Once you have elected to have your injections administered at home by a specially trained registered nurse, you can rest assured that you will still maintain the level of care from your physician that you have come to rely on.
In this section, you will learn about the Nurse Home Injection Program, including:
Proven control delivered by a registered nurse
1. The Right Dose: The Nurse Home Injection Program helps ensure that you always receive the right dose, consistently, by a specially trained nurse, at your convenience.
2. The Right Time: Receive your monthly therapy administered by a registered nurse at a time that is convenient for you. All you have to do is enroll in the program with your doctor's help, pick up your prescription, and be at home at the scheduled time.
3. The Right Technique: The registered nurse who arrives at your home has been specially trained in administering your Sandostatin® LAR Depot (octreotide acetate for injectable suspension) dose. You can trust that he or she will use the appropriate technique when administering your dose, resulting in a more comfortable experience overall.
Your registered nurse will also be there to answer any questions or concerns that you may have about your treatment. He or she can also schedule your next appointment, report any active issues that may be of concern to your doctor, and confirm that you have received your dose, making your treatment program as seamless and convenient as possible.
Click here for answers to frequently asked questions about the Nurse Home Injection Program.
Program eligibility
The Nurse Home Injection Program is administered by BioScrip®, the company that coordinates this program on behalf of Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation. Eligibility can be determined by calling BioScrip® at 1-888-LAR-4759.
Currently, reimbursement for home injections is provided to members of most commercial plans (eg, HMO, PPO) who reside in the United States. Patients with government-provided medical insurance (eg, Medicare Parts B and D, or Medicaid) are not covered at this time.
- Patients residing in Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, or Rhode Island are not eligible for this program
Sandostatin® LAR Depot (octreotide acetate for injectable suspension) is indicated for long-term maintenance therapy in acromegalic patients who have had an inadequate response to surgery and/or radiotherapy, or for whom surgery and/or radiotherapy is not an option. The goal of treatment in acromegaly is to reduce GH and IGF-1 levels to normal.
Important Safety Information:
As with immediate release Sandostatin® Injection, the most frequently reported drug-related adverse events were biliary disorders (52%), gastrointestinal disorders (7% to 36%), and injection-site pain (2% to 11%). Hypoglycemia (2%), hyperglycemia (15%), and hypothyroidism (2%) have been reported. While not measured in acromegalic patients receiving Sandostatin® LAR Depot, ECG changes have been reported in patients receiving immediate release Sandostatin® Injection; the degree to which these abnormalities are related to octreotide acetate is not clear, as many acromegalics have cardiovascular disease. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
