Optimal Weight-Based Dosing of Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIG) among Overweight and Obese Patients

Abstract

Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), as an expensive medication under a national shortage, has been widely used for the treatment of several autoimmune diseases and immunodeficiency syndromes. Although conducting studies on therapeutic indications of IVIG has increased significantly, a limited number of researches have investigated individualized dosing in terms of the drug, disease state, and some patient-specific factors like obesity. The objective of the review was to describe the impact of various weight-based dosing regimens on the pharmacokinetics parameters, efficacy, safety, and cost of IVIG and to choose the best dosing approach for obese patients. Thirteen of the total 128 manuscripts collected, reviewed, and analyzed were found from Scopus, PubMed, and Google scholar. The evidence suggests that obesity may have an impact on IVIG pharmacokinetics, safety, and efficacy. The logical approach is to initial the dose based on the ideal or adjusted body weight and then modify the maintenance dose according to the patient's clinical response.