Aripiprazole (Page 9 of 14)

13 NONCLINICAL TOXICOLOGY

13.1 Carcinogenesis, Mutagenesis, Impairment of Fertility

Carcinogenesis

Lifetime carcinogenicity studies were conducted in ICR mice, F344 rats, and Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Aripiprazole was administered for 2 years in the diet at doses of 1, 3, 10, and 30 mg/kg/day to ICR mice and 1, 3, and 10 mg/kg/day to F344 rats (0.2, 0.5, 2 and 5 times and 0.3, 1 and 3 times the MRHD of 30 mg/day based on mg/m2 body surface area, respectively). In addition, SD rats were dosed orally for 2 years at 10, 20, 40, and 60 mg/kg/day, which are 3, 6, 13 and 19 times the MRHD based on mg/m2 body surface area. Aripiprazole did not induce tumors in male mice or male rats. In female mice, the incidences of pituitary gland adenomas and mammary gland adenocarcinomas and adenoacanthomas were increased at dietary doses of 3 to 30 mg/kg/day (0.5 to 5 times the MRHD). In female rats, the incidence of mammary gland fibroadenomas was increased at a dietary dose of 10 mg/kg/day (3 times the MRHD); and the incidences of adrenocortical carcinomas and combined adrenocortical adenomas/carcinomas were increased at an oral dose of 60 mg/kg/day (19 times the MRHD).

An increase in mammary, pituitary, and endocrine pancreas neoplasms has been found in rodents after chronic administration of other antipsychotic drugs and is considered to be mediated by prolonged dopamine D2 -receptor antagonism and hyperprolactinemia. Serum prolactin was not measured in the aripiprazole carcinogenicity studies. However, increases in serum prolactin levels were observed in female mice in a 13-week dietary study at the doses associated with mammary gland and pituitary tumors. Serum prolactin was not increased in female rats in 4-week and 13-week dietary studies at the dose associated with mammary gland tumors. The relevance for human risk of the findings of prolactin-mediated endocrine tumors in rodents is unclear.

Mutagenesis

The mutagenic potential of aripiprazole was tested in the in vitro bacterial reverse-mutation assay, the in vitro bacterial DNA repair assay, the in vitro forward gene mutation assay in mouse lymphoma cells, the in vitro chromosomal aberration assay in Chinese hamster lung (CHL) cells, the in vivo micronucleus assay in mice, and the unscheduled DNA synthesis assay in rats. Aripiprazole and a metabolite (2,3-DCPP) were clastogenic in the in vitro chromosomal aberration assay in CHL cells with and without metabolic activation. The metabolite, 2,3-DCPP, increased numerical aberrations in the in vitro assay in CHL cells in the absence of metabolic activation. A positive response was obtained in the in vivo micronucleus assay in mice; however, the response was due to a mechanism not considered relevant to humans.

Impairment of Fertility

Female rats were treated orally with aripiprazole from 2 weeks prior to mating through gestation day 7 at doses of 2, 6, and 20 mg/kg/day, which are 0.6, 2, and 6 times the MRHD of 30 mg/day based on mg/m2 body surface area. Estrus cycle irregularities and increased corpora lutea were seen at all doses, but no impairment of fertility was seen. Increased pre-implantation loss was seen at 2 and 6 times the MRHD, and decreased fetal weight was seen at 6 times the MRHD.

Male rats were treated orally with aripiprazole from 9 weeks prior to mating through mating at doses of 20, 40, and 60 mg/kg/day, which are 6, 13, and 19 times the MRHD of 30 mg/day based on mg/m2 body surface area. Disturbances in spermatogenesis were seen at 19 times the MRHD and prostate atrophy was seen at 13 and 19 times the MRHD without impairment of fertility.

13.2 Animal Toxicology and/or Pharmacology

Aripiprazole produced retinal degeneration in albino rats in a 26-week chronic toxicity study at a dose of 60 mg/kg/day and in a 2-year carcinogenicity study at doses of 40 and 60 mg/kg/day which are 13 and 19 times the MRHD of 30 mg/day based on mg/m2 body surface area. Evaluation of the retinas of albino mice and of monkeys did not reveal evidence of retinal degeneration. Additional studies to further evaluate the mechanism have not been performed. The relevance of this finding to human risk is unknown.

