What is ABECMA? ABECMA (idecabtagene vicleucel) is a prescription medicine for the treatment of multiple myeloma in patients who have received at least three kinds of treatment regimens that have not worked or have stopped working. ABECMA is a medicine made from your own white blood cells; the cells are genetically modified to recognize and attack your multiple myeloma cells.

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  • Receiving ABECMA®

What to expect during the ABECMA treatment process

Overview of the 3 steps to treatment

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Step 1: Before treatment

Blood collection (apheresis):

Your T cells will be collected through a process called apheresis
(sometimes called leukapheresis).

  • Your blood is drawn and the components separated into groups. Your T cells are collected and other parts of your blood are returned back into your body
  • Apheresis can be done on day 1 as an outpatient, and usually takes 2 to 6 hours

Time: 2-6 hours

Location: Certified treatment or apheresis center

CAR T cell creation:

After your T cells are collected, they are sent to a specialized manufacturing laboratory.

  • At the laboratory, “hooks” called CARs are added to your T cells to make the ABECMA CAR T cells that are unique to you
  • After your ABECMA CAR T cells are made, they are multiplied to make more multiple myeloma-fighting cells. This takes about 4 weeks

Time: About 4 weeks (time may vary)

Location: Specialized manufacturing laboratory

There is a risk that the manufacturing process may not work. In an ABECMA clinical study, 6 out of 249 people were impacted.
Talk with your doctor for more information.

Pre-infusion treatment:

  • Before your infusion, you’ll receive a 3-day short course of chemotherapy to help prepare
    your body for ABECMA
  • While your CAR T cells are being made, you may receive other treatments for the multiple myeloma

Time: 3 days of short-course chemotherapy

Location: Treatment is given at the center by appointment

Step 2: Treatment day

One-time ABECMA infusion:

You will receive your one-time ABECMA infusion at a certified treatment center from your trained healthcare team.

  • Your dose of ABECMA may be given in 1 or more infusion bags
  • Your infusion usually takes up to 30 minutes for each infusion bag

Time: Up to 30 minutes per infusion bag (1 or more)

Location: Certified treatment center (day 1 of 1-week hospital stay)

Step 3: After treatment

Initial monitoring:

In the weeks following your ABECMA infusion, you will be monitored for side effects.

For the first 7 days after treatment

Monitoring at the treatment center

  • You will stay at the certified treatment center where you got your treatment for at least 7 days after
    the infusion to be monitored for side effects

During weeks 2 to 4

  • You should plan to stay within 2 hours of the certified treatment center for at least 4 weeks after receiving ABECMA. Your caregiver will keep an eye on how you’re doing and will check and record your temperature at least 3 times a day

Long-term follow up:

After at least 4 weeks of monitoring

Monitor for side effects and tell your doctor right away if you feel symptoms of cytokine release syndrome or neurologic toxicity

  • Do not drive, operate heavy machinery, or do other activities that could be dangerous if you are not mentally alert for at least 8 weeks after you receive ABECMA

Learn How ABECMA Works

Watch for a helpful overview of the ABECMA
treatment process

Start video: How Your ABECMA® (idecabtagene vicleucel) Is Made that provides an overview of the ABECMA® treatment process including blood collection, manufacturing, and infusion

You will not require any additional treatment* while
responding to your one-time infusion of ABECMA

*Regular check-ins with your healthcare team are still needed.

CAR=chimeric antigen receptor.

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Important Facts About ABECMA®

(idecabtagene vicleucel)

This is a summary of important information that you need to know about ABECMA. Your healthcare team can work with you to help answer any questions you may have about this medication. Keep this document in a safe place, so you can refer to it before and during your treatment.

Look out for the following
icons as you read:

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healthcare team

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Helpful information
to remember

What is ABECMA?

ABECMA is a prescription medicine used to treat adults with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (MM), when:

you have tried two or more kinds of treatments that have not worked or have stopped working, AND

you have received at least one therapy from each of these drug classes:

  • an immunomodulatory agent
  • a proteasome inhibitor
  • an anti CD38-antibody

WARNING: RISK OF SERIOUS SIDE EFFECTS

ABECMA may cause side effects that are life-threatening and can lead to death, including risk of cytokine release syndrome (CRS), neurologic toxicity, infections, low blood cell counts (cytopenia), and certain types of blood cancers.

Call your healthcare provider or get emergency help right away if you experience any of the following symptoms:

  • trouble breathing
  • fever (100.4°F/38°C or higher)
  • chills or shivering
  •  
  • confusion
  • feeling dizzy or lightheaded
  • shaking or twitching (tremor)
  • fast or irregular heartbeat
  • feeling severely tired or weak
  • severe nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea

Because of the risk of serious side effects, your healthcare provider will give you an ABECMA Patient Wallet Card that describes symptoms to look out for that require emergency medical care right away. It’s important that you tell your healthcare providers that you have received ABECMA and to show them your ABECMA Patient Wallet Card. Your healthcare provider may give you other medicines to treat your side effects.

