesthetist if this applies to you.
Warnings and precautions
Talk to your anaesthetist before Bridion is given
- if you have kidney disease or had in the past. This is important as Bridion is removed from your body by the kidneys.
- if you have liver disease or have had it in the past.
- if you have fluid retention (oedema).
- if you have diseases which are known to give an increased risk of bleeding (disturbances of
blood clotting) or anticoagulation medication.
Children and adolescents
This medicine is not recommended for infants less than 2 years of age.
Other medicines and Bridion
^ Tell your anaesthetist if you are taking, have recently taken or might take any other medicines.
Bridion may affect other medicines or be affected by them.
Some medicines reduce the effect of Bridion
^ It is especially important that you tell your anaesthetist if you have recently taken:
- toremifene (used to treat breast cancer).
- fusidic acid (an antibiotic).
Bridion can affect hormonal contraceptives
- Bridion can make hormonal contraceptives – including the ‘Pill’, vaginal ring, implants or a hormonal IntraUterine System (IUS) – less effective because it reduces how much you get of the progestogen hormone. The amount of progestogen lost by using Bridion is about the same as missing one oral contraceptive Pill.
^ If you are taking the Pill on the same day as Bridion is given to you, follow the instructions for a missed dose in the Pill’s package leaflet.
^ If you are using other hormonal contraceptives (for example a vaginal ring, implant or IUS) you should use an additional non-hormonal contraceptive method (such as a condom) for the next 7 days and follow the advice in the package leaflet.
Effects on blood tests
In general, Bridion does not have an effect on laboratory tests. However, it may affect the results of a blood test for a hormone called progesterone. Talk to your doctor if your progesterone levels need to be tested on the same day you receive Bridion.
Pregnancy and breast-feeding
^ Tell your anaesthetist if you are pregnant or might be pregnant or if you are breast-feeding.
You may still be given Bridion, but you need to discuss it first.
It is not known whether sugammadex can pass into breast milk. Your anaesthetist will help you decide whether to stop breast-feeding, or whether to abstain from sugammadex therapy, considering the benefit of breast-feeding to the baby and the benefit of Bridion to the mother.
Driving and using machines
Bridion has no known influence on your ability to drive and use machines.
Bridion contains sodium
This medicine contains up to 9.7 mg sodium (main component of cooking / table salt) in each mL.
This is equivalent to 0.5 % of the recommended maximum daily dietary intake of sodium for an adult.
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3. How Bridion is given
Bridion will be given to you by your anaesthetist, or under the care of your anaesthetist.
The dose
Your anaesthetist will work out the dose of Bridion you need based on:
- your weight
- how much the muscle relaxant medicine is still affecting you.
The usual dose is 2–4 mg per kg body weight for adults and for children and adolescents between
2–17 years old. A dose of 16 mg/kg can be used in adults if urgent recovery from muscle relaxation is needed.
How Bridion is given
Bridion will be given to you by your anaesthetist. It is given as a single injection through an intravenous line.
If more Bridion is given to you than recommended
As your anaesthetist will be monitoring your condition carefully, it is unlikely that you will be given too much Bridion. But even if this happens, it is unlikely to cause any problems.
If you have any further questions on the use of this medicine, ask your anaesthetist or other doctor.
4. Possible side effects
Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.
If these side effects occur while you are under anaesthesia, they will be seen and treated by your anaesthetist.
Common side effects (may affect up to 1 in 10 people)
- Cough
- Airway difficulties that may include coughing or moving as if you are waking or taking a breath
- Light anaesthesia – you may start to come out of deep sleep, so need more anaesthesia. This
might cause you to move or cough at the end of the operation
- Complications during your procedure such as changes in heart rate, coughing or moving
- Decreased blood pressure due to the surgical procedure
Uncommon side effects (may affect up to 1 in 100 people)
- Shortness of breath due to muscle cramps of the airways (bronchospasm) occurred in patients
with a history of lung problems
- Allergic (drug hypersensitivity) reactions – such as a rash, red skin, swelling of your tongue and/or throat, shortness of breath, changes in blood pressure or heart rate, sometimes resulting in a serious decrease of blood pressure. Severe allergic or allergic-like reactions can be life threatening.
Allergic reactions were reported more commonly in healthy, conscious volunteers
- Return of muscle relaxation after the operation
Frequency not known
- Severe slowing of the heart and slowing of the heart up to cardiac arrest may occur when Bridion is administered
Reporting of side effects
If you get any side effects, talk to your anaesthetist or other doctor. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the national reporting system listed in By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.
