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Understanding Hereditary Angioedema

Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is a rare, potentially life-threatening genetic disorder caused by the deficiency of C1 esterase inhibitor, a protein in the blood that helps prevent swelling. Common HAE symptoms include intense, sometimes painful attacks of swelling in any part of your body, but typically in the extremities (hands, feet, arms, and legs), abdomen, face, genital area, or throat. These attacks can happen without warning and can last for days.

Causes and Symptoms of HAE

Learning about your condition is an important aspect of living with hereditary angioedema.

HAE is an inherited disorder. If you have a parent with HAE, you have a 50% chance of developing it. However, 25% of all HAE patients have no family history of the disease. HAE affects approximately 6,000 people in the US, including men and women of all races.

My mother has it, her father had it,
my uncle has it, and his son has it. My children have a 50/50 shot at having it.

Jason

Husband and father living with HAE

HAE attacks can affect people in vastly different ways. Some people suffer attacks once or twice a year; others may suffer up to three attacks a week. Attacks vary but may include: extremity swelling (ie, arms and legs), abdominal swelling, facial swelling, urogenital swelling, and/or life-threatening swelling of the throat. Read more about the symptoms of HAE.

Types of Hereditary Angioedema

There are 2 types of HAE:

Type I HAE is caused by low levels of functioning C1 esterase inhibitor (ranging from undetectable levels to around 30% of normal levels in some people with HAE). About 85% of people with HAE have type I
Type II HAE is caused by dysfunctional C1 esterase inhibitor in the body. About 15% of people with HAE have type II

CINRYZE^® (C1 esterase inhibitor [human]) is effective in addressing both types of HAE. Learn more about this therapy.

HAE Family Tree Facebook App

Build an HAE Family Tree on Facebook and learn more about your HAE family history.

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Share Your HAE Knowledge

Spread awareness and help family and friends better understand HAE with the HAE Awareness Kit.

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Next: Living With HAE

Indication
CINRYZE^® (C1 esterase inhibitor [human]) is an injectable medicine that is used to help prevent swelling and/or painful attacks in teenagers and adults with Hereditary Angioedema (HAE).

Important Risk Information
You should not use CINRYZE if you have had life-threatening immediate hypersensitivity reactions, including anaphylaxis to the product.

Tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditions, including if you:

Are pregnant or planning to become pregnant. It is not known if CINRYZE can harm your unborn baby.
Are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if CINRYZE passes into your milk and if it can harm your baby.
Have a history of blood clotting problems. Very high doses of C1 esterase inhibitor could increase the risk of blood clots.

Tell your healthcare provider and pharmacist about all of the medicines you take, including all prescription and non-prescription medicines such as over-the-counter medicines, supplements, or herbal remedies.

Allergic reactions may occur with CINRYZE. Call your healthcare provider or get emergency support services right away if you have any of the following symptoms:

wheezing
difficulty breathing
chest tightness
turning blue (look at lips and gums)
fast heartbeat
swelling of the face
faintness
rash
hives

Because CINRYZE is made from human blood, it may carry a risk of transmitting infectious agents, e.g., viruses and, theoretically, the Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) agent.

The most common side effects seen with CINRYZE were headache, nausea, rash, and vomiting. These are not all the possible side effects of CINRYZE. Tell your healthcare provider about any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away. You can also report side effects to ViroPharma Medical Information at (866) 331-5637 or the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Medicines are sometimes prescribed for purposes other than those listed here. Do not use CINRYZE for a condition for which it is not prescribed. Do not share CINRYZE with other people, even if they have the same symptoms that you have.

Before starting CINRYZE, please read the accompanying Patient Information carefully and each time you get a refill. This information does not take the place of talking with your healthcare provider, and it does not include all of the important information about CINRYZE. If you have questions after reading this, ask your healthcare provider.

Please see the accompanying Full Prescribing Information.

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CINRYZE, CINRYZESolutions, ACCESS MADE EASY, RYZE ABOVE, PATH TO INDEPENDENCE, CINRYZEConnect, and associated logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of ViroPharma Biologics, Inc. VIROPHARMA and the ViroPharma logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of ViroPharma Incorporated. Mix2Vial^® is a registered trademark of Medimop Medical Projects, Ltd. in the United States and other jurisdictions.

DD106710/2012

The CINRYZEConnect™ Program Participation Agreement

Participation in the CINRYZEConnect Program is completely voluntary, such that no compensation, reimbursement, or other consideration is provided by ViroPharma for participation.

ViroPharma has created the CINRYZEConnect Program for people living with hereditary angioedema (HAE), enabling them to communicate with one another and share their experiences. ViroPharma makes the initial contact possible, but after the introduction ViroPharma has no involvement with conversations between mentors and mentees.

Mentors in this program are not trained by ViroPharma. All participants acknowledge that mentors are not representatives of ViroPharma, nor do they speak on behalf of ViroPharma.

Mentors are not physicians or medical experts. Mentors are people who have been prescribed CINRYZE^® (C1 esterase inhibitor [human]). CINRYZE is an injectable medicine that is used to help prevent swelling and/or painful attacks in teenagers and adults with HAE. Though mentors may answer questions about living with HAE, they are not qualified to give medical advice.

All conversations are between mentors and mentees. ViroPharma would hope these conversations remain confidential. However, due to ViroPharma’s limited involvement of only making initial contact possible, ViroPharma does not and cannot guarantee such confidentiality. Conversations will not be tracked or recorded by ViroPharma. Conversation topics are decided by the mentor and mentee.

By selecting "Agree" to this Participation Agreement and then electronically signing and submitting the Authorization Form, I elect to participate in the CINRYZEConnect Program. I acknowledge that my participation in this program is completely voluntary. In addition, I acknowledge that, as a participant in the program, I am providing ViroPharma Incorporated ("ViroPharma") with certain personal medical information, which includes among other things (i) my name, (ii) my mailing and email address, (iii) my date of birth, (iv) whether I have been diagnosed with hereditary angioedema ("HAE"), and (v) which (if any) medications I am taking to treat HAE (optional).

ViroPharma is committed to maintaining the privacy and security of personal information and will protect the information that you provide pursuant to this authorization in accordance with its policies and procedures.

Important Risk Information
You should not use CINRYZE if you have had life-threatening immediate hypersensitivity reactions, including anaphylaxis to the product.

Read the Full Prescribing Information

I authorize ViroPharma and its partners to contact me, assign a mentor for me, and provide me with the mentor’s contact information. I authorize ViroPharma to use my medical information to send me promotional materials related to CINRYZE^® (C1 esterase inhibitor [human]) and the CINRYZESolutions^® Programs.

I understand that I may cancel this authorization at any time by mailing a letter requesting such cancellation to ViroPharma Incorporated, 730 Stockton Drive, Exton, PA 19341, but that this cancellation will not apply to any information already used or disclosed through this authorization.

Upon selecting "Agree" you will be taken to the Authorization Form to complete the sign-up process.