INJECTION ANSWERS
WHEN YOU NEED THEM

Find the information and resources to help manage your relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS) therapy from Teva Shared Solutions^® Digital Services.

Preparation tips for injecting Teva's COPAXONE^®:

Schedule an appointment with your healthcare provider for injection training. Even if you have used an injectable therapy before, you should be trained by a doctor or nurse before you inject COPAXONE^® for the first time.

Organize your supplies. Download the Teva Shared Solutions^® Digital Services Injection Guide for easy-to-reference materials you can print out to use when injecting at home or wherever is best for you. Start by placing each item you'll need on a clean, flat surface¹:

1 COPAXONE^® prefilled syringe
A warm compress (if you're using it)
An alcohol wipe
A dry cotton ball
A used-syringe disposal container

Before Injecting

When Injecting

After Injecting

Always wash your hands before injecting.¹
Remember—wait 20 minutes until your prefilled syringe has reached room temperature before injecting.¹
Some people find it helpful to use a warm compress before injecting.
Always use a cloth barrier between bare skin and the warm compress.
Do not use the warm compress in areas where sensation of temperature is impaired.
Alternatively, it may help to ice the site for 1 minute before cleaning the site and injecting.
Clean your injection site with an alcohol wipe, and make sure your skin is dry before injecting.¹

Rotation matters. It is extremely important to rotate your injection areas (and sites within each area) to help keep your skin as healthy as possible.¹

A diagram of the three injection sites located on the front of the body and a diagram of the four injection sites on the back of the body for COPAXONE® therapy.

There are 7 injection areas to rotate between. Be sure that you do not inject in the same place (site) more than 1 time each week.¹
Your doctor may be able to recommend other appropriate injection sites, if needed.
Avoid injecting into sites with birthmarks, tattoos, stretch marks and scars and/or other skin irregularities.^1,2
If there are particles in the syringe or the solution is cloudy, do not use it.¹ Report this event to the FDA by calling 1-800-FDA-1088 and to Teva by calling 888-TEVA-USA.
Never inject with a needle that has been dropped on the floor or has come in contact with any other surface. Start over with a new syringe.

Avoid hot showers or baths after you inject.
Do not massage the site immediately after injecting—this can damage underlying tissue. Wait at least 24 hours after injecting.²
Dispose of used syringes in a hard-walled plastic or disposable biohazard sharps container immediately after you inject.¹
If you miss a dose, take your COPAXONE^® as soon as you remember. If it is nearer to the time of your next scheduled dose, skip the missed dose and resume your usual dosing schedule.
If you have any questions about missing a dose, contact your healthcare provider for assistance.

Please read the Patient Information in the full Prescribing Information.

Training

Injection guide

Use

COPAXONE^® is a prescription medicine that is used to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), to include clinically isolated syndrome, relapsing-remitting disease, and active secondary progressive disease, in adults.

Important Safety Information

Do not use COPAXONE^® if you are allergic to glatiramer acetate or mannitol.

Serious side effects may happen right after or within minutes after you inject COPAXONE^® at any time during your course of treatment. Call your doctor right away if you have any of these immediate post-injection reaction symptoms including: redness to your cheeks or other parts of the body (flushing); chest pain; fast heart beat; anxiety; breathing problems or tightness in your throat; or swelling, rash, hives, or itching. If you have symptoms of an immediate post-injection reaction, do not give yourself more injections until a doctor tells you to.

You can have chest pain as part of an immediate post-injection reaction or by itself. This type of chest pain usually lasts a few minutes and can begin around 1 month after you start using COPAXONE^®. Call your doctor right away if you have chest pain while using COPAXONE^®.

Damage to the fatty tissue just under your skin’s surface (lipoatrophy) and, rarely, death of your skin tissue (necrosis) can happen when you use COPAXONE^®. Damage to the fatty tissue under your skin can cause a “dent” at the injection site that may not go away. You can reduce your chance of developing these problems by following your doctor’s instructions for how to use COPAXONE^® and choosing a different injection area each time you use COPAXONE^®.

Liver problems, including liver failure, can occur with COPAXONE^®. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have symptoms, such as nausea, loss of appetite, tiredness, dark colored urine and pale stools, yellowing of your skin or the white part of your eye, bleeding more easily than normal, confusion, or sleepiness.

The most common side effects of COPAXONE^® include redness, pain, swelling, itching, or a lump at the injection site; rash; shortness of breath; flushing; and chest pain.

Tell your doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away. These are not all the possible side effects of COPAXONE^®. For more information, ask your doctor or pharmacist. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects.

You are encouraged to report side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-10881-800-FDA-1088.

Please read the Patient Information in the full Prescribing Information.

References:

COPAXONE^® (glatiramer acetate injection) Current Prescribing Information Parsippany, NJ. Teva Neuroscience, Inc.
McEwan L, Brown J, Poirier J, et al. Best practices in skin care for the multiple sclerosis patient receiving injectable therapies. Int J MS Care. 2010;12(4):177-189. doi:10.7224/1537-2073-12.4.177

Injections for 3-times-a-week COPAXONE^® 40 mg must be at least 48 hours apart.

INJECTION ANSWERS WHEN YOU NEED THEM

Preparation tips for injecting Teva's COPAXONE®:

Before Injecting

When Injecting

After Injecting

INJECTION ANSWERS
WHEN YOU NEED THEM

Preparation tips for injecting Teva's COPAXONE^®: