Managing Multiple Sclerosis With Kesimpta: What You Need to Know

Medically Reviewed by Michelle Vermeulen, PharmD on September 12, 2024
Written by WebMD Editorial Contributors
9 min read

Kesimpta is a medicine used to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Relapsing forms of MS include clinically isolated syndrome, relapsing-remitting MS, and active secondary progressive MS.  Relapsing forms of MS have temporary periods where symptoms worsen, followed by periods of improvement.

Kesimpta targets a part of your immune system known as B cells. These B cells are important in relapsing MS because they attack the protective covering in your central nervous system. This covering is known as myelin. Kesimpta can help prevent MS relapses and progression of MS by stopping B cells from attacking myelin.

Kesimpta is a subcutaneous injection that you can give to yourself at home. It is available as a prefilled syringe or as a Sensoready pen. Subcutaneous injections are given just below the skin. A caregiver can also give you the injection. Your health care provider will give you instructions and teach you how to give yourself the injection. Make sure you or your caregiver knows how to give the injection. 

Your health care provider will teach you how to prepare and inject Kesimpta the right way before you use it for the first dose. Use Kesimpta exactly as your health care provider tells you to. Instructions on how to give the injection are included below.

You can give this injection to yourself or have a caregiver give you the injection. Do not inject into areas of the skin that are tender, bruised red, scaly, or hard. Do not inject Kesimpta into areas where there are moles, scars, or stretch marks. 

You will give yourself the injection every week for three doses (weeks 0, 1, and 2). Then you will skip a week (week 3). When you start giving yourself the injections again (week 4), you will give them to yourself once every month. 

If you miss an injection of Kesimpta while you are on the monthly schedule, take it as soon as you remember and then take the next dose 1 month later. If you miss a dose while you are on the weekly schedule, contact your health care provider. 

Do not remove the cap until you are ready to inject the dose. Below is a list of things you will need to get ready for the injection. These items are not included in the Sensoready packaging, so you may have to purchase them separately. 

  • An alcohol wipe
  • A cotton ball or gauze
  • A sharps disposal container

You should take the Sensoready pen out of the refrigerator 15 to 30 minutes before you inject it so that it can warm up to room temperature.

Here are the steps to preparing and using the Kesimpta Sensoready pen.

  1. Look at the liquid through the viewing window on the pen to make sure it is safe to use. It should be clear to slightly cloudy. Do not use the pen if the liquid seems to have something floating in or is cloudy. Check the expiration date. Do not use the pen if it has passed the expiration date on the pen. 
  2. Decide where you want to inject Kesimpta. The front of the thighs is the area that is recommended. You can also use the lower stomach, if it is 2 inches or more from your belly button.  If a caregiver is giving you the injection, they can give it in the outer part of the upper arm. 
  3. Wash your hands with soap and water. Clean the area where you will give yourself the injection with the alcohol wipe. Move the alcohol wipe in circles when cleaning. Let the area dry completely and do not touch the area again before giving the dose. 
  4. Remove the cap to the Sensoready pen. To open, twist the cap. Throw the cap away. You must use the Sensoready pen within 5 minutes of removing the cap. If a few drops of medicine come out of the pen, this is normal.
  5. Hold the Sensoready pen at a 90-degree angle, which is straight up and down on top of the area where you will inject the medicine.
  6. Press the Sensoready pen against the skin and hold it tightly until the green line fills the window and stops moving. You will hear two clicks. The first click means the injection has started. The second click means the injection is almost complete. 
  7. When the green indicator line stops moving, you can remove the pen from the skin. If the green line does not fill the entire window of the pen or if it cannot be seen at all, contact your health care provider. This may mean that the dose was not delivered.

Put the used Sensoready device in an FDA-approved sharps disposal container right away after use. Do not put it in the household trash container. If you do not have an FDA-approved sharps disposal container, you can use the following types of containers:

  • One that is made of heavy-duty plastic
  • One that can be closed with a tight-fitting, puncture-resistant lid so that the needles cannot come out
  • One that is upright and stable
  • One that is leak resistant
  • One that contains a warning label that hazardous waste is inside. 

Keep the sharps container out of reach of children.

Do not use the Kesimpta prefilled syringe if any of the seals on the package are broken. 

The syringe has a needle guard to prevent injuries. Do not use if the prefilled syringe has been dropped on a hard surface or was dropped after removing the needle cap. 

Do not remove the cap until you are ready to inject the dose. Below is a list of things you will need to get ready for the injection. These items are not included in the Sensoready packaging, so you may have to purchase them separately. 

  • An alcohol wipe
  • A cotton ball or gauze
  • A sharps disposal container

Here are the steps to preparing and giving your Kesimpta prefilled syringe.

  1. Find a clean, flat work area that has good lighting. Remove the package with the Kesimpta prefilled syringe from the refrigerator and let it warm up to room temperature for 15 to 30 minutes.
  2. Wash your hands with soap and water.
  3. Remove the Kesimpta prefilled syringe from the package. Do not touch the plunger. 
  4. Look through the viewing window and make sure that the liquid is clear to slightly cloudy. Do not use if the liquid has particles or is cloudy.
  5. Do not use the syringe if it is broken or if the expiration date has passed. Instead, return it to the pharmacy in the package that it came in.
  6. Clean the area where the injection will be given with the alcohol wipe using a circular motion. Let the area dry before giving the injection. Do not touch the area once it has been cleaned. 
  7. Remove the needle cap and throw it away. You may see a drop of liquid after taking off the cap. This is normal.
  8. With one hand, pinch the skin in the area where you will give yourself the injection. With the other hand, push the needle into your skin at a 45-degree angle. Push the needle all the way in. Hold the prefilled syringe using the finger grips. Slowly push down the plunger as far as it will go and then hold for 5 more seconds. 
  9. Slowly release the plunger until the needle is covered. Remove the syringe from the area where it was injected. If you see a small amount of blood, this is normal. Press down and hold with a cotton ball or gauze for 10 seconds. 
  10. Place the Kesimpta prefilled syringe into an FDA-cleared sharps disposal container right away after use. Do not put it in the household trash container. If you do not have an FDA-approved sharps disposal container, you can use the following types of containers:
    • One that is made of heavy-duty plastic
    • One that can be closed with a tight-fitting, puncture-resistant lid so that the needles cannot come out
    • One that is upright and stable
    • One that is leak resistant
    • One that contains a warning label that hazardous waste is inside

Two studies known as ASCLEPIOS I and II compared Kesimpta to teriflunomide, another treatment for MS. The studies included almost 2,000 people 18 to 55 years of age. Everyone had a diagnosis of relapsing-remitting MS and had experienced at least one relapse in the past 1 or 2 years or had brain lesions on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) within the last year. A brain lesion is an area of tissue that has been damaged due to injury or disease. A score of 0 to 5.5 on the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) was also required. The EDSS is a tool for measuring and monitoring changes in disability in people with MS.

People in the studies received either Kesimpta as a subcutaneous injection or teriflunomide as an oral medicine. The first three doses of Kesimpta were given on days 1, 7, and 14, and then the schedule was changed to monthly. The dose of teriflunomide was 14 milligrams daily. People who were given  Kesimpta also received an oral placebo (a fake treatment that contains no medicine), and people who were given teriflunomide received placebo injections on the same schedule as Kesimpta.

The studies measured the annualized relapse rate (ARR), which is the average number of relapses per year. Kesimpta reduced the risk of relapse more than teriflunomide after nearly 2 years of follow up.  

 

ASCLEPIOS I

ASCLEPIOS II

Kesimpta

Teriflunomide

Kesimpta

Teriflunomide

ARR

0.11

0.22

0.10

0.25

The studies also looked at how many patients had their disability get worse over time. People treated with Kesimpta were less likely to have their disability get worse over time than people treated with teriflunomide. There was no difference between the two medicines in terms of the number of people whose disability improved over time.

 

ASCLEPIOS I and II

Kesimpta

Teriflunomide

% of patients whose disability got worse at 3 months

10.9%

15%

% of patients whose disability got worse at 6 months

8.1%

12.0%

The people who were taking Kesimpta in these trials had more injection-related reactions than those who were taking teriflunomide. The people who were taking Kesimpta also had slightly more serious infections than those who were taking the teriflunomide.

Your results may differ from what was seen in clinical studies.

Make sure your health care provider is aware of all your current or past health conditions.

You should not take Kesimpta if you have or have had a hepatitis B infection or have had a serious allergic or injection-related reactions to Kesimpta.

You should not start Kesimpta treatment within 4 weeks of a live vaccine or within 2 weeks of other vaccines.

The most common side effects seen with Kesimpta are upper respiratory tract infection (an infection in the nose or throat, sore throat, or common cold symptoms), headache, injection-related reactions, and injection-site reactions. 

Injection-site reactions can happen within 24 hours after the first injection. These are usually mild to moderate and can include redness of the skin or swelling, itching, and pain in the area where the injection was given. Talk to your health care provider if you experience these symptoms.

Other side effects related to the injection, called injection-related reactions,  can happen up to 24 hours after the injection was given. You should notify your health care provider right away if you have any of the following:

  • Fever or chills
  • Headache
  • Flu-like symptoms
  • Fast heartbeat
  • Dizziness or feeling faint
  • Tongue or throat swelling
  • Trouble breathing
  • Wheezing
  • Nausea or stomach pain
  • Throat irritation
  • Redness of the skin
  • Hives or itchy skin

You may be more likely to get infections during treatment with Kesimpta. Washing your hands regularly and avoiding people who are sick can help prevent the risk for infection. Be sure you are up to date on vaccinations before starting Kesimpta. Contact your health care provider if you have signs of an infection such as fever, chills, a cough that does not go away, or painful urination. Your health care provider may stop treatment until the infection is gone. 

There is a patient support program that may help you afford Kesimpta. You may have options even if you do not have health insurance. Your health care provider will help you get started. For questions or more information, you can contact the drugmaker at 855-537-4678 or visit www.kesimpta.com/savings-and-support/financial-resources.