Cumberland to expand availability of Caldolor to treat high fevers associated with COVID-19

Cumberland, a specialty pharmaceutical company, announced a national initiative to support hospitals and clinics that use Caldolor (ibuprofen) injection for the treatment of patients with fever, severe hyperthermia and other symptoms associated with COVID-19 infections.

Cumberland’s initiative includes the availability of special supply and financial arrangements, including favorable pricing and payment terms for hospitals and clinics to help ensure timely access to Caldolor during this healthcare crisis. 

“Reducing a very high fever can be particularly important in certain patients infected by COVID-19 and we are removing logistical and financial obstacles that might stand in the way of quickly getting health care providers a very effective, fast-acting and safe fever-reducing drug. We stand ready to take further actions required to assure that medical providers have access to an uninterrupted supply of this critical medication,” said Cumberland CEO A.J. Kazimi.

Because of the potential dangers of a high fever, recent guidelines from the Society of Critical Care Medicine suggest that clinicians consider using pharmacologic agents for controlling fever in COIVD-19 patients.  High core body temperatures exceeding 101.3°F are associated with an increased incidence of convulsions, especially in children. Delirium can occur with temperatures between 103.1°F and 104.0°F, and coma with temperatures above 107.6°F. 

Eighty-eight percent of the patients in Wuhan, China infected with COVID-19 developed a fever during hospitalization. Of those patients, 26% were treated in an intensive care unit, and of those, approximately 60% developed respiratory failure and 31% developed shock. Prolonged hospital stays for those patients were not uncommon .

Some patients with high fevers are unable to swallow or retain oral antipyretic drugs and retain rectal suppositories.  Caldolor offers these patients relief and it is the only injectable nonsteroidal anti- inflammatory drug approved for the treatment of fever in the United States. Caldolor was first approved in 2009 for the reduction of fever in adults and children 6 months and older, as well as pain management for those age groups.

For more information regarding this special access, contact Jim Herman, Cumberland’s Senior Vice President National Accounts at [email protected].