14 CLINICAL STUDIES

Efficacy of the oral formulations of aripiprazole was established in the following adequate and well-controlled trials:

  • Four short-term trials and one maintenance trial in adult patients and one short-term trial in adolescents (ages 13 to 17) with schizophrenia [see Clinical Studies (14.1)]
  • Four short-term monotherapy trials and one 6-week adjunctive trial in adult patients and one short-term monotherapy trial in pediatric patients (ages 10 to 17) with manic or mixed episodes [see Clinical Studies (14.2)]
  • One maintenance monotherapy trial and in one maintenance adjunctive trial in adult patients with bipolar I disorder [see Clinical Studies (14.2)]
  • Two short-term trials in adult patients with MDD who had an inadequate response to antidepressant therapy during the current episode [see Clinical Studies (14.3)]
  • Two short-term trials in pediatric patients (ages 6 to 17 years) for the treatment of irritability associated with autistic disorder [see Clinical Studies (14.4)]
  • Two short-term trials in pediatric patients (ages 6 to 18 years) with Tourette’s disorder [see Clinical Studies (14.5)]

14.1 Schizophrenia

Adults

The efficacy of aripiprazole in the treatment of schizophrenia was evaluated in five short-term (4-week and 6-week), placebo-controlled trials of acutely relapsed inpatients who predominantly met DSM-III/IV criteria for schizophrenia. Four of the five trials were able to distinguish aripiprazole from placebo, but one study, the smallest, did not. Three of these studies also included an active control group consisting of either risperidone (one trial) or haloperidol (two trials), but they were not designed to allow for a comparison of aripiprazole and the active comparators.

In the four positive trials for aripiprazole, four primary measures were used for assessing psychiatric signs and symptoms. Efficacy was evaluated using the total score on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). The PANSS is a 30 item scale that measures positive symptoms of schizophrenia (7 items), negative symptoms of schizophrenia (7 items), and general psychopathology (16 items), each rated on a scale of 1 (absent) to 7 (extreme); total PANSS scores range from 30 to 210. The Clinical Global Impression (CGI) assessment reflects the impression of a skilled observer, fully familiar with the manifestations of schizophrenia, about the overall clinical state of the patient.

In a 4-week trial (n=414) comparing two fixed doses of aripiprazole (15 or 30 mg/day) to placebo, both doses of aripiprazole were superior to placebo in the PANSS total score (Study 1 in Table 26), PANSS positive subscale, and CGI-severity score. In addition, the 15 mg dose was superior to placebo in the PANSS negative subscale.

In a 4-week trial (n=404) comparing two fixed doses of aripiprazole (20 or 30 mg/day) to placebo, both doses of aripiprazole were superior to placebo in the PANSS total score (Study 2 in Table 26), PANSS positive subscale, PANSS negative subscale, and CGI-severity score.

In a 6-week trial (n=420) comparing three fixed doses of aripiprazole (10, 15, or 20 mg/day) to placebo, all three doses of aripiprazole were superior to placebo in the PANSS total score (Study 3 in Table 26), PANSS positive subscale, and the PANSS negative subscale.

In a 6-week trial (n=367) comparing three fixed doses of aripiprazole (2, 5, or 10 mg/day) to placebo, the 10 mg dose of aripiprazole was superior to placebo in the PANSS total score (Study 4 in Table 26), the primary outcome measure of the study. The 2 and 5 mg doses did not demonstrate superiority to placebo on the primary outcome measure.

Thus, the efficacy of 10, 15, 20, and 30 mg daily doses was established in two studies for each dose. Among these doses, there was no evidence that the higher dose groups offered any advantage over the lowest dose group of these studies.

An examination of population subgroups did not reveal any clear evidence of differential responsiveness on the basis of age, gender, or race.

