Switch (forced) from Peg to Besremi?

[Solyesh]

So it would appear that there is a scarcity of Peg - went to pharmacy today and was told that they have not had Peg in a number of weeks and that they are not sure when they might be receiving more. It is a system wide problem (not available anywhere even a 5-6 hour drive). Reached out to my MPN specialist, who said he was aware of the problem, that Besremi is readily available and he is already working on the paperwork to make the switch if needed (I have three weeks (2 shots) of Peg left at home)...he is confident that the switch would be no problem and would plan on starting me at the same dosage (the 90mcg of Peg has been working quite well)..

I know a number of you have made this switch..any thing to note?

Thanks!

[hunter5582]

I have not heard of any shortages of Pegasys here in the USA. Perhaps it is a local issue in some places. I made the switch from Pegays to Besremi at my request. I did not find any significant difference in efficacy or side effects. Some have noted some differences in side effects, however.

In addition to being every two weeks, Besremi dose titration when switching is not 1:1. The conversions formula recommended by Ruben Mesa is noted on this slide. Note that this is just an estimate of the dose you will need. Fine tuning the dose requires monitoring after you make the switch.

PEG > BES Conversion

[Solyesh in reply to hunter5582]

Hunter - thanks! Yes my MPN specialist said he would not anticipate any difficulties but we will monitor if I make the switch. Thank you for the conversion table. I know my specialist knows Dr. Mesa so quite helpful!

[Aldebaran25]

Hi! I made the switch from Peg to Besremi at the end of April. I have taken three doses of Bes so far, one every two weeks. No problems to report and actually, Besremi seems to be working better. I was on 135 mcg Peg every two weeks, needing a couple of venesections lately, but since starting Besremi my haematocrit is nicely under control. The first dose of Bes I took was 100mcg, but then it was dropped to 50 mcg as the hct went a bit low (38%). Now I am at 40%. Docs are happy and so am I