5. How to store Bridion
Storage will be handled by healthcare professionals.
Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children.
Do not use this medicine after the expiry date which is stated on the carton and on the label after ‘EXP’. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month.
Store below 30°C. Do not freeze. Keep the vial in the outer carton in order to protect from light.
After first opening and dilution, store at 2 to 8°C and use within 24 hours.
6. Contents of the pack and other information
What Bridion contains
-
– The active substance is sugammadex.
-
1 mL solution for injection contains sugammadex sodium equivalent to 100 mg sugammadex.
What Bridion looks like and contents of the pack
Bridion is a clear and colourless to slightly yellow solution for injection.
It comes in two different pack sizes, containing either 10 vials with 2 mL or 10 vials with 5 mL solution for injection.
Not all pack sizes may be marketed.
Marketing Authorisation Holder and Manufacturer
Marketing Authorisation Holder
Merck Sharp & Dohme B.V.
Waarderweg 39
2031 BN Haarlem
The Netherlands
Manufacturer
N.V. Organon, Kloosterstraat 6, 5349 AB Oss, The Netherlands
For any information about this medicine, please contact the local representative of the Marketing Authorisation Holder:
| Belgie/Belgique/Belgien MSD Belgium Tel/Tél: +32(0)27766211 E^^rapus MepK Oapn u ^oyM EMrapus EOO^ Te^.: +359 2 819 3737 Česká republika Merck Sharp & Dohme s.r.o. Tel.: +420 233 010 111 Danmark MSD Danmark ApS Tlf: +45 4482 4000 | Lietuva UAB Merck Sharp & Dohme Tel.: +370 5 278 02 47 Luxembourg/Luxemburg MSD Belgium Tel/Tel: +32(0)27766211 Magyarorszag MSD Pharma Hungary Kft. Tel.: +36 1 888 5300 Malta Merck Sharp & Dohme Cyprus Limited Tel: 8007 4433 (+356 99917558) |
| Deutschland Grünenthal GmbH Tel: +49 (0) 241 569 1111 | Nederland Merck Sharp & Dohme B.V. Tel.: 0800 9999000 (+31 23 5153153) |
| Eesti Merck Sharp & Dohme OÜ Tel: + 372 6144 200 | Norge MSD (Norge) AS Tlf: +47 32 20 73 00 |
| EZZárta MSD A.O.B.E.E. TqX: + 30 210 98 97 300 | Österreich Merck Sharp & Dohme Ges.m.b.H. Tel: +43 (0) 1 26 044 |
| España Merck Sharp & Dohme de España, S.A. Tel: +34 91 321 06 00 | Polska MSD Polska Sp. z o.o. Tel.: +48 22 549 51 00 |
| France MSD France Tél: + 33-(0)1 80 46 40 40 | Portugal Merck Sharp & Dohme, Lda Tel: + 351 21 446 57 00 |
| Hrvatska Merck Sharp & Dohme d.o.o. Tel: + 385 1 6611 333 | România Merck Sharp & Dohme Romania S.R.L. Tel: + 40 21 529 29 00 |
| Ireland Merck Sharp and Dohme Ireland (Human Health) Limited Tel: +353 (0)1 2998700 | Slovenija Merck Sharp & Dohme, inovativna zdravila d.o.o. Tel: + 386 1 5204201 |
| Ísland Vistor hf. Sími: +354 535 7000 | Slovenská republika Merck Sharp & Dohme, s. r. o. Tel: +421 2 58282010 |
| Italia MSD Italia S.r.l. Tel: +39 06 361911 | Suomi/Finland MSD Finland Oy Puh/Tel: +358 (0) 9 804650 |
| Kùnpoç Merck Sharp & Dohme Cyprus Limited TqX: 800 00 673 (+357 22866700) | Sverige Merck Sharp & Dohme (Sweden) AB Tel: +46 77 5700488 |
| Latvija SIA Merck Sharp & Dohme Latvija Tel: + 371 67 364224 | United Kingdom (Northern Ireland) Merck Sharp & Dohme Ireland (Human Health) Limited Tel: +353 (0)1 2998700 |
This leaflet was last revised in <{MM/YYYY}><{month YYYY}>.
Detailed information on this medicine is available on the European Medicines Agency web site: http://www.ema.europa.eu.
The following information is intended for healthcare professionals only:
For detailed information refer to the Summary of Product Characteristics of BRIDION.
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