A longer-term trial enrolled 310 inpatients or outpatients meeting DSM-IV criteria for schizophrenia who were, by history, symptomatically stable on other antipsychotic medications for periods of 3 months or longer. These patients were discontinued from their antipsychotic medications and randomized to aripiprazole 15 mg/day or placebo for up to 26 weeks of observation for relapse. Relapse during the double-blind phase was defined as CGI-Improvement score of >5 (minimally worse), scores >5 (moderately severe) on the hostility or uncooperativeness items of the PANSS, or >20% increase in the PANSS total score. Patients receiving aripiprazole 15 mg/day experienced a significantly longer time to relapse over the subsequent 26 weeks compared to those receiving placebo (Study 5 in Figure 6).

Pediatric Patients

The efficacy of aripiprazole in the treatment of schizophrenia in pediatric patients (13 to 17 years of age) was evaluated in one 6-week, placebo-controlled trial of outpatients who met DSM-IV criteria for schizophrenia and had a PANSS score >70 at baseline. In this trial (n=302) comparing two fixed doses of aripiprazole (10 or 30 mg/day) to placebo, aripiprazole was titrated starting from 2 mg/day to the target dose in 5 days in the 10 mg/day treatment arm and in 11 days in the 30 mg/day treatment arm. Both doses of aripiprazole were superior to placebo in the PANSS total score (Study 6 in Table 26), the primary outcome measure of the study. The 30 mg/day dosage was not shown to be more efficacious than the 10 mg/day dose. Although maintenance efficacy in pediatric patients has not been systematically evaluated, maintenance efficacy can be extrapolated from adult data along with comparisons of aripiprazole pharmacokinetic parameters in adult and pediatric patients.

Table 26: Schizophrenia Studies

Study Number

Treatment Group

Primary Efficacy Measure: PANSS

Mean Baseline Score (SD)

LS Mean Change from Baseline (SE)

Placebo-subtracted Difference* (95% CI)

Study 1

Aripiprazole (15 mg/day)

98.5 (17.2)

-15.5 (2.40)

-12.6 (-18.9, -6.2)

Aripiprazole (30 mg/day)

99.0 (19.2)

-11.4 (2.39)

-8.5 (-14.8, -2.1)

Placebo

100.2 (16.5)

-2.9 (2.36)

Study 2

Aripiprazole (20 mg/day)

92.6 (19.5)

-14.5 (2.23)

-9.6 (-15.4, -3.8)

Aripiprazole (30 mg/day)

94.2 (18.5)

-13.9 (2.24)

-9.0 (-14.8, -3.1)

Placebo

94.3 (18.5)

-5.0 (2.17)

Study 3

Aripiprazole (10 mg/day)

92.7 (19.5)

-15.0 (2.38)

-12.7 (-19.00, -6.41)

Aripiprazole (15 mg/day)

93.2 (21.6)

-11.7 (2.38)

-9.4 (-15.71, -3.08)

Aripiprazole (20 mg/day)

92.5 (20.9)

-14.4 (2.45)

-12.1 (-18.53, -5.68)

Placebo

92.3 (21.8)

-2.3 (2.35)

Study 4

Aripiprazole (2 mg/day)

90.7 (14.5)

-8.2 (1.90)

-2.9 (-8.29, 2.47)

Aripiprazole (5 mg/day)

92.0 (12.6)

-10.6 (1.93)

-5.2 (-10.7, 0.19)

Aripiprazole (10 mg/day)

90.0 (11.9)

-11.3 (1.88)

-5.9 (-11.3, -0.58)

Placebo

90.8 (13.3)

-5.3 (1.97)

Study 6 (Pediatric, 13-17 years)

Aripiprazole (10 mg/day)

93.6 (15.7)

-26.7 (1.91)

-5.5 (-10.7, -0.21)

Aripiprazole (30 mg/day)

94.0 (16.1)

-28.6 (1.92)

-7.4 (-12.7, -2.13)

Placebo

94.6 (15.6)

-21.2 (1.93)

SD: standard deviation; SE: standard error; LS Mean: least-squares mean; CI: unadjusted confidence interval.* Difference (drug minus placebo) in least-squares mean change from baseline. Doses statistically significantly superior to placebo.
Figure 6
(click image for full-size original)

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