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Who is SOMAVERT for?

SOMAVERT® (pegvisomant for injection) is used to treat patients with acromegaly who have not had their disease controlled by:

  • Surgery
  • Radiation
  • Other medicines

It is also for patients who cannot receive the above treatments.

The goal is to have normal IGF-I levels in the blood.

What problems can acromegaly cause?

You may notice:

  • Growth or swelling in hands or feet or an increase in ring or shoe size
  • Growth in facial features (like the chin, forehead, or nose)
  • Increased spacing of teeth
  • Enlarged tongue
  • Increased sweating, unpleasant odor
  • A tired feeling most of the time

You may also have:

  • Headache
  • Vision problems
  • Thick, oily skin
  • Pain in the joints (like the knees or hips)
  • Weak muscles
  • Tingling (pins-and-needles feeling), numbness (abnormal feeling), or weakness of the hands
  • Missing or irregular periods
  • Unusual tiredness or exhaustion
  • Swelling in the front of the neck, caused by an enlarged thyroid gland
  • Voice change (hollow-sounding voice)
  • Breathing difficulties during sleep, which can cause snoring/sleep disturbances
  • Decreased sex drive
  • Skin tags (growths of excess skin)

Who should not use SOMAVERT?

Do not use SOMAVERT if you are allergic to SOMAVERT or any of its ingredients. The active ingredient is pegvisomant, which includes polyethylene glycol. The inactive ingredients are glycine, mannitol, sodium phosphate dibasic anhydrous, and sodium phosphate monobasic monohydrate. The stopper on the vial of SOMAVERT contains latex.

SOMAVERT has not been studied in children.

Tell your doctor if you:

  • Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if SOMAVERT can harm your unborn baby. You and your doctor will have to decide whether SOMAVERT is right for you
  • Are breast-feeding. It is not known if SOMAVERT passes into your milk or if it can harm your baby
  • Have diabetes
  • Have or have had liver problems

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

Be sure to tell your doctor if you use:

  • Insulin or other medicines (oral hypoglycemic medicines) for diabetes. The doses of these medicines may need to be changed if you use SOMAVERT
  • Narcotic painkillers (opioid medicines). Your dose of SOMAVERT may need to be changed if you use any of these medicines

Can I use SOMAVERT if I have diabetes?

Yes. Your blood sugar level may go down when you take SOMAVERT. Because of this, your doctor may need to reduce your dose of diabetes medicine.

Can I use SOMAVERT if I am pregnant?

SOMAVERT has not been studied in pregnant women. If you are pregnant, or plan to be, talk to your doctor about treatment with SOMAVERT.

Ask your doctor is SOMAVERT is right for you. Print this acromegaly symptoms check list to help you talk to your doctor.