How will I receive ABECMA?

ABECMA is a CAR (chimeric antigen receptor) T-cell therapy. It is a prescription medicine made using your own white blood cells. These white blood cells have been changed (genetically modified) to find and attack your multiple myeloma cells. ABECMA is given as an intravenous (IV) infusion.

Before receiving your ABECMA infusion:

Your blood cells will be collected by a process called leukapheresis (LOO-kuh-feh-REE-sis), sometimes called apheresis.

Your blood cells will be sent to a manufacturing site to make your ABECMA. Based on clinical trial experience, your ABECMA will be ready to be shipped back to your healthcare provider about 4 weeks after your cells are received at the manufacturing site, but the time may vary.

Your healthcare provider will give you 3 days of chemotherapy to prepare your body before receiving your ABECMA treatment.

On the day of your ABECMA infusion:

You will receive ABECMA through a tube (catheter) placed into your vein (intravenous infusion). Your dose of ABECMA may be given in one or more infusion bags. Each infusion bag usually takes up to 30 min.

After receiving your ABECMA infusion:

For at least 1 week (7 days) after receiving ABECMA, you will stay at the facility where you received your treatment and be monitored daily.

For 4 weeks after receiving ABECMA, you should plan to stay close (within 2 hours) to the facility where you received your treatment. During this time, your healthcare provider will check to see that your treatment is working and help you with any side effects that may occur.

What should I avoid after receiving ABECMA?

Do not drive, operate heavy machinery, or do any other activity that could be dangerous if you are not mentally alert, for at least 8 weeks after you get ABECMA. This is because ABECMA may affect your ability to be mentally alert in the following ways:

  • temporary memory and coordination problems
  • sleepiness
  • dizziness
  • confusion
  • seizures

Do not donate blood, organs, tissues, or cells for transplantation.

What are the possible or reasonably likely side effects of ABECMA?

Serious side effects

ABECMA can increase the risk of serious side effects. A serious side effect is a side effect that is severe or life-threatening and can lead to death. The serious side effects of ABECMA include, but are not limited to:

Early deaths. In a clinical study comparing ABECMA to standard treatments, a higher proportion of people died in the first 9 months from when they were assigned to receive ABECMA compared to people assigned to receive standard treatments. The higher rate of early death was seen before people received ABECMA, and the main reason was that their multiple myeloma had gotten worse. There was also an increase in the rate of death from side effects after receiving ABECMA.

Cytokine release syndrome (CRS). ABECMA can increase the risk of CRS, a very common side effect which can be severe or fatal. CRS happens when the immune system responds to an infection or a drug more aggressively than it should. Symptoms to look out for include:

  • fever (100.4°F/38°C or higher)
  • trouble breathing
  • dizziness or lightheadedness
  • nausea
  • headache
  • fast heartbeat
  • low blood pressure
  • feeling tired or weak

Infections. ABECMA can increase the risk of life-threatening infections that may lead to death. Symptoms to look out for include:

  • fever (100.4°F/38°C or higher)
  • chills
  • any other signs or symptoms of an infection

Low blood cell counts (cytopenia). ABECMA can lower the amount of one or more types of your blood cells (red blood cells, white blood cells, or platelets), which may make you feel weak or tired, and could increase your risk of severe infection or bleeding. After treatment, your healthcare provider will test your blood to check for this. Symptoms to look out for include:

  • fever (100.4°F/38°C or higher)
  • feeling weak or tired
  • bruising
  • bleeding

Other (secondary) blood cancers. ABECMA may increase your risk of getting certain types of cancers, including certain types of blood cancers. You may hear your healthcare provider call these "secondary hematological malignancies."

Your healthcare provider should monitor you for any signs of secondary cancers.

ABECMA may cause a false-positive HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) test result by some commercial tests.

Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms after receiving ABECMA. Remember to bring and show your ABECMA Patient Wallet Card to any healthcare provider who treats you.

Most common side effects

The most common side effects of ABECMA include:

  • feeling tired or weak
  • fever (100.4°F/38°C or higher)
  • chills or shivering
  • severe nausea or diarrhea
  • decreased appetite
  • headache
  • dizziness or lightheadedness
  • confusion
  • trouble speaking or slurred speech
  • cough
  • trouble breathing
  • fast or irregular heartbeat

These are not all of the possible side effects of ABECMA.

Talk to your healthcare team for medical advice about side effects. You are encouraged to report side effects to Bristol Myers Squibb at ABECMA.com or by calling 1-888-805-4555, or to the FDA by calling 1-800-FDA-1088.

For more information, please see the U.S. Full Prescribing Information, including Boxed WARNINGS, and Medication Guide for ABECMA. Talk to your healthcare provider for more information about this medication.