What Caspofungin is
Caspofungin contains a medicine called caspofungin. This belongs to a group of
medicines called antifungals.
What Caspofungin is used for
Caspofungin is used to treat the following infections in children, adolescents and adults:
• serious fungal infections in your tissues or organs (called ‘invasive candidiasis’). This
infection is caused by fungal (yeast) cells called Candida. People who might get
this type of infection include those who have just had an operation or those whose
immune systems are weak. Fever and chills that do not respond to an antibiotic are the
most common signs of this type of infection.
• fungal infections in your nose, nasal sinuses or lungs (called ‘invasive aspergillosis’)
if other anti-fungal treatments have not worked or have caused side effects. This
infection is caused by a mould called Aspergillus. People who might get this type of
infection include those having chemotherapy, those who have had a transplant and
those whose immune systems are weak.
• suspected fungal infections if you have a fever and a low white cell count that have not
improved on treatment with an antibiotic. People who are at risk of getting a fungal
infection include those who have just had an operation or those whose immune
systems are weak.
How Caspofungin works
Caspofungin makes fungal cells fragile and stops the fungus from growing properly. This
stops the infection from spreading and gives the body’s natural defences a chance to
completely get rid of the infection.

Do not use Caspofungin
• if you are allergic to caspofungin or any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed
in section 6).
If you are not sure, talk to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist before you are given your
medicine.
Warnings and precautions
Talk to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist before you are given Caspofungin if:
• you are allergic to any other medicines
• you have ever had liver problems - you might need a different dose of this medicine
• you are already taking cyclosporin (used to help prevent organ transplant rejection or
to suppress your immune system) - as your doctor may need to run extra blood tests
during your treatment.
• if you have ever had any other medical problem.
If any of the above applies to you (or you are not sure), talk to your doctor, nurse or
pharmacist before you are given Caspofungin.
Caspofungin may also cause Serious Cutaneous Adverse Reactions such as Stevens-
Johnson Syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN).
Other medicines and Caspofungin
Please tell your doctor, nurse or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken
or might take any other medicines. This includes medicines obtained without a
prescription, including herbal medicines. This is because Caspofungin can affect the way
some other medicines work. Also some other medicines can affect the way Caspofungin
works.
Tell your doctor, nurse or pharmacist if you are taking any of the following medicines:
• cyclosporin or tacrolimus (used to help prevent organ transplant rejection or to
suppress your immune system) as your doctor may need to run extra blood tests
during your treatment
• some HIV medicines such as efavirenz or nevirapine
• phenytoin or carbamazepine (used for the treatment of seizures)
• dexamethasone (a steroid)
• rifampicin (an antibiotic).
If any of the above apply to you (or you are not sure), talk to your doctor, nurse or
pharmacist before you are given Caspofungin.
Pregnancy and breast-feeding
Ask your doctor for advice before taking any medicine, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding
or think you are pregnant.
• Caspofungin has not been studied in pregnant women. It should be used in
pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the
unborn baby.
• Women given Caspofungin should not breast-feed.
Driving and using machines
There is no information to suggest that Caspofungin affects your ability to drive or
operate machinery.

Caspofungin will always be prepared and given to you by a healthcare professional.
You will be given Caspofungin:
• once each day
• by slow injection into a vein (intravenous infusion)
• over about 1 hour.

Your doctor will determine the duration of your treatment and how much Caspofungin
you will be given each day. Your doctor will monitor how well the medicine works for
you. If you weigh more than 80 kg, you may need a
different dose.
Children and adolescents
The dose for children and adolescents may differ from the adult dose.
If you have been given more Caspofungin than you should
Your doctor will decide how much Caspofungin you need and for how long each day. If
you are worried that you may have been given too much Caspofungin, tell your doctor
or nurse straight away.
If you have any further questions on the use of this medicine, ask your doctor, nurse or
pharmacist.

Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets
them.
Tell your doctor or nurse straight away if you notice any of the following side
effects – you may need urgent medical treatment:
• rash, itching, feeling warm, swelling of your face, lips or throat or difficulty breathing -
you may be having a histamine reaction to the medicine.
• difficulty breathing with wheezing or a rash that gets worse - you may be having an
allergic reaction to the medicine.
• cough, serious breathing difficulties - if you are an adult and have invasive
aspergillosis you may be experiencing a serious respiratory problem that could result
in respiratory failure.
• rash, skin peeling, mucous membrane sores, hives, large areas of peeling skin.
As with any prescription medicine, some side effects may be serious. Ask your doctor for
more information.
Other side effects in adults include
Common: may affect up to 1 in 10 people:
• Decreased haemoglobin (decreased oxygen carrying substance in the blood),
decreased white blood cells
• Decreased blood albumin (a type of protein) in your blood, decreased potassium or
low potassium levels in the blood
• Headache
• Inflammation of the vein
• Shortness of breath
• Diarrhoea, nausea or vomiting
• Changes in some laboratory blood tests (including increased values of some liver
tests)
• Itching, rash, skin redness or sweating more than usual
• Joint pain
• Chills, fever
• Itching at the injection site.
Uncommon: may affect up to 1 in 100 people:
• Changes in some laboratory blood tests (including disease of blood clotting, platelets,
red blood cells and white blood cells)
• Loss of appetite, increase in amount of body fluid, imbalance of salt in the body, high
sugar level in the blood, low calcium level in the blood, increase calcium level in the
blood, low magnesium level in the blood, increase in acid level in the blood
• Disorientation, feeling nervous, being unable to sleep
• Feeling dizzy, decreased feeling or sensitivity (especially in the skin), shaking, feeling
sleepy, change in the way things taste, tingling or numbness
• Blurred vision, increase in tears, swollen eyelid, yellowing of the whites of the eyes
• Sensation of fast or irregular heart beats, rapid heart beat, irregular heart beat,
abnormal heart rhythm, heart failure
• Flushing, hot flush, high blood pressure, low blood pressure, redness along a vein
which is extremely tender when touched
• Tightening of the bands of muscle around the airways resulting in wheezing or
coughing, fast breathing rate, shortness of breath that wakes you up, shortage
of oxygen in the blood, abnormal breath sounds, crackling sounds in the lungs,
wheezing, nasal congestion, cough, throat pain
• Belly pain, upper belly pain, bloating, constipation, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth,
indigestion, passing gas, stomach discomfort, swelling due to build-up of fluid around
the belly
• Decreased flow of bile, enlarged liver, yellowing of the skin and/or whites of the eyes,
liver injury caused by a drug or chemical, liver disorder
• Abnormal skin tissue, generalised itching, hives, rash of varying appearance, abnormal
skin, red often itchy spots on your arms and legs and sometimes on the face and the
rest of the body
• Back pain, pain in an arm or leg, bone pain, muscle pain, muscle weakness
• Loss of kidney function, sudden loss of kidney function
• Catheter site pain, injection site complaints (redness, hard lump, pain, swelling,
irritation, rash, hives, leaking of fluid from the catheter into the tissue), inflammation
of vein at injection site
• Increased blood pressure and alterations in some laboratory blood tests (including
kidney electrolyte and clotting tests), increased levels of the medicines you are taking
that weaken the immune system
• Chest discomfort, chest pain, feeling of body temperature change, generally feeling
unwell, general pain, swelling of the face, swelling of the ankles, hands or feet,
swelling, tenderness, feeling tired.

Side effects in children and adolescents
Very common: may affect more than 1 in 10 people:
• Fever
Common: may affect up to 1 in 10 people:
• Headache
• Fast heart beat
• Flushing, low blood pressure
• Changes in some laboratory blood tests (increased values of some liver tests)
• Itching, rash
• Catheter site pain
• Chills
• Changes in some laboratory blood tests.

Reporting of side effects
If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist. This includes any
possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via
the Yellow Card Scheme, website at www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard.
By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this
medicine.

Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children.
Do not use this medicine after the expiry date which is stated on the carton and the vial
(the first two numbers are the month; the next four numbers are the year). The expiry
date refers to the last day of that month.
Store in a refrigerator (2°C to 8°C).
Once Caspofungin has been prepared, it should be used straight away. This is
because it does not contain any ingredients to stop the growth of bacteria. Only a
trained healthcare professional who has read the complete directions should prepare
the medicine (please see below “Instructions of how to reconstitute and dilute
Caspofungin”).
If not used immediately, the solution may be stored for up to 24 hours at 25°C or less or
for 48 hours when the intravenous infusion bag (bottle) is stored refrigerated (2 to 8°C)
and diluted with sodium chloride solution 9 mg/ml
(0.9 %), 4.5 mg/ml (0.45 %), or 2.25 mg/ml (0.225 %) for infusion, or lactated Ringer’s
solution. If not used immediately, in use storage times and conditions prior to use are
the responsibility of the user and would normally not be longer than
24 hours at 2 to 8°C, unless reconstitution and dilution have taken place in controlled
validated aseptic conditions.
Do not use the solution if you notice any signs of discolouration or suspended particles.
Do not throw away any medicines via wastewater or household waste. Ask your
pharmacist how to throw away medicines you no longer use. These measures will help
to protect the environment.