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Introducing the NEW button-free Metoject^® PEN

Offering the simplicity of a button-free autoinjector, purpose designed with patient-friendly features – Available from March 2024

Learn more about the new Metoject^® PEN

Metoject^® PEN For Dermatology

Metoject^® PEN is used to treat moderate to severe psoriasis and severe psoriatic arthritis in adults.¹

Considered as the ‘gold-standard’ by dermatologists, methotrexate is one of the most commonly prescribed drugs for the treatment of psoriasis.¹¹ Subcutaneous methotrexate can improve symptoms and quality of life for psoriasis patients.¹²

METOJECT^® PEN
Prescribing Information

Why use Metoject^® PEN to Treat Psoriasis?

Clinical research has shown several benefits of Metoject^® PEN and subcutaneous methotrexate administration, including:

Greater
Bioavailability

The bioavailability of subcutaneous methotrexate is higher compared to oral methotrexate.^1,3

In dosages between 7.5mg/m²and 80mg/m² body surface area, the bioavailability of subcutaneous methotrexate is nearly 100%, while the mean bioavailability of methotrexate absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract is approx. 70% with considerable inter- and intra-individual deviations.

Subcutaneous administration of methotrexate with Metoject^® PEN resulted in a higher relative bioavailability compared to oral administration of methotrexate after single doses of 7.5mg, 15mg, 22.5mg, and 30mg.

Faster Onset
of Response

More patients achieve a faster onset of response on subcutaneous (vs. oral) methotrexate.¹³

A study compared the clinical outcomes of oral vs. subcutaneous methotrexate in patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis. By week 12, more patients reached PASI 50 with subcutaneous treatment than with oral. In patients with severe psoriasis, 82% (N = 51) patients reached PASI 50 in the subcutaneous group compared with 59% (N = 17) in the oral group.

Stable Long-Term
Response

More patients achieved a stable long-term response on subcutaneous dosing of methotrexate compared to oral.^12,13

A recent study shows that when treating moderate to severe psoriasis, the total PASI 90 response rate at 52 weeks of treatment with subcutaneous methotrexate was 29.3%, while the total PASI 90 response rate at 52 weeks of treatment with oral methotrexate was 16%.¹³ This PASI 90 response rate of 29.3% was similar to the PASI 90 response rate of 27% observed at week 52 in the METOP study.

Improved
GI Tolerability

Patients suffer less frequent and less intense GI discomfort with subcutaneous administration. ⁴

A survey compared the frequency and intensity of nausea and frequency of gastrointestinal discomfort in rheumatoid arthritis patients treated with either oral or subcutaneous methotrexate. The results demonstrate that changing methotrexate dosing from oral to subcutaneous significantly reduced gastrointestinal adverse events.

Greater
Adherence

Metoject^® PEN Support Materials & Information

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Side Effects

Although subcutaneous (vs. oral) methotrexate is more tolerable, very common side effects include¹:

Stomatitis
Dyspepsia
Nausea
Loss of appetite
Abdominal pain
Abnormal liver function tests

Reporting Side Effects

Adverse events should be reported using the forms and information found at yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk

Please also report any adverse events by email to medac drug safety at drugsafety@medac.de

Further Information & Questions

Visit our contact page to submit an enquiry

References:

Metoject® Summary of Product Characteristics. [online] Available at: https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/search?q=metoject#gref/. Last Accessed May 2023
Müller, R.B. et al. (2015). Effectiveness, tolerability, and safety of subcutaneous methotrexate in early rheumatoid arthritis: A retrospective analysis of real-world data from the St. Gallen cohort. Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism, 45(1), pp.28–34.
Pichlmeier, U., & Heuer, K. U. (2014). Subcutaneous administration of methotrexate with a prefilled autoinjector pen results in a higher relative bioavailability compared with oral administration of methotrexate. Clinical and experimental rheumatology, 32(4), 563–571.
Kromann, C.B. et al. (2014). Does switching from oral to subcutaneous administration of methotrexate influence on patient reported gastro-intestinal adverse effects? Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 26(2), pp.188–190.
EU Council Directive 2010/32/EU on the prevention of sharps injuries in the hospital and healthcare sector
Latex data on file
Braun, J. et al. (2008). Comparison of the clinical efficacy and safety of subcutaneous versus oral administration of methotrexate in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis: results of a six-month, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, controlled, phase IV trial. Arthritis and rheumatism, 58(1), 73–81.
Methotrexate and its use in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). [online] Available at: https://nras.org.uk/resource/methotrexate/. Last Accessed May 2023.
Johnson, T.M. et al. (2021). Investigating changes in disease activity as a mediator of cardiovascular risk reduction with methotrexate use in rheumatoid arthritis. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, [online] 80(11), pp.1385–1392.
O’Connor, A. et al. (2016). The rapid kinetics of optimal treatment with subcutaneous methotrexate in early inflammatory arthritis: an observational study. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 17(1).
Kanwar, A., Yadav, S. and Dogra, S. (2010). Psoriasis: What is new in nonbiologic systemic therapy in the era of biologics? Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology, and Leprology, 76(6), p.622.
Warren, R.B. et al. (2017). An intensified dosing schedule of subcutaneous methotrexate in patients with moderate to severe plaque-type psoriasis (METOP): a 52 week, multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial. The Lancet, 389(10068), pp.528–537.
Reich, K. et al. (2020). The value of subcutaneous vs. oral methotrexate: real‐world data from the German psoriasis registry PsoBest. British Journal of Dermatology, 184(4), pp.765–767.
Generali, E. et al. (2021). Non-adherence and discontinuation rate for oral and parenteral methotrexate: A retrospective-cohort study in 8,952 patients with psoriatic arthritis. Journal of Translational Autoimmunity, 4, p.100113.

Contact Us

For more information, please contact medac Pharma:

Tel: +44 (0)1786 458086
Email: info@medacpharma.co.uk
Web: medacpharma.co.uk

medac Pharma LLP
Scion House
Stirling University Innovation Park
Stirling
FK9 4NF

medacuk017/03/2023

March 2023

Metoject® PEN For Dermatology

Why use Metoject® PEN to Treat Psoriasis?

Metoject® PEN Support Materials & Information